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Loren Baxter discusses how Factual needs to grow out of this cycle of repetition

Loren Baxter at Off The Fence calls for the TV industry family to rally round and find ways to break...

Loren Baxter at Off The Fence calls for the TV industry family to rally round and find ways to break out of the repetitiveness that’s plaguing factual production and distribution.

Those who know me will know that I’ve just returned from a wonderfully amazing (and exhausting) maternity leave after having my first child. Having worked in this industry, and distribution specifically, since I was fresh out of university more than 15 years ago, it felt quite strange to be leaving the business for a while.

What struck me was the level of connection I felt with people I’ve met through my job – my colleagues of course, but beyond that, real friends who showed their care outside of the workspace. The one thing I missed dearly from being so absent: the people.

It’s this sense of reciprocity and connection that I would appeal to our community to create and value above and beyond anything else.

Looking at our world with changed eyes, it’s easy to understand the gripes and grumbles and, at the moment, very tangible collapses. I have spoken to hundreds of producers in the non-scripted market to know there’s a real sense of demotivation, the endless development of ideas, the pitching, the ghosting, the rejection, and yet there are still the favoured few that share news of commissions.

Our business has and always will thrive off the relationships we build, and those relationships are endless. So why does it feel like the industry is getting somewhat smaller?

I sat in a meeting last week listening to what could be an incredible piece of factual content. It had a great story and an imaginative editorial style, yet I couldn’t think of a single home for it. Why? Because the majority of TV is stuck in a cycle of repetitiveness with ideas that seem new but are, for the most part, the same. For distribution, that engages a sense of reliability, sure. But those reliable shows fall into that ‘squeezed middle’ where it takes four or five partners to greenlight a project to achieve a sub-par return with a usually hefty price tag for the distributor.

On the other hand, content has evolved, it’s come out of its shell, and we can thank the streaming boom for that. But what was once a very simple marketplace is now a busy, fast-changing landscape with so much choice for the viewer no wonder channels are afraid to make the wrong move – there’s no room for error. Producers need to have THE story, THE access and so many other tick boxes to get so far, and that also comes with a hefty price tag.

Becoming a parent demands some rapid growing up and I’m wondering whether our industry could do with maturing into a more sustainable system that distributes the opportunities more fairly. The onus is not solely on the buyers, or the distributors for that matter. Producers need to really take ownership of their local markets, follow the trades and really understand what slot they’re developing for and who else on the international market might want to join the party.

Distributors like Off the Fence can help and advise on the latter, but understanding your home market and, better yet, really getting to know those buyers, is vital. Trust is key in any relationship and it’s perhaps this that needs to be gained once more. Producers need a bit more guidance from the channels to not just steer them in the right direction but to try to give producers clear timelines around decision making. Anecdotally, many producers report that shoots have been delayed or access has been revoked because the channel interested has had two board meetings cancelled.

If the US doesn’t start making a noise financially soon, put simply, the production of content will not thrive. Access and talent are expensive and shows just aren’t getting to reach their full potential without the funding the US can offer. We’re definitely seeing a rise in alternative funding through brands and government tax incentives, but there’s not enough to go around and often producers need a channel on board to even make those new possibilities viable.

The TV family is dysfunctional, like most others, but where uncertainty is the new norm, being calm and resilient to change requires a solid community that looks out for each other, communicates and is compassionate and honest, just like we are in our real lives. We have a responsibility to ensure our well-loved TV community not only survives but flourishes.

Perhaps the industry itself is on maternity leave and one can only hope that after a considerable number of sleepless nights, some rallying around and a few adult conversations, we’ll have a bright newborn future to make it all worthwhile.

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Careers at Off the Fence

Work with us! Whether you’re just starting out in TV or a highly experienced SP, we’re...

Work with us!

Whether you’re just starting out in TV or a highly experienced SP, we’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our team.

Please send a CV and cover note to recruitment@offthefence.com.

Or connect with us via LinkedIn

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OTF Co-Pros Brings Wild Talk and Zombie Animals to international Auidence

Off The Fence (OTF) has announced two major co-productions, one of which is fronted by field...

