Kitting up
There's a continual need for post houses to invest in new kit and to keep on top of emerging technologies. In the month of IBC, Michael Burns reveals the essential kit for the coming year
83 Televisionary
creative director Jeremy Hibbard senior exec producer Will Sergeant senior producer Emma Crowther turnover £1.7m profit £130k commissions 3 hrs commissioned 14 hrs tx’d 14 key shows Richard O’Brien’s Dead Strange (ITV) The Secrets of My Success (ITV) Ultimate Ulster (UTV)
genre fact, fact ent, sport
Working with UTV on the second ten-part series of Ultimate Ulster is something creative director Jeremy Hibbard singles out as a highlight of the past year for Televisionary: “It’s a delight to work with a broadcaster that gets so behind a project.” The company also completed its first HD live music shoot with Seth Lakeman Live at the Minack Theatre. The main low for the company, says Hibbard, has been the recession and “the way in which healthy, ongoing relationships with commissioning editors have faltered as they’re too scared to talk to anyone”. The company has ambitious ideas for TV projects, including an American project produced in conjunction with a transatlantic partner. Televisionary also plans to expand its live music and events team, which will also work on developing multi-platform projects. “The number one priority at the moment is survival and anyone who tells you different is lying,” says Hibbard.
84 Summer Films
md Susie Dark director/producer Kevin Lane excecutive producer Susan Crook
staff 2 turnover £1.64m profit £99k
commissions 5 hrs commissioned 22
hrs tx’d 16 key shows My Shocking Story (Discovery Channel) Living with My Idol: The Hoff when Scott Came to Stay (Living) Living with My Idol: Pamela Anderson when Joe Came to Stay (Living)
genre fact, fact ent
Founded in 2008 by former Scream Films md Susie Dark, Summer Films is a new entrant to the Production 100. Specialising in factual and factual entertainment programmes, its credits include five series of My Shocking Story for Discovery UK/Five, 6x60min adventure series Gethin Jones' Danger Hunters for Virgin 1 and Living TV series Living with My Idol. Asked about the impact of the recession on her business, Dark notes: “The cost of making programmes has increased, but the budgets haven’t of course. We have to streamline the production teams, condense the schedules and increase production values - it is a challenge that we are becoming past masters at!” She says that the key challenge and concerns for Summer Films in the year ahead are “continuing to deliver high quality programmes within a tight schedule and budget.”
85 Quickfire
md Mark Fielder staff variable turnover £1.6m commissions 3 hrs commissioned 3 hrs tx’d 3 key shows Blackbeard’s Last Stand (Five) Dispatches: What’s in Your Wine (C4) The Queen’s Coronation: Behind Palace Closed Doors (C4) genre fact, fact ent
86= Fulcrum TV
director Richard Belfield director Mel Morpeth head of production Adam Berman staff 10 turnover £1.5m commissions 5 hrs commissioned 10 hrs tx’d 2 key shows Panorama Special (BBC1) DNA Forensics (Crime & Investigation) Jack the Ripper in America (Discovery USA) genre fact, fact ent
86= Oxford Scientific
ceo Clare Birks executive producer Caroline Hawkins, Alice Keens-Soper
staff 8 turnover £1.5 commissions 5 hrs commissioned 8 hrs tx’d 11.5 key shows Science and Islam (BBC4) Saving Africa’s Witch Children (C4) There’s a Rhino in my House (Animal Planet) genre fact, fact ent
88 3DD Productions
ceo Dominic Saville fd/coo Jennifer Bentley music series producer Jess Eldridge production manager Steve Wood staff 4 turnover £1.48m profits £16k
commissions 7 hrs commissioned 25 hrs tx’d 10 key shows The Album Chart Show (C4) Music Video Exposed/ Video Killed The Radio Star (VH1) Pinters Progress (Sundance Channel) genre ent, fact, fact ent
89 Giant Film & TV
director David Green director Steven Green creative director Brendan Courtney head of development Ashley Bothwell production manager Alice Huzar staff 6 turnover £1.47m
commissions 17 hrs commissioned 34 hrs tx’d 34 key shows Oscars Red Carpet Live & Oscars Highlight Show (Sky One) Lost on Location/Lost: Season 5 Revealed (Sky one) Living with Boy George (Living)
genre ent, fact ent, sport
90 True Vision
boss Brian Woods real boss Deborah Shipley director Jezza Neuman
staff 12 turnover £1.23m profit £44k commissions 14 hrs commissioned 9.5 hrs tx’d 8 key shows Chosen (More 4) Mum loves Drugs Not Me - Dispatches (C4) Bust (BBC1) genre fact
