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Comment: Adapt to Survive ADAPTABILITY AND THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING ACROSS EVERYTHING FROM MUSIC VIDEOS, BRANDED CONTENT, TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA IS GOING TO BE CRUCIAL FOR THE SUCCESS OF PRODUCTION COMPANIES IN THE YEARS TO COME, SAYS BULLION PRODUCTIONS CO-FOUNDER JACK NEWMAN.
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he traditional divides between advertising and broadcasting no longer exist in the way they used to. Now more than ever, creative companies need to be nimble and ready to adapt. Our world is vastly different from two years ago, and at Bullion Productions we are multifaceted, working across everything from the most popular music videos, branded content, television commercials, longform comedy and factual for traditional television broadcasters. We are keenly aware of the opportunities to be captured by working in an agile, flexible way. Being open to new ways of working creates possibilities. When traditional advertising agencies started to create their own production units, it prompted production companies to go directly to brands. Thinking flexibly is crucial to adapt to changing models. Brands increasingly want to connect with younger audiences via social platforms, with branded content gaining their trust more than a traditional advertisement. You can see why brands are engaging influencers to make their own films and connect with their followers on their phones. Why not give influencers GBP50,000 plus to create films which will get great engagement, rather than paying a production company to create content that needs large spend on media distribution and doesn’t necessarily chime with the audience? Of course, there will always be a place for premium advertising, whether that’s on TikTok or the big screen. As an industry we are still storytellers and
creators, we just need to adapt, skill up, making the most of the opportunities. Brands have asked us to work with influencers to bring the professional approach we have learned through our experience of producing large scale television advertising and this kind of work is growing. On the other side of the industry, within television broadcast commissioning, there is always talk of championing small indies but there is huge pressure on commissioners and I can see why they often go back to their trusted circle of companies rather than try something unknown. We found that one way to get a project commissioned is to do a co-production with a bigger outfit. However, if broadcasters want to attract younger audiences, they risk being left behind by prioritising only traditional partners. Our outlook at Bullion is to see each opportunity equally no matter the platform, audience or budget. Adaptability, knowledge and experience in different ways of working is definitely an advantage and soon it will be crucial to success and survival in our new world. Jack Newman is a co-founder of Bullion Productions, a multidiscipline indie which produces commercials and music videos through to TV comedy and documentaries. The companies credits include Alll4 doc series Gaming Changed My Life and BBC3 comedy Wannabe, while it has created music videos for Stormzy, Aurora and Royal Blood, and commercials for clients including Nike, McDonalds, Budweiser and Jaguar. Bullion in part of the All3Media group.
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