Discovery Studios Sets Growth Path

At the end of last month, Discovery Studios opened up its new facilities on the West Coast. The move reflects the growth of the Discovery Communications-owned production outfit since its 2007 founding. Helmed by Carole Tomko as president,  Discovery Studios produces programming for a variety of Discovery networks, works with clients on branded entertainment and operates a footage and music services group.

Tomko notes that the creation of Discovery Studios was part of a broader policy at Discovery Communications. "David Zaslav [Discovery’s president and CEO] really felt that not only was it important to have an internal production team, but it was important for us to really be in charge of where our content was going. As a company that does over 3,000 hours of content a year, there was plenty of room for us to create an in-house, innovative production team that could help own and direct that content."

The expanded production suite in West Hollywood, meanwhile, is in step with the broadening geographic footprint of Discovery’s networks; while many are headquartered in Silver Spring, TLC also has production-and-development efforts in Los Angeles, and the soon-to-be launched OWN will be based there. "In the past year we’ve gone from making one or two projects with TLC to eight properties that are in some stage of development through to production," Tomko says, adding that there are also several new projects under way for Planet Green and Animal Planet.

There are three main ways in which Discovery Studios works with its sister networks, Tomko explains. "One is, we develop and pitch. Two, the networks come to us and say, I’m looking for something in this space. In the third area, [we’ll partner with] someone who comes to the network that might have a great idea—they could be an up-and-coming producer or a solo producer that doesn’t necessarily have the infrastructure. We really know the network’s brand."

Tomko has ambitious plans for the relatively young division. "My real goal is to have a highly rated franchise on every single Discovery network." International is also part of the mix, with Tomko and her team looking to develop and produce for Discovery’s properties outside of the U.S.

While its TV-series production slate has expanded, so too as Discovery Studios’ branded-entertainment business. "This is an area that is exploding, because more and more advertisers are looking for something to differentiate themselves, some form of custom content," Tomko notes.

The company has thus far worked with some 20 brands, including GM and Tourism New Zealand, producing about 70 pieces of short-form content. Tomko says that Discovery Studios is now exploring the production of longer-form ad-supported content.

While great content, whoever the client, is at the heart of Discovery Studios’ mandate, Tomko states that there is a difference in the creative process when working with advertisers, versus dealing with the Discovery-owned channels. "When we’re dealing with the networks, we’re largely dealing with programmers and developers who at least have a framework of a schedule and can say, Our audience is really going to respond X, here’s what the demographic is and here’s the time slot that we need it for. When you’re dealing with advertisers, it’s a different kind of business. They’re not necessarily producing hand-on creative, so we spend a lot of time interpreting what their needs may be and trying to visually interpret. We board all these options out and come back to them [with ideas]."

When dealing with the networks, Tomko does have somewhat of an advantage—as the president and general manager of Discovery Health Media, she oversees the Discovery Health and FitTV channels. "What’s really interesting for me is being a GM and then having the GMs be my clients. They’re my colleagues, they’re my friends, I understand what they go through in being GMs and that makes me a better studio head. I think I understand their challenges, I live and breathe their channels when I sit in the same meetings, so I’m hoping that our development to green light is much more spot on than perhaps people being on the outside trying to interpret what’s happening on the inside."

With her channel general manager cap on, Tomko is leading Discovery Health until its slot is taken over by OWN in 2010. Her priority is "keeping Discovery Health a vibrant, healthy network" until the switchover. "We’ve established some key franchises that I hope will go forward to OWN. We’re really proud of what we’ve done. We’ve had double-digit growth. We’re going to be delivering a really strong network with 75 million homes, which doesn’t happen very often."

On FitTV, meanwhile, Tomko is firmly focused on keeping the outlet relevant and engaging amid the wealth of other sources for fitness and health information. "We’re constantly evaluating, how do you bring healthy lifestyle in the fitness area to the forefront, particularly when people can get fitness in the gym, online, on video on demand? As a network it provides a different sort of challenge. I’m constantly thinking about, how do I use those other tentacles to get people information they need? With the economy being so tough, I’ve positioned FitTV as, We’ve got fitness for you, whether it’s food, exercise or just healthy lifestyle, 24/7. We’re here on all those platforms. FitTV is really a tool to help people."

A 25-year programming veteran, whose long career at Discovery has also included serving as VP of production and development at Animal Planet, Tomko has embraced the challenge of juggling her various responsibilities. "It’s never the same every day. I love the fact that I get to work across a ton of brands. The variety is totally appealing to me. We are always looking at new businesses and new networks. It’s terrific to be in a space that is constantly changing. The technology is challenging you, the brands are challenging you, the audience is challenging you."