ScreenMDM Talks continues its Format Zone strand with Nicholas Sercombe, CEO of Harry King TV, discussing how the London and LA-based indie is finding fresh angles and betting on chemistry and production values as it rolls out Curiosity.
Harry King TV, best known for comedy and animation, has been building out a new non-scripted division, one that is avoiding the reality road, coming out of the gate with Curiosity, centered on the world of antiques and collectibles.
That show has its roots in a chance encounter between Sercombe and Raj Bisram, an auctioneer and a familiar face on shows like the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, at Royal Ascot. They decided to do a show together, one that is delivering a new take on a familiar concept by pairing Bisram with stand-up comedian Henning Wehn; their chemistry is clear on-screen, Sercombe says in the podcast, which you can watch on YouTube below or on Spotify here.
Sercombe is busy pitching the show to potential commissioners, with Norse Key Studios having taken on the rights to represent the format rights internationally. A key selling point is multiplatform adaptability, Sercombe explains.
“We started looking at it as a traditional linear show and getting the structure and the mechanisms right. Then we looked at how we can give it a digital TV or social media platform opportunity. And the way we’ve done that is to segment it. And by segmenting, we can give a continuous linear program at the same time. We can knock it into two or three minutes per segment.”
Sercombe acknowledges that getting commissioners to take a risk is especially challenging today. And getting ideas to them can be difficult when you’re an indie on a budget.
“As a producer, you have to start spending money, and you’ve actually got to show them what it looks like. And that means doing a sizzle, maybe even doing a pilot. The unfortunate position for any independent producer is how do you fund it to get it across? Because putting things across the printed page is a skill in itself. But it may not be read at the right time in the right way. Pitching face-to-face, obviously, is the best way. But I think you’ve got to show them how it works as well, because so much of what we do, whether it’s scripted or unscripted, is about tone. Where’s the ambiance? Where’s the atmosphere for the show? And that’s so important, right from the word go.”
For Curiosity, Sercombe is looking at shoulder prime-time opportunities, with a high-production-value look and feel. Harry King TV has other things brewing, too, including a panel show, with Sercombe also keen to develop an interactive quiz show.
Subscribe to the ScreenMDM Talks YouTube channel for more conversations with media executives about the business of content.
