Kevin Beggs

May 17, 2010 World Screen

 

President, Television Programming & Production
Lionsgate
 
This interview was originally published in the L.A. Screenings issue of World Screen.
 
The leading independent in Hollywood, Lionsgate, has based its business on targeting niches that have been underserved by the major studios: horror films like the Saw franchise, urban movies like the Tyler Perry franchise, feature documentaries and prestige movies like Crash and Precious. Alongside its film business, Lionsgate has grown its TV business with a less-is-more approach, which has yielded such critically acclaimed series as Mad Men, Weeds and Nurse Jackie. The company is also in the non-scripted-series business with shows like Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, which it produced for MTV, and Scream Queens for VH1.
 
Leading the development and production of series at the company is Kevin Beggs, Lionsgate’s president of television programming and production. In addition to driving the studio’s business with third-party networks, he is looking to boost the original programming slate at TV Guide Network, which Lionsgate co-owns.
 
WS: Has Lionsgate Television produced mainly for cable television because that’s where the opportunities have been, or has it been by design?
BEGGS: Going back in time to when we began this journey, about 12 years ago, we made a choice to work in cable, as we were averse to the risk of network deficit-financing models. We lacked international, domestic, or home-entertainment distribution.
 
We were really just a production entity, a Canadian company that could bring some Canadian tax advantages. As we got a little bigger, we had more distribution opportunities, but we were still very risk-averse, so then cable seemed not only the place to be out of necessity but also the right place strategically. Happily, the trajectory of our own business paralleled what was going on in the U.S., which was a proliferation of scripted shows on cable channels. We have been in lockstep with developments in the cable space. We launched the highly successful series The Dead Zone for USA Network, which, paired with their own series Monk, transformed the network.
 
Right after that we did Weeds, and a couple of years later we did Mad Men. Working in cable has been both a strategic and a creative choice, and it makes sense from a financial perspective, but at the same time we are always developing for broadcast as well. This year we stepped in as the studio on a pilot for FOX called Wilde Kingdom when the financing proved challenging elsewhere. By making the kind of disciplined financial decisions we are known for, we have positioned this to be a strong contender among the comedies in play at the network this year. Our basic-cable shows are doing well, have multiple seasons and tangible value, and in the long term allow us to take a few risks here and there that we might not have before, and Wilde Kingdom is an example of that.
 
WS: You have a number of partnerships with some key production companies and producers. Why are those relationships important?
BEGGS: We maintain a very low overhead in the television group. We have a small group of multitalented executives that understand creative, production and business aspects of the television business, enabling us to accomplish a great deal with fewer personnel.
 
We like the notion of making agreements with television producers—some of them are writers, some of them are just interesting creative forces—who are trafficking in worlds that we don’t necessarily get into every day.
 
For instance, we have a deal with Stanley Tucci and Steve Buscemi, who are known as actors but are also producers and best friends and for 20 years have been wanting to work together. They are in New York and have connections to creative talent there. We have another agreement with Allan Loeb, who is a feature and TV writer. Allan has Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps coming out. He did a Jennifer Aniston movie for us with Mandate Pictures called The Switch. Allan can tap into a range of relationships with lots of interesting writers, directors and other collaborators. We have a deal with Brian Robbins, who is a prolific producer and director in film and television. We are writing season two of Blue Mountain State with his company, Varsity Pictures, and Brian is directing a pilot for Lionsgate and Spike TV called Playing with Guns.
 
We’ve been very selective about what we do. We just renewed our deal with Jenji Kohan, the creator and executive producer of Weeds, for another two years. And of course, we have Matt Weiner, the creator and executive producer of Mad Men, on an overall deal.
 
These agreements become really smart ways to maximize development and production opportunities. And because of the way these deals are structured, these producers are also betting on themselves, the more they get made, the better off they are going to be.
 
WS: What type of creative environment do writers and producers find at Lionsgate?
BEGGS: We are wildly supportive and defenders of great creators, and we are not bureaucratic; we’re a small group. Some of the challenges that creative people face in a large studio environment involve dealing with too many people and having too many conversations, and it’s hard to focus on the creative because it’s just like working at IBM. We are just not like that. There are a couple of us who interface with everybody. And writers and producers can get to us all the time. And you can go all the way to the top to a guy like Jon Feltheimer, our CEO, who has a long history in TV. He is available, and when we have issues or problems at any level, with a network or maybe with casting, that door is open and he wants us to come in with the writer and the show runner so we can talk about it. There is a lot of access here, and for many producers that’s just really rare. From a business perspective, we produce great shows in a disciplined fashion with an eye toward bringing them to profitability quickly. Given the amount of work that goes into making a series, creators and producers want to know if they are working toward a back end or simply earning fees. Weeds and Mad Men are on the road toward making the former a reality for the talented producers who make these shows for Lionsgate and our network partners. 

 

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WS: What plans do you have for TV Guide Network?
BEGGS: With TV Guide Network we’re so excited about what is already happening and what the future holds. Our role, aside from being co-owners, is to offer as much creative ammunition and support as we can. I have been working with Diane Robina, who has come in as head of programming, making sure she is meeting with amazing talent and up to speed with how the original programming business works for cable. Whether we are buying Ugly Betty or Curb Your Enthusiasm or Weeds, we’re sending a message to the creative world that TV Guide Network is going to buy great shows off-network. The next phase is original programming. There has never been more talent available in the nonfiction production world, and we are looking forward to finding terrific originals to help with the TV Guide rebrand.