Target the US, Shed urges UK indie sector

Supernanny: A US hit for Shed Media

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Shed Media chief executive Eileen Gallagher has urged UK indies to make inroads in the US after the super-indie generated more than a third of its £12.6m gross profit in the first half of the year from US broadcasters.

Gallagher said the success of transatlantic commissions such as Project Pygmalion for Lifetime and It's Me or the Dog for Animal Planet showed there was real appetite for ideas from UK indies in the US.

"There are so many opportunities out there from so many networks, it makes sense to go for it. I definitely encourage indies to go out there."

However, Gallagher said the larger UK indies and those with a solid back catalogue would have an advantage over their smaller counterparts as the emphasis for US networks is on scale.

"The likes of Zig Zag and September Films (before the DCD Media takeover) have done very well in the US but, on the whole, Americans like a production company with a big reputation. Ricochet earned that reputation with Supernanny, which is why we bought it," she said.

To emphasise its scale, Shed Media has rebranded its American business to Shed Media US, rather than using its individual brands, such as Wall to Wall or Twenty  Twenty.

Gallagher said: "That's not to say we will hide the fact that Wall to Wall is making a show. It has a great reputation in the US because of the success of Who Do You Think You Are?. But the US doesn't really understand the size of Shed Media through its subsidiaries, so by showing what a massive production business we have combined, it gives us more punch."

The super-indie also won recommissions for Supernanny USA and Real Housewives of New York City during the first half of the year and Wall to Wall has won a 6 x 60-minute order for Who Do You Think You Are? from NBC.

Gallagher said that although the company was having a good run in the US, it would not "take its eye off the ball in the UK".  She pointed out that Shed Media was one of the few indies to be performing well in the current financial crisis, saying: "We are cost effective. We can do a drama for £500,000, while others charge up to £700,000. Because of that we are in demand."

Shed Media's UK programme revenues more than doubled for the first six months of the year to £19.8m, although this was largely to do with the acquisitions of Wall to Wall and Twenty Twenty.

Shed Media has 18 new projects in paid development.