‘Thing About Pam’ to ‘Girl from Plainville,’ True-Crime Bosses Find Truth Stranger than Fiction (VIDEO)
It is not a secret that we have become obsessed with all things true-crime.
The fascination was always there, whether it was Unsolved Mysteries or America’s Most Wanted. But ever since Serial and Making a Murderer, it seems like there is a new case coming to life on-screen each month. Small-town murders, fake Russian heiresses, Tinder swindlers, tiger kings… hell, even bad vegans make for good TV!
Which is why the Savannah College of Art and Design’s annual TVfest was so on-point to put together a panel exploring the appeal of true-crime content on television. On the bill: The Act‘s executive producer Robin Veith, who is also the writer and EP of Hulu’s upcoming Candy about a 1980s axe-murder in Texas starring Jessica Biel; Patrick Macmanus, the writer and co-creator of Peacock’s The Girl From Plainville and Dr. Death; and Jenny Klein, an executive producer and writer on NBC’s Dateline-inspired The Thing About Pam with Renée Zellweger.
During the chat, the creatives shared their mutual admiration for one another’s work, while also opening up about the tightrope act that accompanies the adaptation of actual tragedies. And while each program showcased takes a different approach to tone, they all agreed that the main goal is to tell the truth with respect and as little judgment as possible. And as you can see from the video above, they also all shared a similar take on why these stories are so addictive and important.
Always a high-point of the TV-celebration calendar, the student-run annual international event — which marked its 10th anniversary virtually this year — spotlights the latest in design, creativity, and innovation in television and media. Their goal is to connect students, guests, and working professionals from all spheres of content production through screenings, premieres, panel discussions, and workshops.
According to their site (and those of us who have been lucky enough to attend the live versions), “SCAD TVfest audiences explore the best content airing today and the newest trends in broadcast, streaming, cable, web, social media, and advertising, with opportunities abound to network with future peers practicing in front of and behind the camera.”
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