Meet the Channel 4 Commissioners

TIME & LOCATION

Thursday 16 November, 11:45 am

End Time: 12:45 pm

Downstairs Theatre

About

Belfast Media Festival provides you with an opportunity to meet the commissioners from Channel 4 in this highly anticipated panel event.

Join us as we bring together a diverse group of industry leaders who shape the programming decisions at one of the UK’s most innovative and boundary-pushing broadcasters. Gain invaluable insights into the commissioning process and learn what it takes to get your ideas noticed by Channel 4. Our panellists will share their insider perspectives on the types of content that resonate with Channel 4’s audience, as well as their vision for the future of television. Discover the genres and formats that are currently in high demand and get tips on how to tailor your pitches to stand out from the crowd. Learn about Channel 4’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and how they are actively seeking fresh voices and perspectives to bring to the screen. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to network and engage with the commissioners directly, ask burning questions, and potentially forge valuable connections in the industry.

This session is sponsored by

Chair

Vinny Hurrell ( Journalist, Producer)

SPONSOR

Panel

Alisa Pomeroy

Head of Documentaries,

Alisa’s stand-out commissions include the critically acclaimed Evacuation, multi-award winning Jade: The Reality Star who Changed Britain, BAFTA-nominated Jeremy Kyle Show: Death on Daytime, and a host of other successful documentaries including Barrymore: The Body in the Pool, BAFTA-nominated series Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles and Baby Surgeons: Delivering Miracles. Recent commissions include Banged Up, a social experiment set in decommissioned prison HMP Shrewsbury and Partygate.

Cimran Shah

Commissioning Editor for Entertainment.

Cimran Shah, Commissioning Editor at Channel 4 joined in 2021, commissioning across the Entertainment slate. Cimran has a particular interest in satire, purposeful reality, comedy-entertainment, semi-scripted and new talent returnable formats. Since joining Channel 4, Cimran has been responsible for Prince Andrew: The Musical, Make Me Prime Minister, The Last Leg, Lateish with Mo Gilligan, The Big Narstie Show, 8 Out of 10 Does Countdown, Complaints Welcome, How We Forgot To Save The Planet and The Alternative Xmas Message. Cimran has a background in news and current affairs. Prior to his time at Channel 4 Cimran was Series Producer of The Last Leg where he was nominated for two BAFTAs and won an RTS Award. Before this, he produced Question Time, Panorama, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and The One Show.

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Janine Thomas

Commissioning Editor for News and Current Affairs

Janine Thomas is a Commissioning Editor of UNTOLD, an exciting current affairs strand aimed at 16-34-year-olds with digital first/Channel 4 streaming in mind. Untold is the home for remit-defining, noisy and bold journalism for our young audience. Previously, Thomas was the Documentaries Commissioner, focusing on F talent fronted docs and delivering popular returning series. Alongside this, Thomas also runs the career-defining First Cut strand, giving opportunities for first time factual directors. Janine returned to Channel 4 from Sky UK where she delivered a string of shows across the pay-TV broadcaster’s Documentaries, Crime and Nature channels. Highlights included Arrow Pictures’ Grierson and Edinburgh nominated Positive: 30 Years of HIV in Britain, Minnow’s Mother Teresa, Top Hat’s multi award nominated Look Away, Lion TV’s Arctic From Above with Liz Bonnin, and Blast!’s RTS nominated Italia ’90 series. Janine has also made her mark by nurturing off-screen talent with her launch of the Doc Shorts Initiative. The scheme offered emerging filmmakers with disabilities and those from ethnic minority backgrounds access to a £500,000 fund to direct cinematic short films. Previously at Channel 4, Janine was Documentaries Assistant Editor and worked across a diverse slate including, Secret Life of the Zoo and 24 Hours in A&E, as well as commissioning into the digital Factual strand True Stories and youth skewing E4. Additionally, she commissioned a string of C4 singles documenting aspects of the black British experience, including Pulse Films’ Hair Power: Me and My Afro and ACME’s RTS-winning Damilola: The Boy Next Door.