Guinness World Records (GWR) is launching a content production arm, GWR Studios.
GWR Studios will sit within the TV and Digital division of record breaking achievements brand GWR, producing content for both external broadcast and brand partners and for digital platforms, including GWR’s owned channels which have experienced high growth following the brand’s development of a digital first approach to content.
GWR Studios will be headed by Karen Gilchrist, vp of Television and Digital and Kathryn Hubbard, head of Content Licensing for GWR, two executives with a track record of producing and distributing content for US Studios and national broadcasters worldwide, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the UK.
Since the launch of its first television series in 1998, Guinness World Records’ content has broadcast in over 19 territories worldwide and GWR Studios will build on the brand’s experience of over 20 years creating factual and entertainment content for broadcast partners worldwide.
Karen Gilchrist said: “GWR Studios will bring together the outstanding production, brand and talent expertise that sits within Guinness World Records to create content that celebrates the amazing achievements of our record holders worldwide. Behind each record attempt is a compelling and authentic story and at GWR Studios we’re uniquely placed to tell these.”
Kathryn Hubbard said: “Guinness World Records has captivated global audiences for nearly 70 years by documenting the incredible. As a brand we celebrate the best of human endeavour and achievement, and this affords us fantastic opportunities to work with partners worldwide on every platform as we have the unique ability to appeal to all generations in every territory. Our content ranges from the downright bizarre to historic global moments and that gives us a huge breadth of personalities to work with and stories to tell, connecting with audiences of every type all over the world.”
With the launch of GWR Studios, the team has expanded with the recent addition of development producer Kate Monaghan to lead the growth of the division’s development slate and at Mipcom 2022 GWR Studios will be presenting three new series available for localisation.
Guinness World Records: Shorts (10 x 10 mins) a series of heart-warming films that introduce audiences to record-breakers and the stories behind world-records.
Best of the Best (22 x 30 mins) a new series that delves into the archives of Guinness World Records. New for 2022, Season 2 will add a further 10 episodes to this series featuring extraordinary feats of endurance, exceptional bodies, magic and athletics.
Guinness World Records: Gone Viral (20 x 30 mins) is a fast-paced clip show featuring sporting and fitness. Each episode centres on a different theme ranging from juggling, to acrobatic skills, to incredible feats of strength
Alongside developing new in-house content and formats, GWR Studios will continue to work with its network of production partners worldwide with a raft of commissions set to launch over the next few months.
This Autumn Best in the World will launch on CBBC, a new children’s clip show produced by Electric Robin.
Produced by Banijay Italia, the hit shiny-floor format Lo Show Dei Record will return to Italy next Spring with ten new 2-hour episodes of GWR’s format, which to date has sold to 18 territories worldwide including the US and China.
GWR Studios has also worked with The Schultz Creative who produced its first ad-funded series Stumbo Record Breakers, a historic culture and heritage format that launched this year on e.tv, South Africa’s biggest independent free-to-air television channel, and sees records being attempted by local heroes in culturally significant locations.
Guinness World Records’ owned channels will also be supplied with a pipeline of original content produced by GWR Studios. The brand has a sizeable digital following, attracting an online audience of over 30 million followers on Facebook, 20 million followers on TikTok and receiving over 34 million visits to its website GuinnessWorldRecords.com each year.
GWR’s successful digital first strategy has attracted partners to collaborate on new branded content deals such as GWR’s recent social campaign for Diesel that drew on the talents of Guinness World Records title holders to celebrate a new kind of supermodel, and a campaign with Anker to create a new series focussed on speed-related records.
In building the brand’s in-house production capability with GWR Studios, the ambition is to further harness GWR’s archive of record-breaking content and extensive network of talent relationships to find new partnership and digital content opportunities that celebrate the talent and stories that come from GWR’s record holders.
Pippa Considine
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