Red Arrow Studios International’s Tim Gerhartz

With shifting consumption habits and consolidation having remade the media landscape over the last few years, the definition of “distributor” is not what it used to be. Tim Gerhartz sees Red Arrow Studios International, where he serves as president and managing director, as an investor and enabler when it comes to delivering top-notch IP. Whether connecting creatives, lining up co-production partners or gap financing, Gerhartz and his team are well aware of the importance of early stage involvement to position a show for success today. In this wide-ranging interview, Gerhartz weighs in on trends in the global content business across scripted and formats.

WS: What role does a producer-distributor play in marketing shows to the end consumer today?
GERHARTZ: Broadcasters still maintain the direct relationship with the end consumer. However, as a distributor, we spend an increasing amount of time and effort sourcing or creating materials and assets that will help the broadcaster build that relationship with the viewer and successfully market our shows across all their platforms. Depending on the title, this can range from trailers and artwork to behind-the-scenes content and post-sale publicity support. We have to think ahead more than we had to in the past.

WS: The scripted business is so crowded. How do you cut through?
GERHARTZ: There’s so much content because there are now so many platforms and viewers to meet the demands of. It’s not simply because the industry decided to produce double the amount. As the demand for content rises, we’re seeing programming becoming much more diverse and international. It used to be that major content and tentpole titles originated in the U.S., with a bit of European programming alongside. It’s not like that anymore, and I would say it’s now actually the opposite—especially in Europe, where U.S. content doesn’t work as well as it used to. It’s a 180-degree change, which has generated a huge demand for new international and local-language content.

From our slate, we’re seeing great traction for the high-concept anthology series Plan B, originally produced in French by KOTV for Séries+ and ICI Radio-Canada. The drama already has local versions in France (TF1) and Belgium (Streamz), and CBC in Canada has now commissioned an English-language version starring Patrick J. Adams (Suits). The thriller Blackout—Tomorrow Is Too Late, produced by W&B Television for Joyn and SAT.1 in Germany, is also proving very popular and has recently been sold to Mediawan Rights (French-speaking Europe), Disney+ (U.K. and Ireland) and HBO Nordic for a whole host of territories.

At the moment, it’s all about diversifying portfolios, and there’s still a healthy advertising industry and production landscape to support that. And then there’s us—the distributor—although I don’t think the “distributor” title quite fits these days; we are more like “investors” and “enablers.” We invest early into stories and partnerships we truly believe in. Is it difficult to cut through? Yes, but it always was. The key is to ensure it’s all backed by actual demand from the market.

WS: You have a prolific supply of content from Red Arrow Studios-owned producers. What’s the approach to third-party content?
GERHARTZ: It’s always been part of our strategy to work with third-party producers, and these days, we’re investing even more in third-party content. During the pandemic, we increased our spending on both scripted and unscripted titles, and we strive to be a great partner to those producers, writers and creators. As a company, our role has evolved. In the past, our role was primarily just to distribute content, to fill gaps and sell. Now, we’re positioning ourselves as an enabler—we help partners set up a show and take something from the concept stage to a finished product.

We come on board at very early stages, not always contractually—sometimes it’s just being a good partner and helping each other out, which can then lead to a deal, sale and a production. For example, we’re currently co-developing a new premium, English-language returning drama series based on Georges Simenon’s iconic series of novels about the French detective Jules Maigret with Colin Callender’s Golden Globe- and BAFTA-winning Playground.

We take great pride in being a strong partner with a wealth of knowledge and a robust network of industry contacts from all around the world. A producer can’t do everything by themselves.

WS: Married at First Sight is such a significant franchise for you. Tell us about the work that goes into maintaining its success season after season in multiple markets across the globe.
GERHARTZ: When Married at First Sight first started, it was a revolution. It was a radical new experiment that was loud, noisy, and the concept had never been seen before. Now, it’s evolving into something even bigger. Married at First Sight has expanded from a hit show to a channel-defining brand for global broadcasters, such as Channel 4 (U.K.), Lifetime (U.S.), Nine Network (Australia), (DR1) Denmark and many more.

We’re seeing more and more channels taking tapes of the various local versions and creating a whole universe around the brand. We’re committed to supporting this expansion and encouraging networks to approach the format that way.

WS: Are broadcasters still risk-averse?
GERHARTZ: I think broadcasters’ approaches are changing now, despite all the challenges the world is facing. The ad market has remained healthy and provided much-needed support for channels. As such, I think channels are more robust and they want to spend. We receive a lot of briefings and are seeing that buyers are looking for new content—it feels like a fresh start.

WS: Are game shows and dating concepts still driving demand in the format space?
GERHARTZ: Yes, there’s certainly a real demand for reality content, and with game shows, it depends on the country. For example, in southern Europe, we’re seeing that game shows are more in demand than they are in the north.

Social experiments are also doing well at the moment, and we’re seeing fresh spins put on long-standing shows in this space. For example, from our catalog, Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds has its first spin-off with Old People’s Home for Teenagers from ABC in Australia, which is a brilliant idea. It’s still the same format and way of producing, but it brings a brand-new angle and perspective.

In general, there’s a huge demand for our social experiments, as they offer a bridge between reality and content with a purpose. I think this demand may be partly due to the pandemic: the initial shift toward celebrity-driven and lighthearted escapist titles is balancing out, as audiences begin to process the issues highlighted during this difficult period and seek out content that reflects this.

For example, The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, a deeply poignant but uplifting series that has provoked conversations about how society views and treats people living with dementia, first launched on Channel 4 a few years ago and is now also very successful in the Netherlands and Belgium. We also have a radical new format titled My New Mystery Job, which feels particularly timely, as it follows participants who, looking for a life change, sign up for a brand-new job—without knowing what it is! We’ve already sold the format to CPL Productions (U.K.), Redseven Entertainment for Germany, Satisfaction Group for France, Pesci Combattenti for Italy and Monday Productions for Norway.

WS: How are you plotting out a strategy for Red Arrow Studios International amid all of the uncertainty today?
GERHARTZ: Every project now comes with Covid-19 protocols and an extra Covid budget. We all share the costs of this; it’s the new normal, and we have to manage and work around it. The only area where I see potential limitations is with shows that require a lot of travel, such as those with shoots in many different locations or require protagonists traveling from one part of the world to another. This isn’t happening as much anymore, but this is also due to companies becoming more conscious of sustainability and the environmental impact of a production, which I think will rightly remain for a long time to come.