The Unscripted Summit returns to Los Angeles on September 15 for its third year. The event brings together hundreds of senior executives, producers and creatives for a day focused on the business of unscripted entertainment.
Launched by NPACT and Talent Systems in 2024, the annual event has grown from roughly 300 attendees in its inaugural year to a gathering of 500 industry leaders in 2026.
At the Skirball Cultural Center, this year's Summit will present buyer and studio discussions with top names in nonfiction television. Some highlights include Netflix Directors of Unscripted Series Molly Ebinger and Jenny Falkoff will participate in a Netflix Buyer Conversation with Bunim/Murray Productions and 51 Minds CEO Julie Pizzi.
Amazon MGM Studios Head of Nonfiction Series Jenn Levy will have a discussion with Studio Lambert President Jack Burgess. Wheelhouse CEO Brent Montgomery will also take part in a studio conversation moderated by The Ankler’s Natalie Jarvey. The evening will close with a cocktail mixer in the courtyard.
Check out the full agenda and purchase your tickets today.
Ahead of the event, we sat down with Michelle Van Kempen, General Manager of NPACT and co-founder of the Unscripted Summit. A veteran television executive, she previously spent nearly two decades executive producing more than 2,000 episodes of content.
Why did you create the Unscripted Summit, and what gap were you hoping it would fill in the industry?
Through my experience with NPACT, I saw firsthand the value of industry colleagues coming together to share information, resources and strategies - and the power of that collective knowledge to strengthen the entire community. We recognized the need for a high-level forum that could bring that same spirit of collaboration to the broader unscripted industry.
As the challenges facing unscripted deepened and became increasingly existential in recent years, Daniel Rosenberg of Talent Systems and I began strategizing about how we could combine our resources and expertise to help address them.
In 2024, we decided it was time to launch the Summit: an annual gathering designed to bring the unscripted community together for candid discussion, strategic thinking, and practical solutions to help build a stronger, healthier future for the industry.
What is happening in the unscripted business right now that makes this year’s Summit particularly timely?
We’ve certainly been through some very challenging times, and the challenges aren’t over by any means. But we’re also seeing people and companies begin to find their new normal, along with real areas of growth and opportunity. That makes this an especially important time to come together and share what’s working, what isn’t, and where people are finding success.
The goal is to give producers and businesses the insights and strategies they need to make informed decisions about where to focus their resources, identify new opportunities, and position themselves to come out of this period stronger and more successful.
What are the biggest challenges facing unscripted producers and production companies today? Where do you see the biggest opportunities?
We all know production volume is down, particularly in Southern California, and budgets are considerably lower for much of the production that is happening. That means we can’t continue doing business the same way we have for the last 20 years. One of the biggest challenges - and opportunities - is figuring out how to balance the traditional long-form business with new models and new sources of revenue.
That means looking beyond the traditional buyer-producer relationship and exploring new formats, platforms, partnerships and funding models - including sports, brands, creators, international co-productions, self-funding, short-form content, FAST/AVOD, and more.
There are opportunities out there, but they require producers to think differently about how content is developed, financed, produced and monetized. We’ll be exploring many of these areas at this year’s Summit and, importantly, looking at where the real revenue and growth opportunities are.
What will this year’s Summit address that producers and executives need to be talking about?
Staying true to our goal of providing practical solutions and strategies for the challenges facing the business, this year’s agenda is focused on how producers can diversify, increase efficiencies, generate new revenue and find opportunities for growth.
We’ll hear directly from buyers at Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios, as well as executives from FAST, AVOD and microseries platforms, about what they’re looking for and where they see opportunities. We’ll dig into growth areas like sports programming and partnerships and microseries, and look at real-world case studies of how leading companies have pivoted their businesses to adapt and continue growing.
We’ll tackle incentives; how producers can use them strategically to make U.S. production more affordable, keep productions here, and ultimately help sustain jobs and the production ecosystem.
What makes the Summit different from other entertainment industry conferences or events?
From the beginning, the Summit has been designed to provide the greatest value to experienced executives and producers - people who are already in the business and are navigating the very real challenges facing our industry. It’s not intended to be a forum for people looking to break into the business, learn how to pitch, or develop those foundational skills. There are other events that do an excellent job of serving those needs, but that’s not our focus.
We’re uniquely focused on the business of unscripted, how companies can navigate challenges, find new opportunities, diversify, generate revenue and continue to grow.
Because of that focus, we’ve found that our speakers are willing to have much more candid, substantive conversations and share practical insights, real-world strategies and lessons learned. It’s not just about talking about where the industry is headed. It's about sharing with colleagues in the room information they can actually use to make better business decisions.
What can someone who attends the Summit expect to learn or take away from the experience?
Our goal, and thankfully, what we consistently hear from attendees, is that after spending the day at the Summit, you come away with practical information and strategies you can actually put to work, valuable new connections, and some fresh inspiration.
I’d say it’s ‘The Three I’s’ - ideas, insights, and inspiration people can apply to their own businesses and careers to move forward.
That’s why the Summit continues to grow. It’s a valuable day, and one you really don’t want to miss!
Click here to purchase your tickets for The Unscripted Summit on September 15, 2026.