Profit-Sharing Indie Goat Films Launches in the U.K.

Mel Crawford has unveiled Goat Films, a new profit-sharing independent production company.

Goat Films launches with a prime-time commission already secured from ITV: the seven-part singing and dating format Romeo & Duet.

The venture is focusing on original global entertainment formats and scripted comedy. It operates under a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, discrimination and harassment and has introduced a “kindness policy” in all of its contracts. The company also offers two schemes to try to establish equality in the production sector.

Under its model, Goat Films offers an option deal to all creatives and is accepting unsolicited ideas via its Goatfilms.tv submissions portal. All successful pitches will be offered the same option policy of 25 percent equity of the whole, which equates to 25 percent of the production fee and 25 percent of the back end, for entertainment, studio entertainment and entertainment comedy.

Goat Film’s scripted portal will operate on a different model, where people can pay for feedback and a report of their scripts from experienced script editors and comedy writers. Goat Films will offer options to the writers of any scripts that it wishes to pursue.

Goat Films also offers a profit-sharing scheme to its staff on a points-based system according to how long they work with Goat. Crawford has four founding partners in the venture: Ivor Baddiel, Rob Gillies, Anna-Marie Henderson and Stephen Parnell. The founding partners will not be part of the profit-sharing scheme.

“Launching Goat Films is incredibly important to me; it is a production company like no other,” Crawford said. “I want to support the creative community with kindness, fairness, transparency and inclusivity, and part of this ambition is to ensure there is profit share to support freelancers and equity incentives for any developments. I want our team to feel empowered, have fun and thrive whilst working for us. Top-quality entertainment is what we strive for, and I am thrilled to have our first commission to set us on our path.”

Goat Films is developing entertainment properties for the BBC, has optioned three scripted comedies and secured U.S. development investment for the script Philippa from comedian Naomi Cooper.