Channel 4 Online is providing eight paid for producer placements for TV and digital companies as part of Fuel4, our year-long programme of events for the creative community running throughout 2012.

Companies can apply to take part in the programme which will see multiplatform executive producers placed into four television production companies; whilst TV development producers will be embedded into four digital companies. The aim is to encourage companies to develop multiplatform ideas, which will be pitched to Channel 4 at the end of the placements.

How the placements will work

• Eight producer placements: four for TV companies, four for digital companies
• Individual producers will be embedded into the companies and they will be paid for by Channel 4 Online
• For the four successful TV companies, they each will have a multiplatform executive producer
• For the four successful digital companies, they each will have a TV development producer
• The placements will be for 20 work days; it will be agreed between each successful company, Channel 4 and the individual producer how these days will be spread over four to 12 weeks
• This ideas originated will be owned by the individual companies
• At the start of the programme, creative sponsors from the successful companies will have a session with Channel 4 and the individual producers to frame the placement programme
• Throughout the duration of the programme, there will be support offered by Channel 4 to both the companies and the producers
• The successful companies will have a plan for their existing teams to work with their embedded producer to develop a range of multiplatform ideas
• At the end of the placement, the company with their embedded producer will pitch their ideas to the relevant commissioning editors at Channel 4, although C4 will be under no obligation to commission any of the ideas

By the end of the placement programme all of the companies will have gained new skills in how to originate multiplatform ideas.

What type of ideas is Channel 4 looking for?

These ideas should be fully multiplatform from inception: working across multiple platforms and always including television.

These ideas can be across any TV genre, and involve any group of platforms or formats as long as one of them is television, for example, television plus:

• Websites, social networks, products and services
• Devices such as connected TVs, tablets, smart phones
• Formats can be content, interactive experiences or games
• Interactive components synchronised with TV via telephony, VOIP or smart device
• Emerging technologies such as connected TVs, augmented reality or motion sensors
• Real world events.

What companies can apply for the programme?

The producer placements are for companies with a proven track record in origination in their field, but who are yet to originate and produce across TV and digital platforms:

• TV production companies with network broadcast credits
• Digital companies with a track record in idea origination and content. This placement is not suitable for agencies that focus on delivery of pre-existing ideas.

The successful companies will have an aspiration to get into multiplatform origination and production, but don’t already have existing multiplatform capabilities. This includes:

• TV companies without a digital team or existing multiplatform capabilities (this includes companies part of a larger group with a digital division or company)
• Digital companies without TV production experience or a formal relationship with a TV company.

Only companies based in the UK can apply.

What is the Application Process?

Please fill in our online form on FormSite which includes asking for your contact details as well as answers to the following:

• What is your company’s track record in producing your own originated ideas?
• Why do you want to branch into multiplatform origination?
• How do you see this helping your business?
• What challenges does your company have that this producer placement will help solve?
• Please describe how you plan to use this person?
• Who would work with this person?
• Who is the creative sponsor within the company (the senior creative person who is supporting this application for a producer placement)?
• What involvement will the creative sponsor have with the person over the six week placement?
• What TV genres are you looking to develop ideas for?

The closing date is June 15th at midnight.

What is the decision making criteria?

A group within Channel 4 will be deciding on who will be the successful companies for this programme. The purpose of these placements is to acknowledge that successful creative companies have a knowledge gap in the area of multiplatform they haven’t had experience of (so TV for digital agencies; and digital for TV companies).

The successful companies will be those that best demonstrate they are marketing leaders in their existing fields; and who are ready and keen to make a leap into multiplatform origination.
 
We are hoping some of the successful companies will be based outside of London (both nations and regions). We also are hoping that the successful companies will include some we have never worked with before.

However, as this is the first time Channel 4 Online has run a placement programme such as this, we will need to wait and see which companies apply and what the applications say.

If you are unsuccessful, we will give you feedback on your application.

If you have any questions about the Producer Placements, please get in touch with Jen Topping Business Manager for Channel 4 Online: jtopping@channel4.co.uk.

Posters from Come Game With Me

We created some posters to hang on the walls at the Fuel4 Come Game With Me event in Glasgow on March 21st.

Their purpose was to stimulate and provoke debate in the coffee breaks; to get conversations between the TV, games and digital creatives attending. As a result, they are simply food for thought and Channel 4 doesn’t necessarily agree with everything they say.

