Created at the “Forum des images” in Paris in 2010, Series Mania has been developing in Lille since 2018 where it has established itself as the largest European event entirely dedicated to series. The 4th edition held in Lille at the end of August has just brought together more than 2 500 professionals from 66 countries as well as 400 online participants.

But Series Mania is much more than an annual festival. The event already permanently installed in Lille Metropole strengthened its anchorage since the launch this year of the Series Mania Institute. This new initiative is entirely dedicated to the training of those who make the European series of tomorrow.

The Series Mania Institute is supported The Series Mania Institute is supported by Lille Metropole, the Region Hauts-de-France, the CNC (centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) and by Newen, France Télévisions and Entreprises et Cités." Its pedagogical programmes are developed in partnership with prestigious European schools such as La Fémis and Sciences Po Lille. For Laurence Herszberg Executive Director of Series Mania “With the Series Mania Institute, the ambition is to make Lille Metropole the European capital of series”.

Series Mania Institute, is based on three objectives:

• Sharing European expertise to create a network of cooperation between professionals across the continent
• Breaking down the barriers between the professions that make TV series to fluidify the creative process and respond to increasing production volumes
• Opening up the sector to diverse backgrounds and origins to enable all talent to access TV and creative professions

Series Mania Institute runs a European training course entitled Eureka Séries, aimed at emerging screenwriters and producers from all across the continent. In partnership with La Fémis, the major French film school, it focuses on writing and creative processes at the heart of TV series creation, with lectures and workshops in English and masterclasses with top showrunners, creators and producers such as Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and Bryan Elsley (Skins).

Since the start of this new school year, the Institute has also launched a "series" specialisation for the students of Sciences Po Lille's two-year Master Degree "Management of Cultural Institutions" (MIC). These students will have the opportunity to join the TV sector for internships in the second year of the Master's programme.

And then there is the Tremplin project ("the springboard"), aimed at young people from Hauts-de-France who are more detached from the school environment, and who will complete a training programme offered by Series Mania to join the TV and creative industries.