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Fleabag and 100 Foot Wave producer Joe Lewis has called independently-financed television production “the solution” to many issues facing the industry.
The former scripted development chief at Amazon Studios told delegates at the MIA Market in Rome that his experience producing era-defining shows such as Channel 4 and Amazon dark comedy Fleabag had taught him that change was necessary. He now leads Amplify Pictures out of LA, with a focus on non-financing shows without networks, streamers or distributors.
“In 2018, I produced a handful of programs, including Fleabag, which was an incredible show and I really thought was as good as producing could get, but doing that I realized there wasn’t a sustainable [model]. We were fortunate to see the tremors them. Even doing Fleabag, which I am endlessly proud of, I realized that was not a model for living a life and having a producing career.”
The former Comedy Central, Fox and Amazon exec launched Amplify in 2018 has gone on to independently finance three seasons of 100 Foot Wave, the surfing documentary that plays on HBO. Lewis noted that co-productions and pre-sales will take on bigger roles in the future, but was keen to urge his contemporaries to adopt indie financing models that are more akin to filmmaking.
“Amplify is a company that will move into the co-production space, but truly independently financing TV is the actual solution to the problem that studios, producers, creators and even distributors have,” said Lewis. “There will be more ways to do it than the three ways we have done it so far.”
During the panel, hosted by Turning Point CEO Carlo Dusi, several international execs debated the key changes producers should be making to get shows away in an era of shrinking budgets and less buying, noting collaboration, pitching and packaging were all in various states of evolution.
Lars Blomgren, Head of International at Pachinko and The Morning Show maker Media Res, said that market conditions were pushing producers towards the co-production model “out of necessity,” and even the U.S. market was beginning to accept the change.
“We see lots of opportunity to work between U.S. and Europe, and the European countries together,” he said. “I thought I had a pretty good idea of the U.S., but when I arrived [at Media Res] two years ago I realized I didn’t know anything at all. The biggest challenge has been to convince the U.S. they are different. If I show them a show out of the Nordics with a budget of €8.5M [$9.2M], they are like, ‘Why?’ You tell them you have eight or nine different partners, and they don’t get it, but they are slowly understanding the co-production model and embracing it.”
Former Paramount exec Laura Abril, who is now EVP of Scripted, Global Business Development, at Spain’s Buendia Estudios, added: “It’s not only making them understand they might be the different ones, but also making them realize they might not always be the best one, they just have the biggest bucks.
“I see there is a very interesting opportunity in helping commissioners by being the vehicle from the financial and business model position to assist them with that shrinking budget situation. We can help be the vehicle, with tax incentives, talent and [finding] the best shows.”
Protecting producers
Elsewhere in the chat, Fifth Season‘s SVP, Head of Scripted Television Strategy, Arvand Khosravi, said his CJ ENM-owned company had found more and more producers in need of strong advice, as market changes continue to sweep through the international production world and the largest media businesses seek sustainable profitability.
“The most significant part of our business these days is arming producers with the information the market is telling us,” said Khosravi. “What are buyers are telling us is working? Where can we prognosticate they be in a years’ time in this moment of corporate upheaval? We don’t want to scare producers into submission and hamstring their creativity, but we want to arm them with knowledge. Then we are going to run interference to get them to where they need to be.”
That strategic advice often stretches to stopping producers jumping the gun, added Khosravi. “We want the creative to be protected as much as possible, and for the project to only be exposed at the right time. I totally understand the kneejerk reaction of producers who have nice conversations with buyers and want to send them something immediately, but so much of my time is spent trying to talk people off that ledge.
“We need to protect and nurture more so than ever and make sure it gestates to the point is can be taken to market in a more competitive, auction fashion. That’s a process we’ve done in America for a long time. Now we’re seeing that pay off in other territories.”
Marika Muselaers, Head of International Financing and Co-Production at Nordisk Film Productions, said there was a need for cultural change in favor of collaboration in Europe, and broadly agreed with Khosravi’s analysis when she said: “We’re still just throwing soft pitches to streamers in Europe, but it is especially important that we now bring in the creators. If there’s a lesson for producers in Europe, it’s that. Get the right package to get the deal done.”
Blomgren said streamers’ switch to profit-making models offered indie producers opportunity. “For a while we were just guns for hire, working for someone else and giving away all the rights,” he said. “Now it is more of a challenge to finance things, but I love that big broadcasters can carve out and buy the U.S. only [for example].”
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