As broadcasters and cultural institutions strive to reach increasingly fragmented and digital-first audiences, commissioning and content strategies are rapidly evolving. This panel will explore how leading broadcasters and platforms are rethinking their approach to digital and cross-platform commissioning, audience discoverability, and platform-specific strategies - from owned media to third-party and social platforms.
With case studies and first-hand insights from commissioning editors, digital leads, and producers across Europe, this session will highlight innovative models for cultural content creation and distribution. We’ll also look at the synergies between linear and digital teams, and how new commissioning workflows are addressing the challenges of visibility, storytelling, and audience engagement in the digital era.
Moderators
Stephen James-Yeoman, Commissioning Executive, BBC Arts & Classical Music TV, United Kingdom
Stephen James-Yeoman is the Commissioning Executive at BBC Arts and Classical Music mainly looking at classical music, dance and performance. He is also BBC Arts’ Digital Commissioner with responsibility for titles such as Inside Cinema. He is the BBC’s lead on Dance Passion, which is a celebration of dance from across the UK in partnership with One Dance UK.
Sophie-Caroline Menges, Music journalist, Germany
Sophie-Caroline Menges is a dedicated music educator and journalist based in Germany. She regularly contributes to SWR Kultur radio, leads workshops and live events. As an author Menges has contributed to the ARD Mediathek series ANASTASIA KOBEKINA - NOW OR NEVER and directed LANG LANG: MY FAVORITE MELODIES for sounding images and C Major Entertainment. Sophie-Caroline Menges holds degrees in music journalism and musicology specializing in music mediation and artistic research.
Speakers
Franziska Facile, Director Audiovisual, Stage+, Germany
Based in Berlin, Franziska Facile is a production head with over 20 years' experience in the media industry. She has worked in eSports, technical event coordination, film and TV production, as well as concert & opera recording and streaming. In 2019, she joined Deutsche Grammophon to develop the label‘s audiovisual content and production activities. As Director of the Audiovisual Department at Deutsche Grammophon she is responsible for filmed content on DG‘s streaming service, STAGE+.
Lia Navarrete, Social media Manager and Editor, Musiq3 - RTBF, Belgium
Lia Navarrete began her career in classical music communications in 2019 at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel as a social media expert and content producer. In January 2023, she joined Musiq3 - RTBF as a communication specialist. She now collaborates with Belgium's leading cultural institutions, including La Monnaie and Bozar, and has worked with renowned artists like Julia Fischer and TwoSet Violin. Lia recently co-directed her first documentary, Bovary, and remains dedicated to using compelling digital communication to connect both new and long-time enthusiasts with classical music.
Caroline Smith, BBC Digital Commissioner, BBC, United Kingdom
Caroline is the Digital Commissioning Executive at BBC Arts and Classical Music Television, responsible for digital-first content as well as amplifying television titles across social media and digital channels. An avid reader, she runs BBC Bookworm, a TikTok account dedicated to the joy of reading. She has also worked across a range of performance pieces and documentaries including the BBC's summer-long classical music festival, the BBC Proms; Renaissance: The Blood and The Beauty; The Read and Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius. Before working in Arts, Caroline was responsible for commissioning digital-first content across Unscripted which includes Planet Earth 3, Steve McQueen’s Uprising and the ever-popular Louis Theroux Interviews. She has been nominated for a Broadcast Digital Award and a Prix D’Italia for a Roblox activation for the series Glow Up.
The panel will be conducted in English.