In Part 1 of this rich and honest conversation, Julie Eckersley speaks with consultant and media commentator Jen Topping, whose career spans journalism, Channel 4, Microsoft’s interactive TV studio, and now helping hundreds of indies future-proof their screen businesses.

Jen reflects on how producers and content creators must shift their mindset to stay relevant in a time of ongoing disruption—and shares deeply practical insights on navigating the emotional and structural challenges that come with change.

This is part 1 of a two-part interview. Come back next week for the second half!

Key Takeaways:

• Fragmentation, Convergence and the Rise of Audience Choice. Jen explains how these elements have increase completion for audience attention and why they are here to stay.

• What the media changes mean for producers and how you can thrive in the new media landscape. Jen talks about the skills you need to develop.

• Don’t Wait for Stability - Build for Change. Disruption is no longer a phase—it’s the environment. Jen challenges producers to become more adaptive, agile, and audience-savvy in how they develop and deliver stories.

• The Future Belongs to the Curious. The most valuable producers aren’t the ones with all the answers—they’re the ones asking better questions and staying open to reinvention.

• The Opportunity and the Challenge. The desire for great content has not changed, but how we make money through them has. Jen talks about the challenge of getting projects financed in this new model and how to own the D2C (direct to consumer) model.