Off The Fence (OTF) has announced two major co-productions, one of which is fronted by field biologist, wildlife filmmaker and TV presenter Dan O’Neill. A rising star in natural-history documentary, O’Neill has also been signed to present two further new OTF series.

Wild Talk (5 x 50 mins), co-produced by OTF, its parent company ZDF Studios and ARTE, explores the rapidly evolving science of animal communication — and reveals that many species are just as talkative as human beings. In the new five-part series, leading scientists decode complex animal communication systems with the help of AI, and next-generation sensors and recording technology. The result is a fascinating insight into the world of non-human language, from the waggle dance of honeybees to the UV signals emitted by the wings of butterflies.

Wild Talk is executive produced by Debbie Hinnigan and Andrew Zikking for OTF, Petra Boden for ARTE, and Nikolas Hülbusch and Ralf Rückauer for ZDF Studios. The series producer is BAFTA-winning filmmaker Guy Gilbert.

O’Neill, whose hit series Giants, produced by OTF for Curiosity Stream, premiered in May 2023, is front and centre of a second ambitious co-production: Zombie Animals (2 x 60 mins), brought to life by OTF Studios and National Geographic International. The two-part documentary, which is set to TX on Nat Geo Wild in the run-up to Halloween, examines the gruesome world of animal hosts and their invaders — the alien parasites, viruses and freaky fungi that cause their unfortunate victims to act like zombie slaves. The two-parter combines blue-chip and UGC archive material, dynamic graphics and on-location footage with O’Neill’s signature storytelling to tell a fascinating if disturbing story. Zombie Animals is executive produced by Andrew Zikking for OTF, and Sarah Peat for NGCI. The series producer is Aaron Paul.

Two other O’Neill-fronted projects are also in OTF’s production pipeline: Snow Leopards with Dan O’Neill (2 x 50 mins) and a second series of Nature’s Ultimate Survivors (5 x 60 mins)

In the former, the first openly LGBT wildlife presenter returns to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia to gather new information about the elusive “Ghosts of the Mountains”. The cinematic two-part documentary, co-produced by OTF and wildlife and nature brand Love Nature, follows O’Neill — the Snow Leopard Trust’s only ‘explorer in residence’ — on an extreme conversation mission to two remote locations: Kyrgyzstan’s Tian Shan mountains, home to the highest density of snow leopards on the planet, and the Tost mountains of Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, where entry is forbidden unless permitted by the Snow Leopard Trust. Helped by expert local rangers and next-generation camera, tracking and drone technology, O’Neill stalks the majestic cats to reveal their hunting behaviour, social dynamics and territorial range — all to protect the future of nature’s least understood big cats.

O’Neill has also been signed up for a second season of OTF Production’s successful 2023 series Nature’s Ultimate Survivors (5 x 60 mins), which combined stunning natural-history footage with the latest science to explore the astonishing abilities that creatures have evolved in order to survive.

The first season has been picked up by broadcasters across Europe, including France’s Ushuaia, Xumo in the US, Viasat World, Sky Germany and ZDF 3sat. The new series, which will again by narrated by O’Neill, will explore yet more wild and weird skills — from power punches through toxic touch to extreme endurance and stupendous speed — that help animals survive in the wild.

Andrew Zikking, MD of OTF Productions said: “It’s fair to say that natural-history co-productions are second nature to OTF. Over the years, we’ve learned that a successful co-production is a craft in itself, not just in terms of the tricky art of creative collaboration, but also in knowing how to pick the right partner for the right project for the right client and audience. It’s deeply gratifying that such natural-history power players as ARTE, National Geographic and Love Nature have committed to work with us on these exciting new projects. And, as a company that prioritises discovering and celebrating fresh and diverse talent, it’s a real coup that the peerless — and fearless — Dan O’Neill has agreed to front three more premium OTF productions.”

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OTF to distribute 'Resident Orca'

We're super excited to share our newest title 'Resident Orca'! Come see us at Sunnyside to hear more...

We're super excited to share our newest title 'Resident Orca'! Come see us at Sunnyside to hear more or contact one of our team.

See the full detail in the latest Deadline Article

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