Talk GDM

SERIES – FROM LOCAL GROUNDING TO GLOBAL REACH

Thursday, November 6
15:15 – 16:15
Online broadcasting
Friday, November 7
Starting From 23:00
LANGUAGE(S) English

Today, our favorite series are widely broadcast, reaching very diverse audiences… and sometimes becoming global hits. Yet they continue to focus on iconic themes, often specific to their country of production—and to the people who make them. How can local talent be reconciled with global distribution?

Event details
15:15 - 15:45 Part. 1 ABRACADABRA: PRODUCING SERIES FOR A GLOBAL MARKET With the creation of Abracadabra, a company co-founded by Pathé, Damien Couvreur aims to produce series with global appeal and build stories capable of traveling beyond cultural boundaries.…
15:15 - 15:45
Part. 1 ABRACADABRA: PRODUCING SERIES FOR A GLOBAL MARKET
With the creation of Abracadabra, a company co-founded by Pathé, Damien Couvreur aims to produce series with global appeal and build stories capable of traveling beyond cultural boundaries. In an increasingly competitive environment, is there a magic formula for appealing to all audiences?
Speaker: Damien Couvreur

15:45 - 16:15
Part. 2 SWISS SERIES STORYTELLING AWARD: FEEDBACK AND INSIGHTS
The Swiss Series Storytelling Award celebrates Swiss excellence in series screenwriting. For its second edition, join the 2025 jury and discover how this award, supported by SSA and Suissimage, highlights Swiss talent and stimulates the creation of original series with international appeal.
Speakers: Ann Bergström, Frédéric Lavigne, Marianne Furevold-Boland (Online)
Moderator
Pauline Wang
Independant journalist, FR
Speakers
Ann Bergström
Head of PR, Viaplay Select and Content Distribution at Viaplay Group, GB
Onsite
Ann Bergström is Head of PR for Viaplay Select and Content Distribution, where she leads international trade marketing and PR to position Nordic and European storytelling for broadcasters, streamers, and their audiences worldwide. She has over 25 years’ experience in the media and entertainment industry, with senior roles at Viacom, VICE’s agency Virtue, and Viaplay.viaplay.com
Frédéric Lavigne
Artistic director, Series Mania Festival, FR
Onsite
Originally trained as a scientist, Frédéric Lavigne was a programmer at the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers from 2000 to 2004, then served as audiovisual attaché and director of the Ciné Lumière at the Institut Français in London. In 2006, he joined the Forum des Images before programming the Séries Mania festival there. In 2018, he became its Artistic Director in Lille, where the festival gathered over 100,000 spectators and 5,000 accredited guests in 2025.
Marianne Furevold-Boland
Head of drama, Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK), NO
Online
Marianne Furevold-Boland is Head of Drama at NRK, leading the development and production of acclaimed series such as So Long Marianne, Powerplay, Exit, State of Happiness, and Requiem for Selina. She was also a key figure behind the international hit Skam, and has a broad background as producer, script consultant, writer, and journalist. Educated in acting at LIPA.
Damien Couvreur
Co-founder, Abracadabra, FR
Onsite
Damien Couvreur began his producing career working with filmmaker Tonie Marshall, then joined Europacorp, where he was among the first to develop and produce international series out of France, before moving to Gaumont. Heading original content at Netflix France for 7 years, he shaped many programs such as Family Business, Lupin or Class Act. He currently runs Abracadabra, a production company founded in partnership with Pathé.
Thursday 6 Nov. 15:15
Théâtre Pitoëff

Online broadcasting

Friday, November 7
Starting From 23:00

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