43. Diana Williams: Worldbuilding, Franchises and Authentic Storytelling for Independents

Future of Film Podcast with Alex Stolz

"Franchises are a way for the creator and creative to have long term sustainability in a crowded marketplace" Diana Williams In this episode we are delighted to welcome storyteller extraordinaire Diana Williams to the show. Diana is Executive Vice President of Creative at Maddison Wells Media's 'Universe' division. Twice named on Fast Company's Top Ten Most Innovative Companies list, MWM have built their reputation in working across multiple formats including interactive, live events, television and, yes, even film! MWM Universe is devoted to developing IP and in her role, Diana is responsible for building creative content strategy, world-building, content production, and data analytics across multiple formats. In this episode we learn about Diana’s unique approach to storytelling, creative collaboration and developing IP with the potential to work on different platforms. This leads us to what Diana refers to as the ‘F word’ - franchises and she explains how this way of thinking can unlock new opportunities for independent storytellers in an increasingly competitive market. This episode was recorded as part of the free video series, Rebels of Storytelling (available at www.futureoffilm.live) and would not have been possible without the incredible support of Epic Games and Unreal Engine who are pioneering the transformation of storytelling on screen. We are also proud to partner with Creative England’s outstanding Creative Enterprise Programme. You can find out more about the Creative Enterprise Programme and the two new grant funds they have available for screen-based creative businesses at www.creativeengland.co.uk