Is Big Brother Dead? – creative anarchy at Endemol
‘Creativity is what separates us from pretty much every producer out there: we’re creative and entrepreneurial with a good dose of anarchy, but – importantly – we are successful because we believe in our shows. The great advantage that Endemol has is that we are a collection of creative and entrepreneurial producers – each is at the top of their game. Creating a show is like inventing a new sport: for a sport to work it’s got to have drama and emotion and you have to care about who wins. And that’s what we try to create at Endemol.’
Endemol UK CEO Tim Hincks was addressing ambitious young hot shots in the ITF-sponsored Fast Track session ‘Small Screen, Big Business’ of the Media Guardian Edinburgh International TV Festival, on Thursday 26th August. The event was opened by ITF Trustee David Strachan (joint MD of Scottish indie Tern) who told the delegates how much ITF could develop their professional skills, as it had done with his own teams at Tern.
The Fast Track scheme gives 40 of the industry’s future movers and shakers the chance to network and gain access to senior industry executives, over two days of intimate and insightful masterclasses.
‘My first real break in TV was with a small Indie company, Bazal Productions. The indie sector is where I grew up, so that was important to me, and I think the indie sector thrives on and teaches you, if you want it, is how to think on your feet and grab chances as they appear.’
Now that Hincks runs the super indie Endemol he is putting that ethos into action on a daily basis.
‘As indies, no one owes us a living: we don’t have advertising money coming in to us, we don’t have a licence fee, we don’t have subscriptions. If we stopped making shows tomorrow, we would go bankrupt. That’s what would happen, so it’s incredibly important we create our own stuff. Endemol is an ideas generator, that’s what we do.’
Small screen success has its new challenges with tougher economic challenges and the battle between quality and audience share.
‘Everyone talks about risk, but nobody wants to take them. If you’re a broadcaster, your lifespan is so much shorter than it ever was: you make one mistake and that’s it. So the pressure on broadcasters is immense and it’s important to understand that. They need the shows to work. Everything’s about money about the moment. People are commissioning things that they consider to be more reliable and extending brands more than taking risks. I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, after all, I’m a viewer and I like to watch stuff that works’ said Hincks.
As Endemol ’s Big Brother evicts its housemates for the very last time on Channel 4, Hincks hinted at its likely resurrection in a way to deliver an even bigger buzz than when the blockbuster show launched in 2000.
‘Even after 10 years, Big Brother is far and away the biggest show Channel 4 has. It still manages to double its average viewing figures – utterly extraordinary. You can compare it with a sporting event or soap opera for longevity’ said Hincks.
‘ Big Brother is clearly a brand that’s doing better than it’s done before and, with a loyal audience, I think it’s going to carry on in some form. The questions are: what shape it will be in? where and when should it be shown? should we rest it for a bit before reviving it? or should we bring it straight back – perhaps on a different channel?’
‘Whatever we do next with Big Brother, there’s a big decision to be made. But I guarantee it’s not about how we make loads of money now, it’s how we keep it running for the next ten years. It’s a question about creativity as much as it is about economic. A purely business-oriented company could really ruin Big Brother.’
Hincks closed the Fast Track session – his last as MGEITF executive chair -– with inspirational words for the next generation of TV and digital media executives:
‘Creative people and producers are like premiership football players – we’re the most valuable thing in a company . Your value is immense.’
Endemol UK is an ITF Member Company. Tern TV Managing Director David Strachan – who introduced the Fast Track – is a member of ITF’s Board of Trustees.