Sunshine Studios hosted a panel of industry insiders last week to discuss the changing nature of entertainment formats. Hosted by Kate Shepherd, Executive Producer at Sunshine, the discussion encompassed everything from how to choose your format, to the inevitability of multi-device viewing and the importance of co-creation.

The diverse panel varied in their viewpoints about where formats will be taking us. With the average viewing age of the BBC hovering around 60, the ageing population is having a direct effect on how such a large corporation chooses its formats. At the same time, Adele’s Carpool Karaoke has had over 155 million views on YouTube, encouraging younger companies to choose formats that remain solely online.

The formats may differ but the speakers were all in agreement about the potency of storytelling. It doesn’t always matter what format you have chosen, as long as it accurately and powerfully conveys your story.

PANEL

Kate Shepherd, Executive Producer, Sunshine Studios (HOST)

Alex Moore, CEO, Grain Media – Production company behind the Oscar-winning Netflix original documentary The White Helmets

Katie White, Managing Director, i-D Magazine – MD of i-D’s online luxury lifestyle video channel, Amuse

Kate Phillips, Controller of Entertainment Consulting, BBC – Responsible for overseeing all BBC TV channels, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three.

Richard Welsh, Founding Partner, Z Studios – Founder and former Creative Director of Bigballs Films/Media & Copa90

Key take outs:

• Multi-device viewing
  The nature of screen time today is that you will, most of the time, be using more than one simultaneously. Time spent in front of the TV is declining because we are watching programmes on different devices: the TV ceases to be the most important format.
• Blending the online with the traditional
  You cannot disregard traditional formats. But you can update them. New formats bring about fresh opportunities for how content can be delivered. Formats can be collaborative, co-owned by online users; in a sense, taking bits of traditional formats and blending them with updated outlines.
• Find the most relevant format; create relevant content
  Always make sure you start with the idea first, then find a format in which it will work. Choose the relevant format for the message you want to say, or combine two different types to enable an outcome that works for your brand; otherwise you are at risk of seeming inauthentic and obviously so.
• Authenticity is essential
  To be authentic requires a level of humility. The best branded content will always centre around a fundamental human truth.
• Co-creation matters
  The Internet is a network and so the natural state of storytelling online is co-creation. Partnerships and collaborations are key; working with influencers is one way of gaining the reach that you need. Make sure you listen to the people you are working with and, more importantly, to what the world around you wants.
• Brands need to recognise the value of creation
  As a brand, you need to understand the value of what is being created, not just the inherent quality of its creation. When it comes to branded content, it should be audience first and brand second.

CONTACTS

Antony Haddley, Business Growth Manager, Sunshine, [email protected]