“Let’s be positive and say anything!”
For those who are not aware, this quote is said by two of the lead characters in the film Back to the Future. So in true time travelling style, let’s go back 4.5 years to 2021 when I first joined Quintus Studios to head up Quintus Originals. YouTube was prevalent but not the force that it is today. To some in the television industry it was naively scoffed at, with nothing of note to watch except cheap, homemade videos and people doing silly things.
The aim for our original’s strategy was to create our own IP, and have shows that we could monetise several ways through different platforms and distribution. The majority of the documentaries across our channel network are acquired TV distributors, usually on a revenue share basis. This has been the successful backbone of the business. So for the originals strategy to make sense, we needed to produce on budgets that would enable both us and our production partners to get into profit quickly.
Initially I received a few derogatory responses from production companies – “We can’t deliver on those budgets for a long form documentary, who are you going to get to even do it?!” This was also how I was feeling initially… but I could see the logic behind it. The originals needed to recoup and see profit within a year or sooner of hitting our YouTube channels. Otherwise, why do them when we could acquire quality shows for little to no risk and high reward.
Producing premium films on shoestring budgets that achieve high views and revenue is nothing new. We had started to become influenced by what LADbible were doing for example – making simple but compelling, highly watchable films that were human, story led and held your interest. But doing it with TV quality long-form films was new. However, if we couldn’t make it work, then there was a good chance, there would be no more originals at all.
But if you put your mind to it…. and we did just that. Since 2021, I have worked with several freelance producer / directors and video journalists on low cost projects that have been successful on our channels, but also sold to linear broadcasters and performed on social media. I was extremely skeptical at first about collaborating with individuals and very small teams on high quality productions for micro budgets. But the talent out there soon impressed me, delivering strong films whilst not putting themselves under any undue pressure, resulting in an immense feeling of satisfaction and pride. One of the freelancers that I commissioned has now even joined the team on a permanent basis.
It is still extremely tough out there. Fewer commissions, fewer jobs, less money, and many still sadly out of work. Building a single channel on YouTube takes time. Testing, experimenting, failing, learning, until one day, it all comes together. Zandland have recently announced that they are not waiting to be commissioned but instead, have taken the initiative to go out and film their new series Human just for their own YouTube channel, with new episodes every month. At Quintus, if we commission a pilot and it performs exceptionally well, then we produce a series based on that initial performance.
Recently we have seen how savvy video journalist experts have launched channels featuring videos strictly for digital with lower production values than TV. They are still full of facts and information on a variety of topics, told at a good pace. These videos don’t need to be world beaters, but for those with a TV background like myself, we can shape them, form a narrative tell a story, combining all of that broadcaster and indie know-how with our newly learned skills in digital to enhance their success.
We all want to see the return of a buoyant industry, with productions commissioned and new shows making waves. But let’s not wait for someone to make that decision for us because… if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.
Adam Jacobs is Creative Director at Quintus Studios
