SURVEY


PRODUCTION 100 TRUE INDIES


THE I TRUENDIES


of Voltage TV. Singhal made the comment at


Y


the RTS Cambridge Convention in September. He is considering an industry looking into the headlights of Covid restrictions, increased costs, lower margins, the watering down of IP as international services insist on buy-outs and the potential privatisation of Channel 4. But, in the same session, Singhal described “insatiable demand,” with productions queuing for cast and crew. Arguably, it was more nuts to


to try to get an indie off the ground


ou’d be nuts to try and start a new indie now” says Sanjay Singhal co-founder


Woodcut’s The Beverley Allitt Tapes Nutopia’s Vendetta: Truth, Lies and the Mafia Autumn 2021 P35 televisual.com


MANY IN THE PRODUCTION 100 ARE PART OF LARGER GROUPS, BUT THERE’S STILL A PLACE FOR THOSE WITH A TRULY INDEPENDENT SPIRIT. PIPPA CONSIDINE REPORTS


in the teeth of a global pandemic. Here are two examples of indies in this year’s Production 100 that started up just before Covid hit. Manchester-based indie King of


Sunshine was founded by former BBC commissioning editor Sohail Shah in 2019. He didn’t have formal investment. “I wanted to be truly independent,” says Shah. But he did have a deal with ITV Studios umbrella label Cats on the Roof, where they provided back office services in return for a part of the production fee. His first commission was a pandemic friendly piece of opportunism. Britain’s Favourite Detective was an archive show for ITV that could


be made within Covid restrictions. Since then he has had five network commissions and is now part of the Indielab accelerator scheme. In early 2020 experienced TV


execs Mark Westcott and Duncan Gaudin decided to open Marshal Bishop Productions. “We launched just before lock down. Obviously a global pandemic was not in our business plan,” says Westcott. Talks with a larger group that was considering backing the venture unsurprisingly foundered. Then they had the greenlight from Nat Geo for a major adventure series Called to the Wild, with co-pro partners including ITV America. “That kept us going,” says Westcott.


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