Netflix plans to spend $8 billion in content in 2018. Are apps the future of TV? How are content and branding starting to merge? How do content creators feed the hungry market of consumers? On this episode we are joined by super executive producer Charles Wachter, who shares on the changing landscape of TV and entertainment, navigating the distance between marketing goals and entertainment goals, and being a content creator in the era of Netflix.

Twenty to thirty years ago, there were very few who held the keys to entertainment kingdom. -Charles Wachter

3 Things We Learned

Self-marketing shows sell

If you’re at the point where your success markets itself, you have a way to go directly to the consumer, and you’re able to maintain that success-- you’re going to see the upside.

There are universal things the audience gravitates toward

To create content that is both good and able to become a hit, you have to be able to make the audience feel something, make them laugh, take them away, or shock them.  

Long-running shows have perfected the art of branding and pleasing the audience

Shows like “Law & Order” have been on TV for almost two decades. Even though every trope has been played out, and the plots are predictable, these shows have survived because they will always be a comfort to viewers.

Years ago, traditional TV networks were upended by the advent of cable. Now in a similar way, apps and streaming services are upending modern television as we know it, including how deals are brokered and made. Before this era, very few companies controlled the creation and distribution of content. Now there are thousands of content streams, and the power players are the ones who own large sections of that market. This presents a great deal of opportunity for content creators who are able to play in different arenas and access deals that are favorable. Content that markets itself is what sells the most right now.

Guest Bio

Charles is an executive producer and showrunner. He has produced TV series including Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, American Gladiators, King of the Nerds, Fear Factor and Fashion Star. Charles recently teamed up with global indie studio Propagate Content to launch Hard Twenty, a new production company.