Little Dot hires Adam Gee for YouTube push
From today’s Broadcast…
Little Dot hires Adam Gee for YouTube push
13 JULY, 2017 | BY ALEX FARBER
Former C4 commissioner to invest £200,000 in originals
Little Dot Studios has hired former C4 multiplatform commissioner Adam Gee to oversee a £200,000 YouTube commissioning push.
The Shoreditch studio is planning to order 10 films of 15-20 minutes for its Real Stories factual channel, which has built up more than 750,000 subscribers and 175 million views since it launched in 2015.
To date, the channel has been populated with content licensed from backer All3Media, as well as distributors including DRG and ITV Global Studios, but it is now keen to order original programming from producers.
Gee has been drafted in as Real Stories commissioning editor to oversee the portfolio of human interest one-offs.
He promised to make quick decisions, unlike the “glacial progress of broadcasters”, with the slate of projects scheduled to be live by November.
Authentic, shareable, intimate and upbeat stories about overcoming adversity are on the agenda, with those exposing child poverty, ‘out-there’ parenting or extreme medical cases proving popular on the channel.
Topics such as sex, terrorism, racism, suicide or surgery are not of interest.
The first project, Brittle Bone Rapper, is a story set on America’s East Coast. It was ordered from Andy Mundy-Castle’s fledgling firm Doc Hearts last week.
Chief executive Andy Taylor said the move into originations was driven by a need to experiment on the Google-owned platform.
“The budget for this will come out of our innovation pot,” he said. “The data tells us that human interest stories are working and we are always looking at ways to respond to the algorithm.”
He added that while the available data could inform the programming, there is no substitute for the “sheer gut instinct” of a commissioner.
Content lessons
Little Dot, which will retain the rights to the shows, does not expect to turn a profit from YouTube advertising, but Taylor is approaching the project with a longer-term strategy.
“We will learn more about the type of content that works, how to leverage our brand and audience – as well as the commercial opportunities beyond YouTube. We could end up licensing them to a VoD platform or securing a six-part series for Channel 4.”
Gee said it is important to think “holistically” about any projects pitched. “What is the life of these stories beyond a 10 to 20-minute midform show?”
Separately, Little Dot has hired former Liberty Global exec Kevin Gibbons as chief financial officer and brought in Maria Fernando as director of partnerships, based in LA, to grow its West Coast offices.
{text courtesy of Broadcast magazine}
Simple Pleasures part 4 
Good to hear. It sounds very substantial. Talk to me if you want to be put in touch with UNICEF (ref. child poverty).
Ta
Good luck! Sure you will turbo charge the scene. Thom.