Although there’s a lot of debate about what makes a great reality format, the consensus at this week’s Playback Summit was reached on one thing: the successful TV format isn’t going anywhere.

“Some [reality shows] will be more popular than others at a given time, but the format’s business is not going away,” said Jennifer Dettman, the CBC’s executive in charge of factual entertainment.

Dettman was on an afternoon panel that was weighing in on the future of reality TV formats in Canada. Along with her on the stage were Paperny Entertainment’s president and executive producer Don Paperny, Shaw Media’s Leslie Merklinger, Cineflix’s Joe Houlihan, and Insight Production’s John Brunton.

Houlihan, Cineflix’s executive VP of programming, credited the success of formats to the fact that reality formats focus on what audiences care about and identify with. “The reason the good ones work is because they’re steeped in things that matter to us in life,” he insisted.

The panelists, all of whom have extensive experience in both adapting existing reality formats for Canadian audiences and developing original Canadian content, agreed that having a passion for the property was the first key to creating a successful format.

“You’ve got to be passionate about the project, and believe that it will truly entertain your audience and compel them to watch it time and time again,” said Merklinger, Shaw’s director of original production lifestyle.

“Big formats aren’t something you go to gently. It’s a massive decision,” she added.

She said when producers pursue bringing big formats to Canadian screens, they must also find creative ways to finance their projects.

For her and Brunton, Insight Production’s president and CEO, bringing the Top Chef format to Canada meant relying on product integration and sponsorships. Top Chef is produced by Insight and runs on Shaw’s Food Network Canada.

“We often sat around the table thinking about how products could be integrated in a way that engages audiences and doesn’t turn them off, as well as be part of the content and the story,” said Brunton.

He added that before picking up big existing formats, such as Got Talent, it’s also important to ensure that Canadian participants have the skill to compete with their international counterparts.

Such was the case with Canadian Idol, he explained, which was adapted to fit Canada’s tradition of producing singer-songwriters as opposed to pop stars.

However, both Dettman and Houlihan argued that there is an “ingredient x” when it comes to creating a successful property of any kind – a variable that can turn even the greatest idea into a ratings flop.

“There are so many different ways of approach. It’s about a great idea at the right time,” said Dettman.

In the face of recent government cutbacks that saw hundreds of employees being handed pink slips this week and a laundry list of shows being cancelled or put in limbo, Dettman said the CBC is looking for new ways to finance and fund new formats, and work with sponsors.

Despite this, she insists that the CBC will continue to stay the course that has allowed it to be successful so far.

“There’s no desire to change our programming strategy. We’ll get through this and take stock of where we are,” she said.

“There’s a desire at the CBC to push ahead with the success we’ve had in the past, and we need big, universal, attractive shows,” she added.

The panelists also urged producers to consider the potential for multi-platform approaches to their properties.

“There seems to be a fear that traditional broadcasting will be wiped out by this or that. But at the CBC we’re embracing [multi-platform approaches],” said Dettman.

Brunton added that as the digital and TV worlds converge, traditional marketing strategies are changing and being replaced by social media.

“We’re racking our brains to come up with ways of marrying the two worlds and using the digital world and social networking as marketing tools,” he said.

“We’re much more prone to spend money in that world now than in traditional print advertising and other kinds of marketing,” he explained.

Photo: David Paperny, Jennifer Dettman, Leslie Merklinger, Joe Houlihan, John Brunton / Sean Torrington