#SSD25 > June 23-26, 2025
🎤 In Conversation with Nikolas Hülbusch – ZDF Studios
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SSD25
🎤 In Conversation with Nikolas Hülbusch - ZDF Studios
Enjoy a series of interviews with the people who support us every year. Today, our new sponsor of the Science Pitch: Nikolas Hülbusch, Director Unscripted - ZDF Studios, shared his thoughts with us.
Nikolas Hülbusch, Director Unscripted - ZDF Studios
ZDF Studios is joining Sunny Side of the Doc as a partner this year. What motivated your decision to support the event, and what are your expectations for this collaboration?
Sunny Side of the Doc has been one of my favourite events for many years - a good place to meet most of the key people in the factual industry that we do business with throughout the year. We expect it to be particularly attractive this year as, with MIPDOC being brought forward to February, there is no other major market for factual programmes of this importance in the spring.
You are sponsoring our Science pitch sessions this year. What type of documentary content or creative voices are you particularly keen to discover or support at Sunny Side of the Doc?
Our international customers love science, especially topics such as the universe, earth science, paleontology, anthropology, archaeology, ancient and modern engineering. We have an extensive portfolio in these areas in our catalogue and are always open to discovering new "treasures"!
As the documentary industry embraces new formats and storytelling methods, how is ZDF Studios adapting its editorial and international strategy to meet evolving audience demands?
There is always a balance to be struck between the "classic" types of programmes that have always been and will always be successful (such as the well-crafted blue-chip wildlife documentary) and new formats and approaches to which we are generally open. At the moment we are investing more in factual entertainment formats that can be both science and entertainment, such as our new 'Magic Moves'. We are also experimenting with 'slow TV' programmes as we launch FAST channels in various territories.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping production, distribution, and even content creation. How is ZDF Studios approaching the opportunities and challenges AI presents for documentary?
AI opens up a lot of possibilities. In some of the programmes in our catalogue, AI-generated images have been used to replace re-enactments to illustrate events from ancient history where no archive footage exists. We also sometimes use AI for localisation. In both cases we are very careful about the quality. AI should never be an objective in itself, and we always decide very carefully whether it is the best solution for each specific task.
What kinds of international partnerships or co-production opportunities are you looking to develop at Sunny Side of the Doc this year?
We look forward to strengthening our relationships with our partners in the Global Doc group, of which we are a proud member. And we are always open to discovering new broadcasters, streamers and production companies in Europe and beyond to work with in the future.