Weekly: Why colourful collaborations can be a route to success

In a challenging market, international partnerships and co-productions have never been more necessary. 

If producers want to make a genuine success of bringing together production partners, platforms, broadcasters and distributers, then the objective from the outset needs to be about opening up routes to audiences and commercialisation, rather than simply a production budget solution.

International partnerships should be more than a financing mechanism, they can contribute access, rights, talent, distribution, audience knowledge and market credibility.

When producers have access to a story outside of their locale, international partnerships can really come into their own

Since the launch of CMG Productions, we took the stance that we were an international company that happened to be based in the UK. Our networks and experience leaned more heavily into global markets than is the case with the traditional route to building an indie in the UK, where relationships have typically been forged with traditional buyers.

In the current state of the industry, as domestic budgets are eroded, being able to bring international partners to the table has increasingly become a project necessity rather than the ‘nice to have’ of old.

Pinpointing the potential to travel

Producers have work to do at the earliest stages of development to assess whether the story and contributors have the ability to travel. The global appeal of a project isn’t simply based on whether geography, universal themes and truths can guide international sales as much as the action taking place in a specific territory.

Some of the most successful documentaries internationally have posed a central question to audiences - ‘how would you react in X situation?’ - rather than any clear connection to specific markets.

That said, having the anchor commission for any project from the geographic ‘home’ territory provides reassurance to international platforms and broadcasters. When producers have access to a story outside of their locale, international partnerships can really come into their own, providing crucial access to buyers alongside practical on the ground production support.

That could be co-producing with a company on the ground in the international territory or bringing in a director with a strong track record and relationships in a target market.

Leaning into markets where producers have relationships to bring on board the first platform or channel buyer, and then looking to distributors that can sell the rest, is also a strong strategy.

A distributor with knowledge of particular territories can also shape the proposition, identify gaps in the financing or rights strategy and help determine where additional partners could strengthen the project. Yes, you’ll pay a commission, but if all or the bulk of the budget are now in place, better to get on with the making of it rather than using precious time to bring in volume buys at lower amounts.

At CMG we’ve made a conscious decision to actively collaborate and work with international partners to create projects where each party brings something that creates shared editorial and commercial value.

In a market where it is increasingly difficult for true indies to get ahead, a truly collaborative approach can make a very real difference

That could be a project that sits in a space where we have an editorial track record or vice versa; or where one partner is bringing key access to contributors, buyers, locations or incentives. In all of those scenarios it is crucial that the territories brought to the table are complimentary and add value to all participants. That value has to be of a character that audiences feel in the finished product, rather than simply a way to patchwork the budget together.

In a market where it is increasingly difficult for true indies to get ahead, a truly collaborative approach to projects can make a very real difference. Setting out with clarity around what each party is bringing to the production, as well as their motivations is key. Ultimately it creates an approach where all involved, including the audiences in multiple territories, can feel the value.

Claire McArdle co-founded CMG Productions with Rebecca Knight in 2021. The company’s slate includes The Footballer, His Wife and the Crash, and true crime docs including The Footballer Fraudster and Death in the Heartlands. It has delivered shows for Netflix, Sky, ITV and Peacock, among others, while upcoming projects include a feature doc on late drag perfomer Heklina. McArdle previously held senior positions at Viacom International, Channel 4 and Maverick Television.