A couple of myths are attached to co-production models: The horror stories reach from challengingly complex development phases to frustrating rights negotiations to uneasy creative compromises. But the realities of pan-European co-operation are much more positive than these singular experiences might suggest. New models of coproduction are on the rise - not the least due to the growing need for target-specific content has grown in an era of rising costs and shrinking budgets.
What does this climate of pan-European cooperation mean for creatives and writers? Is it possible to bake international appeal into the ideas of series? How flexible do writers and producers have to be when shopping their projects? And does this require a new skill set from writers?