all3media international’s Louise Pedersen

As the commercial arm of all3media, all3media international distributes programming from the group’s various companies and also represents third-party product. In response to the enduring popularity of scripted fare, Louise Pedersen, CEO of all3media international, initiated a new drama investment strategy some 18 months ago, which has ranged from co-production deals with linear and nonlinear services in the U.S. to financing non-English-language series. Pedersen talks to World Screen about working with producers, helping them perfect their pitches and branching out into comedies.

WS: What results has your drama strategy yielded?
PEDERSEN: About 18 months ago, we looked at how we were going to get more scripted content and what we could do to facilitate that. As a result of that strategy session, we started talking to producers about getting involved in their projects at a much earlier stage. That happened in two ways. One was getting involved on a project-by-project case at the development stage, which in essence is funding a treatment or a script. And the other way was forming first-look deals and relationships where we can have an overall slate deal with a production business and look at which projects in that slate we think would be great to develop further. That’s paid off. We’ve got some really great shows coming out of it. New producers that we are working with are [Warner Bros. International Television Production Group’s] Twenty Twenty and 42 on Jerusalem and FLX on Blinded, our new Swedish-language show. Then there are ongoing relationships with all3media group companies as they expand. We’re looking at working on our German-language content through Filmpool and MME in Germany. Through this change in scripted strategy, we have become a bit more diverse in the kinds of shows we’re looking for and a bit more broad-minded about foreign-language drama in the context of that strategy.

WS: How do you work with producers to help them shape product that might work in the international market?
PEDERSEN: We [have a] light touch about it. If you are a production company working on a show, we want to work with you, and we absolutely trust you to get that show right creatively. Perhaps we just give market intelligence on the pitch—what are the two lines that make your show unique? What sums it up? What are you trying to achieve? Of course, if you can back that up with a cast and a director with a track record, that’s great as well. But in essence, where we are really adding value is [by telling producers] how to make their show stand out, what we think the market wants, and how to bring out those points in the pitch. Rather than say it’s a spy show—there are 20 of them on the market at the moment—explain what is the writer’s vision, what is your vision and how do we help you get that across to our buyers. Certainly, helping our production companies refine their pitches is where we can add value.

We also give feedback on trends and developments: who’s looking for what, who is buying what, what opportunities there are—this is really important feedback. And, of course, writing a check is the biggest feedback, either for development or for top-off financing, deficit financing, or in some cases, a level of co-commissioning financing as well.

WS: Are you also moving ahead with co-productions in the U.S.?
PEDERSEN: Yes, we are and not just in scripted. We did nine co-productions last year, with a really wide range of partners, including Amazon, Netflix, AMC and PBS/WGBH. We are continuing that. In the first few months of this year, we have also seen co-productions closed for comedies. When we were looking at our scripted strategy, we felt that comedy was an important part of it. Last year, we spent quite a bit of our development money with some of our producers on developing comedy shows and we’ve got three for which we are negotiating co-production deals, which is really interesting, especially in the SVOD space. Those shows tend to attract younger audiences. They are a little bit less ambitious budget-wise, so they are more financeable. It feels that the comedy space is having a real moment. That’s something, as well as the dramas, that we feel has been a growth area for us in the last couple of months.