The first wave of speakers has been unveiled for the fifth edition of TellyCast’s Digital Content Forum, which returns to London’s BFI Southbank on Thursday November 5.
The initial line-up brings together broadcasters, digital-first studios, creators and content strategists working across areas including commissioning, audience development, social video, podcasting and the creator economy.
BBC head of digital development Mariel Capisciolto (pictured top left) and Channel 4 digital commissioning editor Kaio Grizzelle (bottom left) are among the first 11 speakers confirmed for the event. They will be joined by Danny Baggott, creative director of creator-led digital content business Hearst Canvas (top right).
Also taking part are Spirit Studios co-founder and creative director Matt Campion; BRYONY Inc founder Bryony Hopkins; Blue Door Productions founder Molly Bonham McDonald; YouTube strategist Cam Mensah of Curve Media; and Grace Miller, founder of Grace Experiments and head of failure and experimentation at Steven Bartlett’s FlightStory (bottom right).
Completing the first wave are Anthony Smith of AntEdits.com, Seb Losardo of Grow, Mindzone Media’s Howie Fine and Caroline Servy of international trends and consultancy business The Wit.
Further speakers and details of the programme will be announced in the coming weeks. The event is expected to feature more than 30 speakers across 13 sessions, combining panels, presentations and case studies with opportunities to pitch projects and build connections across the digital-first production community.
This year’s agenda will examine the forces reshaping the content business, including changing platform strategies, the growth of creator-led companies, social-first commissioning, new approaches to monetisation and the development of intellectual property across multiple formats and platforms.
The Forum will also explore how traditional broadcasters and production companies are adapting to an economy in which the conventional television commission is no longer the only viable starting point for a project, and creators and digital studios are building increasingly sophisticated businesses around direct audience relationships.
TellyCast founder and Digital Content Forum host Justin Crosby said: “Last year’s Digital Content Forum was our biggest yet, underlining just how quickly the digital-first production economy is growing and maturing. The level of interest we have already seen suggests the 2026 event is on track to surpass it.
“This first group of speakers reflects the breadth of the market, from broadcasters and established production businesses to creator-led studios and specialists in audience growth. We’ll be announcing many more names and full details of the sessions over the coming weeks.”
The 2026 Digital Content Forum is expected to attract a sell-out crowd to the BFI Southbank on November 5. Tickets are on sale now, including a limited allocation of discounted places for verified freelancers.
