Argonon Emphasizes Combined Creative Strength

When James Burstall, the CEO of Leopard Films, set up Argonon, he wanted to create a super-indie that could serve as a "center of excellence" across all genres and all platforms. Argonon brings together Leopard Films, drama arm Leopardrama and Leopard Films USA with Remedy Productions and Remedy Productions Canada, in what Burstall hopes will become a creative powerhouse combining the various strengths of a number of international companies.

"The reason we launched the company is that we identified that the entertainment business is fundamentally changing and that the traditional model of content creation just for television is no longer valid," says Burstall. "In the U.K. we’re somewhere behind the integrated branded-entertainment offering in the U.S. So, of course, that’s a massive sea change here, with product placement now being permitted, and for the very first time the terrestrial channels in the U.K. are really opening up and welcoming the concept of branded entertainment."

Burstall says he’s been inspired by the new transmedia landscape, with people wanting to consume entertainment in a new way. "People don’t want to just sit in front of a screen, they want to talk and [be social] around shows with their friends," he says. "Twitter and Facebook are now obviously critically important in the entertainment business. People consume entertainment and storytelling in long form and short form, so we’re really embracing the transmedia landscape. That’s what sets us apart as a new group. We’re not only going to be creating content from the outset that works really well on television, but also that from the outset is integrated as a proposition that works across multiple platforms simultaneously."

The model for Argonon is to bring together a number of content creation companies under one banner. Burstall says that advanced discussions are in place with two other U.K. companies to join Argonon, alongside Leopard and Remedy. He adds that Argonon is also starting a detailed process of discussions with companies in the U.S., with the intention of bringing on one or two American outfits into the group next year.

"They will be companies that are creative, with entrepreneurial principals," Burstall says. "They will create terrific content that works on television and also in the digital space. Many companies have expertise in television along with other areas, so they may as well be making content that is branded, that works on mobile, that works in gaming, that works in the digital space. Not every company has all the answers and we certainly don’t profess to have all the answers, but the idea is to bring together companies that are complementary and different so we can become a one-stop shop that can deliver transmedia entertainment across all platforms."

Another factor that Burstall believes sets Argonon apart is that the company talks directly with digital agencies, creative agencies and media agencies. "The advertising world is a very important part of the mix. What’s very exciting is that historically television producers have tended to stay more in the television world and advertising executives tended to stay more in the advertising world. The two industries, particularly in the U.K., have been quite separate. Now, there is a real appetite and enthusiasm for bringing them together. And that’s creating some very exciting new opportunities, because it’s creating new partnerships, and, of course, that’s always very creative."

Launching any new business comes with its fair share of challenges, and Burstall spent two years working hard to get Argonon off the ground. He enlisted a strong group of creative executives to join him on the journey as well. Burstall, who serves as CEO, tapped former Wall to Wall financial director Stuart Mullin as chief financial officer; Toby Dormer and Juliet Borges, Remedy’s joint managing directors, both have a seat on the Argonon board; and Susie Field, the managing director at Leopard Films, is now the general manager of the Argonon Group.

"We’ve built a very well-considered strategic plan and we’ve been working on it for two years," says Burstall. "June 2 [when Argonon officially launched] was the fruition of that plan and the first step."

To view a showreel of Argonon’s activities, click here.