British producers association Pact UK will host its first UK-China cultural exchange. The Feb. 13 meeting will see 21 senior programming executives from major Chinese broadcasters in London meeting with over 70 production companies and broadcasters.
Following the launch day, Chinese executives will spend the rest of their week in placements with 23 indies selected to take part in the exchange. The UK company’s include genres spanning drama, natural history, entertainment, and animation.
On Friday (Feb. 10), Chinese executives will visit a live filming of the Channel 4’s show Child Genius to allow them to witness first hand how a British TV program is made.
“This is the first time that this type of program exchange has ever taken place and it has been designed to develop a deeper level of understanding of each other’s cultures and working practices. The Chinese executives will be able to spend a period of time with UK production companies and really learn about how programs are produced in the UK. They will be able to build great relationships, better understand how the UK TV market works as well as having quality time to discuss future collaborations,” said Dawn McCarthy-Simpson (pictured), Pact UK’s director of international, in a statement.
The Chinese Cultural Exchange is being supported by the British Government’s Prosperity Fund.
Pact’s recent Television Exports Report cited the growth of UK TV exports to China (up 40% in the past year). Pact is also planning to take a delegation of British producers to China later this year and is looking to hire a full-time Chinese-language assistant to its international department to assist with Pact UK’s China strategy.