The Edinburgh TV Festival has revealed will.i.am and producer Warren Littlefield (The Handmaid's Tale, Fargo, Dopesick) as the first major speakers for the 2024 edition this summer.
Clarkson's Farm executive producer Andy Wilman will also perform at the 49th Edinburgh TV Festival in August.
“The speakers will also address two new expansion areas introduced to look at the future of the industry in a practical and inspiring way,” organizers said. In addition to the regular Spotlight Sessions, panel discussions and masterclasses in Edinburgh, new creative director Rowan Woods wants to expand the event's offering International focus and is also launching a new feature called Frontiers, which “celebrates creativity, convergence and new forms of storytelling.”
In the first year of the Frontiers strand, will.i.am will be in conversation with Alex Connock, a media and artificial intelligence academic at the University of Oxford, about the future of creativity and what role AI will play in it. “With his groundbreaking work as founder and CEO of FYI, a pioneering web 3.0 AI platform for creative productivity, will.i.am is uniquely positioned to provide valuable insights into the impact of AI on the creation, distribution and audience involvement,” the organizers said. said.
Littlefield, the former network chief and architect of NBC's “Must See TV” era, develops and oversees series such as Friends, Seinfeld, ER And cheers, will speak out in Edinburgh at an “In Conversation” session. “Littlefield is now forging a new career as a producer of high-end drama and is behind multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning shows such as The Handmaid's Tale, Fargo, Dopesick, The old man, and the upcoming Amanda Knox drama, co-produced by Knox and Monica Lewinsky,” the Edinburgh team highlighted. “Littlefield's career reflects many of the major shifts in the industry and he will discuss its evolutions, the current state of scripted drama, talent relationships and where the next big shows will come from.”
Said Woods: “It's such an exciting moment for me to be able to unveil our first session announcements for the 2024 festival. They point to three of our key priorities this year: expanding our international programming, reflecting the increasingly porous boundaries between TV and other sectors and the creative opportunities this brings, and celebrating the success and impact of British talent and program making.”