Virgin Island exec sets up shop

Double Act creative director Larry Walford has struck out on his own with the launch of unscripted outfit Creation Content.

The nascent indie will run the genre gamut from documentaries to entertainment and will be talent-led “both on- and off-screen”, according to Walford. It will also target the space where “linear meets digital”, with the exec pointing to the recent success of Double Act’s Virgin Island (Channel 4) as an example of how a programme can live across platforms.

Creation Content’s emergence comes swiftly after Double Act scored an expanded second series for the breakout reality social experiment, which has delivered strong streaming ratings for C4 among younger viewers.

“We’re going to be working in a space where linear TV meets digital, both are as important as each other. As they come closer together, I think they create new opportunities, new ways of developing ideas and new ways to deliver content,” he told Broadcast.

“Virgin Island did fantastically well across streaming and socials, but it also had a life on linear. This is a sweet spot, creating ideas that live and thrive on both the linear side of TV but also the streaming and the social side of the TV.”

Having spent seven “fantastic” years at Double Act, Walford said it was right time to challenge himself with setting up an indie that can navigate the evolving media and production landscape and compete with industry disruptors.

“Today, legacy production companies compete not just with each other, but with individual content creators and influencers, all of whom are thriving in a crowded, fast-moving, and borderless marketplace. The barriers to entry are being flattened, the gatekeepers are becoming sidelined. It’s a new era, a democratised wild west and I think it’s exciting and exhilarating,” he said.

“I feel now is the time to really get on board and create a company that is future-proofed for the 2030s.”

Walford added successful pitches must be “deal-savvy”, with an understanding of funding models and the challenges facing broadcasters.

“The era of vast, expensive development teams is giving way to something leaner, smarter and more hands-on – producers now need to be agile generalists and sharp strategists,” he continued.

“Understanding what individual commissioners want is no longer enough; we must grasp the shifting business models behind the platforms: what do they want, how do they want it, and when? These questions must shape not only the content, but also the deals behind the content.”

The former Darlow Smithson docs chief said he wants Creation to scale up quickly and has an ambition to double or triple turnover in a couple of years’ time.

Creation Content is backed by an individual investor with no ties to the TV world and Walford said this partnership allows the indie to “punch above its weight from day one” and help it to navigate the unpredictable nature of TV, noting it would have been “really difficult to launch a new venture without that kind of backing”.

Walford has a small team working on it a multi-part series in development with Channel 4, the details of which are currently under wraps.

Mentoring

One of his immediate priorities is offering the indie as an incubator for new talent, helping them navigate the obstacles of the production sector.

While he has experience in founding and running an indie with Form Films, and subsequently spent time in senior roles at Tiger Aspect as well as DSP, Walford is mindful of his time freelancing and the freedom and “scariness” that comes with it.

With Creation, he wants to bridge what he calls the “mentorship gap”.

“I don’t think there is enough mentorship going on in production companies. Yes, there are training bodies, but it’s the production companies that must do more to nurture junior talent and build sustainable careers,” he said.

“We are going to implement a train-to-retain model in our costings, which we send to the broadcasters. These dedicated budget lines will allow the most junior staff members – production assistants, junior production coordinators, junior researchers – to stay on after wrap and give them time to learn about the other things in TV like development, finance and commissioning.

“The goal is not just to fill roles, but to build futures for these people.”