A. Smith & Co. heads to the UK

American Ninja Warrior producer A. Smith & Co. is heading to the UK to pitch broadcasters and digital platforms a broad slate of projects ranging from reality entertainment to gameshows.

Company founder Arthur Smith is looking to “open up its horizons” by expanding its reach outside the US with the visit this month.

Smith’s diverse slate includes two gameshows, a fixed-rig show, a dating format and an athletic reality competition that “is not Ninja Warrior but a very physical competition”.

Smith said he saw some opportunities to work with UK platforms after spending time talking to Tinopolis director of content David Mortimer.

“Our development is very robust, so we have to think about how we take things out. We wanted to try things in a different way and be more openminded.”

Smith said that several projects are being pitched to UK broadcasters ahead of US networks as he wants to “build the format in the UK and then bring it back to the US”.

But, he added: “With every one of them, there is a reason we want the UK involved.”

Smith, who founded the California-based business in 2000, is behind hits such as TLC’s longrunning home-renovation show Trading Spaces and NBC’s America Ninja Warrior – an adaptation of Japanese format Sasuke.

A. Smith-produced shows that have aired in the UK include Kitchen Nightmares USA, on Channel 4, and Hell’s Kitchen USA, on ITV2.

Smith said some of the new projects will be “coproductions or collaborations” with parent company Tinopolis’ UK indies Mentorn Media and Firecracker Films, while others will be produced solely by the US firm.

“Strategically, we collaborate and have a creative exchange with Mentorn and Firecracker. However, we also believe that the A. Smith & Co. brand and the expertise we have is a value-add, so we wanted to be involved in the production from the get-go,” he added.

Smith said the UK strategy will not undermine business in the US, where “it’s harder to produce a hit than it has ever been, but not impossible”.

The producer’s current stable of US shows includes Hell’s Kitchen, which is now in its 17th series for Fox, Spartan: Ultimate Team Challenge (NBC) and Team Ninja Warrior (USA).

Digital partners

It is also working with Amazon, Netflix and Facebook. The latter commissioned A. Smith’s Last State Standing, in which players from 50 states compete for a $500,000 (£375,000) prize.

“It takes fun recreational sports and puts them on steroids,” said Smith. “Facebook reached out to us, and we had a conversation around what they wanted to do,” he explained.

“Facebook head of global creative strategy Ricky Van Veen wanted to do something that was a national competition with all the states. That came from them and then we developed it together.”

The show, which includes oversized games such as human air hockey and giant beer pong, are “graphic intensive” to catch the eye of mobile users.

“We have to consider that a lot of people are going to be watching on mobile devices, so it has to be effective and shot a certain way,” said Smith.

“There are three games in every show and it’s possible that you can watch a five-minute game and say, ‘I’ll check the rest out later,’ and feel satisfied. The show is built in such a way that, even though it is 20 minutes in full, there are little modules that you can pull out and watch.”

In November, A. Smith & Co. appointed Fremantle Media North America’s Toby Gorman to lead a new entertainment division, which was launched alongside documentary and factual programming division A Smith & Co Dox last year.

Meanwhile, a third division, A. Smith & Co. Sports, handles the group’s sports entertainment titles.

Smith calls the Ninja Warrior franchise “a strength of the company”, adding: “There are a number of things in that space that we will continue to develop.”