You can read them here:

• Are we heading for a creative coffin?
• Do we have the right tools for the job?
• How can gamification get us on the leader board?
• How do games affect our brains?
• Are games making us better?
• What do gamers actually want?
• What do the numbers tell us?
• What does the future hold?
• What is a ‘video game’ anyway?
• Who are the gamers of today?

You can also read a Storify of the day to get a flavour of the event.

Spring Briefing 

Our spring briefing was held on March the 21st at the Lighthouse in Glasgow. This time, we are asking for ideas across four commissioning areas: multiplatform genres; convergent formats; games; products.

Below is a set of briefing notes explaining what we are looking for in each area, plus some guidelines on the practicalities of how to submit your ideas. Based on your feedback from our winter briefing, this time we will again ask you to fill in our pitch template, as we don’t want you to spend your time developing ideas that should be able to be pitched in one page.

In addition, we are going to limit it to three ideas per company as part of this round. This is so we can get back to you more quickly, and also (hopefully!) so you pitch your favourite ideas.

• Spring briefing notes
  
• Pitching template
  

The closing date for ideas is April 30th at midnight. Please fill in our online form to submit your completed pitch templates. Please complete one form per idea. 

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Please note, we are using FormSite (a US company). FormSite will collect and store the data outside the EEA in accordance with its privacy statement. If you want more information about the security used by FormSite, click here.

Channel 4 will use your data in the following ways:

• We will keep the information gathered within the FormSite account for a month 
• We will then securely export the data and use it internally so commissioning editors can read and respond to all proposals
• We will then delete all your data from the FormSite website.

Please note that Channel 4 will hold your data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, please email onlineproposals@channel4.co.uk.

Fuel4 Masterclasses

We are adding four more Fuel4 events to the existing eight already announced.

These are a series of four masterclasses that will take place over the next months.

1. Introduction to Multiplatform Production (April 12, London)

This masterclass is for TV series producers with no experience of working on TV programmes that have multiplatform activity. They should come away with an understanding of how the TV and multiplatform production processes fit (or don’t fit!) together.

2. Technical Workshop (April 4, Salford)

This half day event is for the technical leads (architects, lead developers) working on multiplatform activities for Channel 4. It will be very focussed on the technical issues that arise from working on projects for Channel 4; for example, technical approach, architecting for traffic peaks, data protection, testing, deployment.

3. Multiplatform Specialists (May 2, Birmingham)

This session is for experienced multiplatform producers to come together to shared their expertise, discuss key issues that they come up against time again, or solutions they’ve found to problems. It is an opportunity for experienced multiplatform people to get together, share knowledge and learn from each other.

4. Channel 4 and the Law (May 10, London)

This is for editorial and creative people working on multiplatform projects for  Channel 4. It will cover a range of legal issues such as a spec writing session, data protection, clearances and rights, compliance and community management.

For these four events, there are a limited number of spaces on offer (30 at each event). They are invite-only, for people or companies working on Channel 4 projects in 2012.

However, elements of all of these sessions will be recorded and published online afterwards. In addition, documentation will be published after the law and technical sessions to benefit those who weren’t able to attend.

If you are interested in attending, please email fuel4@channel4.com.

Also, we will be running more masterclasses throughout the rest of 2012. If you’ve suggestions of what we should cover, please let us know at email address above.

Fuel4 Games Event & Channel 4 Online Spring Briefing

The invitations have gone out for our games event (Come Game With Me) and spring briefing that are taking place on the same afternoon in Glasgow on March 21, 2012.

Come Game With Me is the second Fuel4 event for 2012 (following on from the Evolution of Entertainment on January 19). Hosted by Colin Macdonald, Channel 4’s games commissioning editor, it will be an opportunity for games and TV producers to come together and explore previous success stories, look at emerging trends, forge new relationships and even find some time to play. You’ll not want to miss it.

After Come Game With Me finishes at around 6pm, it will be followed by Channel 4 Online’s spring briefing at 6:45pm. As well as those who have attended Come Game With Me, a wider audience will attend this briefing including digital companies who don’t specialise in games, as well as other TV producers. This is where attendees can hear what opportunities there are to work with Channel 4 Online, and what ideas we are looking for across games, multiplatform, connected TV formats and digital products.

It will be followed by a drinks reception where folk can meet commissioning editors from Channel 4 Online, and network with fellow creatives from the digital, games and TV industries.

