8/23/2023 0 Comments Julia mckenzie aidIn the past that wasn’t the case, there were just a handful of independent companies submitting, but now, just as there are many production companies in TV, you can see the field opening up in radio. In the last spring submission round, the results of which came through in August, there were around 100 different production companies who submitted projects to Sioned William. KP – Who else is submitting productions to BBC Radio? In the past there were just a handful of independent companies submitting to us, but now, just as there are many production companies in TV, you can see the field opening up in radio. I’m talking to Audible, Spotify and others about possible commissions from them, and we will also look at branded opportunities (i.e. So, we’re still the biggest supplier of comedy to Radio 4, we still make the highest volume of stuff as a production company, but my challenge this year is to start looking for commercial opportunities. That’s no longer the case because we’ve lost the in-house guarantee. We come from a BBC in-house heritage which was making about 70% of Radio 4 comedy. JM – My actual job title is Executive Editor of Radio Comedy but no-one knows what that really means, so I generally just say I’m Head of Radio Comedy! I run a team of about eight producers, about six production coordinators, a couple of execs and two staff writers. KP – What is your role here at BBC Studios? In the past, radio has been regarded as a pipeline for TV, and it looks like podcasts are also beginning to fulfil that function. There are actually some examples of American dramatic series podcasts being optioned for TV. In their original format, podcasts tended to be chat-based (presenters talking around a subject), but they have become more and more sophisticated, with many higher-end productions, especially in America. In audio it might be less obvious where the commercial opportunities are, but it’s things like Audible, Panoply, Spotify, other big digital platforms and podcasts. So, BBC Studios is a way to address that and to try to target the global opportunities – to pitch to all those different companies, to Channel 4, Netflix, Amazon, etc. It doesn’t give programme-makers many bargaining chips if they can only submit to one supplier.Ī commissioner can theoretically sit on your project for ages – there’s no ticking clock, they know that you can’t claim ‘in a month’s time I’m going to take this to Netflix, or wherever’, so it doesn’t give much agency to the producers, and therefore writers. The thinking behind the move was that in-house production can only make product for the limited availability of slots on BBC channels, and if those slots are cut, where does that production team look to make up the shortfall? They can’t take that idea to Channel 4 or elsewhere. BBC Radio Comedy is the only audio production team to have moved over to BBC Studios. Julia McKenzie – BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed of what was previously BBC in-house production – TV comedy, drama, entertainment, natural history and factual (news, religion, children’s and sport have stayed public service). What is BBC Studios, and how does it fit into the industry?
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