CuriosityStream chief content officer Steve Burns adds to the line-up of speakers at ATF conference

The Asia TV Forum and Market today announced the addition of CuriosityStream’s chief content officer Steve Burns, to the line-up of C-level executives. As chief content officer, Burns is responsible for CuriosityStream’s entire library of original productions and acquisitions, including award-winning titles and series such as Stephen Hawking’s Favorite Places and David Attenborough’s Light On Earth.

Steve Burns



ATF group project director Yeow Hui Leng said, “ATF is Asia’s leading platform for engaging the TV and film entertainment industry’s top players from around the world. To this end, we remain committed to curating a conference programme that gathers the sector’s top minds. Over four days, delegates can look forward to gathering valuable insights for the year ahead.”

CuriosityStream completes a compelling picture at this year’s ATF Leaders’ Summit. In line with the overarching theme of The Next New, CuriosityStream joins a line-up of the new breed of companies, coined as the second wave in digital, which includes the likes of Propagate Content  founder and Co-CEO Howard T Owens, MX Player CEO Karan Bedi,  Huawei Video chief content officer and global president of strategy Jian Ju and QYOU Media CEO Curt Mavis.

It is being produced by Country of Focus (Philippines) aligned with the Singapore Media Festival, which ATF is part of. This will be reflected during the Leaders’ Summit, where a keynote panel will discuss new platforms, buying more content and what’s next on the landscape in the Philippines.

The panel, Country of Focus: the Philippines at the Crossroads, will offer valued insights and visions from top Filipino media and entertainment players in the industry. This includes ABS- CBN CEO Carlo Katigbak, TV5 CEO Vincent Reyes and Cignal TV CMO Guido Xavier R. Zaballero, moderated by HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos, the session will give the industry’s top insights into leadership roles in the country, competition and how the digital revolution is changing partnerships and investment decisions.

This session’s significance is also reflected in the presence of  ABS-CBN chairman Mark Lopez, who will be attending ATF this year. ATF Production Day 2018 attracts top commissioners with an emphasis on growing industry understanding, evolution and capabilities including the discussion on the ins and outs of what has been working and what will continue to work in the content space moving forward.

The informative Trending Asia, Winning Formats session, led by K7 Media CEO Keri Lewis Brown, a UK-based media consultancy that provides intelligence to help broadcasters, digital producers and advertisers identify the hottest content, will open the day’s programme, presenting an exclusive selection of pilots and hits amongst Asia’s prominent formats, dissecting them based on their targets, time slots and budgets. This year, the session will also include a segment on scripted formats.

Keynote panel East Meets West: New Business Models to Develop Asian Format Exports will attempt to address what it will take for Asian formats to travel beyond the region. Veterans sitting on the panel include  Red Arrow Studios chief creative officer Michael Peter Schmidt, Media Solution CJ E&M director of content (global business division) Jin-Woo Hwang, ITV Studios Global Entertainment VP Pascal Dalton and Nippon TV international business development head Fusako Nagashima

C-level executives from prominent OTT players will take the stage later in the day for their keynote presentations, HOOQ chief content officer Jennifer Batty will look at Content Today, adapting and staying relevant.

ATF Pitches ATF 2018 will be launching the inaugural ATF Chinese Pitch Mystic Asia where winners, apart from receiving cash, will have the opportunity to have their scripts bought and produced by GHY Culture and Media and broadcasted on iQIYI for all Chinese-speaking territories.

The second year of the ATF Animation Pitch and the third year of the ATF Formats Pitch has pulled in onstage judges from the likes of Netflix, Disney, Nickelodeon, HOOQ, Beach House Pictures and Discovery Networks Asia Pacific. ATF and ScreenSingapore take place from 4 to 7 December 2018 and is a part of the Singapore Media Festival (SMF).

Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF) 2018, the region’s leading entertainment content event, is the platform to acquire knowledge, network, buy, sell, finance, distribute and co-produce across all platforms. It is the premier stage in Asia to engage with the entertainment industry’s top players from around the world. It’s where the best minds meet and the future of Asia’s content is shaped.

ATF also offers the opportunity to discover vital trends, crucial statistics and significant foresight in TV’s digital, kids and formats arenas. Its business match-making opportunities open doors to some of the best new offerings in the region. With over 5,500 international buyers and sellers from 54 countries, ATF presents valuable business prospects for top of the line benefits.

ScreenSingapore 2018 ScreenSingapore is Southeast Asia’s definitive marketplace for filmmakers, producers, distributors, financiers and film buyers to explore co-production opportunities, seek financing, make deals and stay abreast of the evolving film landscape.

Reed Exhibitions (RX) is the world’s leading events organiser, with over 500 events in over 30 countries.  Reed events are held throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa and organised by 38 fully staffed offices. It serves 43 industry sectors with trade and consumer events and is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries

With the array of industry professions from across the world gracing the event, we look forward to getting insightful nuggets of information at the event.