If you’ve got an invitation to either or both event, please do come (RSVPing to the email address on your invitation). If you’ve not had an invitation and would like to come please email fuel4@channel4.com specifying whether it is Come Game With Me or the spring briefing (or both!) you are interested in attending.

Please be aware space is limited.

We are in the process of planning the Fuel4 masterclasses and workshops that will run over the next months, and are looking for suggestions of what you think should be covered.

The masterclasses and workshops will different to the half day conferences we’ve already announced (the full list is here on Lanyrd). The half day conferences cover a big theme or technology, are longer, and are designed for a bigger audience. They are intended to inspire new creative ideas that work on multiple platforms or convergent technologies.

The masterclasses will be more practical, and will aim to help share expertise on how to originate and deliver big, splashy multiplatform initiatives to TV audiences. They will also cover practical product or user experience issues specific for TV content and technologies. The masterclasses will be for smaller audiences, will be shorter in length and more frequent throughout the year.

We are keen to hear what you would like to see covered in these sessions. Please tell us about what tricky issues you’d like explored, or alternatively, someone you’d like to hear from that you think has cracking experiences that should be shared.

Some suggestions include: how to originate ideas that work on multiple platforms including TV; using personas within a TV context; managing campaigns; compliance issues across TV, online and social media; designing projects around a linear narrative and TX; technical architecture for big TV traffic spikes; multiplatform production techniques.

Maybe none of these suggestions float your boat, so please tell us what you’d value in these sessions. Please email us with your thoughts to fuel4@channel4.com (with Masterclasses in the subject heading).

Today is the first of Channel 4 Online’s Fuel4 events. Called the Evolution of Entertainment and Technology, it is for TV and digital creatives to explore how technology is changing and influencing how we are entertained.

We had a lot more interest than we had space for, so if you can’t come along, please follow along on Twitter (#fuel4) or visit our Storify where we will capture all the Fuel4 events from this year.

Our list of events currently booked in for this year is here on Lanyrd. If you are interested in coming along, please email fuel4@channel4.com with a bit of information about you and what your company does. We will then confirm back to you if you have a ticket, as due to space reasons we can’t take everyone.

We will be added more events soon, so please watch out for them.

Please RSVP with any queries to fuel4@channel4.com

Our winter briefing was held on December the 13^th at Horseferry Road. We are looking for ideas across three commissioning areas: multiplatform genres; convergent formats; products.

Below is a set of briefing notes explaining what we are looking for in each area, plus some guidelines on the practicalities of how to submit your ideas. Based on your feedback from our summer briefing, this time we are asking you to fill in a one page pitch template (which is below) for each of your ideas. This is because we don’t want you to spend your time developing ideas that should be able to be pitched in one page.

• Winter briefing notes
• Pitching template
  

The closing date for ideas is January 31^st at midnight. Please email your completed pitch templates to onlineproposals@channel4.co.uk.

If you have any questions, please post them below and we’ll respond. Otherwise, you can get in touch directly with Channel 4 Online business manager Jen Topping jtopping@channel4.co.uk.

Discover Fuel 4

Through 2012, Channel 4 is running a series of creative and disruptive events to fuel the digital and television industry. The goal is to increase the knowledge and understanding of changing audience behaviours and new technologies, and what opportunities for creatives these bring.

Fuel 4 will involve a series of 30 different events across the country, as well as paid-for development producer placements within eight TV or digital companies.

The first eight events are a series of eight half day mini-conferences, designed to be interactive, informative and enjoyable around key technologies or themes. You can download a map of the events below, or go to Lanyrd where we will list all events under the Fuel 4 programme.

• Map of Fuel 4 events
  
• Visit Channel 4 Online’s Lanyrd profile

The remaining events will include master classes featuring experts sharing their experiences in various aspects of multiplatform production, user experience and technologies.

In addition, Channel 4 will be offering a series of paid producer placements where TV development producers are embedded within digital companies and digital producers are placed within TV production teams. The full details of this programme and the application process will be announced in 2012.

The target audience are people working in TV or digital production and development, who are keen to understand the creative opportunities to develop new ideas to work multiplatform (where one of the platforms is TV). The goal is for these events to inspire attendees to come up with new formats and ideas that Channel 4 can commission and put into our schedule in 2012 and beyond.