In this period of market change, Brunico Communications has made the difficult, but necessary decision to discontinue its U.S. events portfolio in 2027, including Realscreen Summit and its sister events, Kidscreen Summit and NATPE Global.
This decision was deeply considered and stemmed from the market consolidation that continues to progress and have structural impacts on the content production business.
Moving forward, the company will focus on its full complement of publications including Realscreen, Kidscreen, Playback and Strategy as well as the prestigious Banff World Media Festival whose next edition is June 14-17, 2026. The Realscreen team will continue to cover the daily news, and run its market-leading awards program, recognizing the highest calibre work in the field annually.
The coverage and access that Realscreen continues to provide are more vital than ever to the community, and we believe that our leadership position will open new avenues for growth rooted in our mission to develop highly effective ways to facilitate business within the market.
Realscreen Summit has served as the heartbeat of the international unscripted content community for the past 30 years and has proudly been a seminal catalyst of opportunity for an entire generation of media executives and their companies. The gratitude we feel for the privilege of serving our communities in this capacity is immense and we could not be more thankful for the tremendous support of all our partners.
With this news, Realscreen‘s former long-time publisher and Executive Director of NATPE, Claire Macdonald, will be moving on from Brunico to pursue other opportunities. Over a distinguished 13-year span Claire oversaw the transformation of Realscreen Summit into the world’s leading unscripted television marketplace, and the successful expansion of the brand’s event portfolio with the addition of Realscreen West and Realscreen London. Claire’s success has always been powered by the depth of the relationships she builds, and it was in this way she was able to step in to breathe life back into the NATPE event franchise across Miami and Budapest and place it back on the global stage. She has always reflected the energy, drive and ambition of the global entertainment business.
“I have worked with some of the brightest minds in the business and I’ve witnessed great resilience and creativity over the years as the industry weathers change,” says Macdonald, adding, “I wish nothing but the best for my colleagues and the industry as a whole as it transforms.”
As the market evolves, Realscreen will continue to provide a forum for thought leadership, benchmark best in class content, and deliver the dedicated daily intel needed to stay informed. We also look forward to developing more ways to connect our audiences with emerging opportunities, new partners and the innovation that will be essential for navigating change.
Russell Goldstein
President & CEO
Brunico Communications