Ailish McElmeel of Deadpan Pictures, which won the C21 Drama Series Pitch at Content London last week, reveals more about the winning project – 1980s-set dark comedy-drama Video Nasty.
Ailish McElmeel
Out of more than 50 submissions from 23 countries, six of the most exciting development projects from the professional community were invited to pitch at Content London last week.
The finalists, from established drama creators worldwide, are all looking to attract additional finance and coproduction partners.
The four judges were big-name executives from the international business: Alexandre Piel, deputy head of drama at Arte France; Elly Vervloet, international drama expert at VRT; Meghan Lyvers, senior VP of international coproductions and development at CBS Studios; and Adam Fratto, co-founder of Cognito Entertainment.
After three days of rumination, they decided on Video Nasty (6×30’) from Dublin-based Deadpan Pictures, it was revealed during the C21 International Drama Awards last Thursday night. They loved “the quirky tone, nostalgia factor and unique premise” of the dark young-adult comedy-drama. Set in the 1980s, it follows three teens who collect banned videos and wind up embroiled in a murder investigation.
Video Nasty was written by Hugh Travers (Trial of the Century, Red Rock), with Deadpan producing and US-based Endeavor Content attached to distribute. The £4.2m (US$5.5m) project already has 40% of the budget, taking into account Endeavor’s contribution to the finance and the Irish tax credit. Video Nasty will now receive a marketing package through C21Media worth £30,000 to support development and pre-sales of the show.
With the project currently seeking broadcast and SVoD partners and shooting scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2022, C21 caught up with Deadpan co-founder and producer Ailish McElmeel (Halal Daddy, Dead Still) to hear more about the project.
What is your reaction to winning the Drama Series Pitch at Content London last week?
We’re absolutely delighted with the win. Content London Drama Series Pitch is a wonderful platform to introduce Video Nasty to the market, both in terms of profile for that series and, indeed, our company, Deadpan Pictures.
The selection to present was great, but the win is a real endorsement of the uniqueness, freshness, humour and quality of the series. We are particularly thrilled to win as the only comedy-drama in the line-up. At Deadpan, we pride ourselves in dealing with dark material through comedy and Video Nasty is no exception. Exploring cancel culture, censorship and moral hysteria through engaging characters with dark comedy opens the discussion to a larger audience.
How will winning the pitch change things for your project?
The win gives a strong industry endorsement from the judging panel, which we hope will open more doors for serious buyers. The win has already spurred some buyers to make contact over the past few days.
What was the response to the project from buyers at Content London last week?
We’ve had a lot of engagement from Content London. The pilot/bible and pitch package is now out with both traditional broadcasters and streamers. The contemporary exploration of cancel culture, framed through the prism of the Video Nasty hysteria of the 1980s, has resonated with buyers and will hopefully get the opportunity to resonate with audiences too.
The series offers the warmth of the 1980s nostalgia, the fun and excitement of a coming-of-age road movie while playing with genre elements and paying homage to the wonderful B-movies of the 80s.
The buyer reaction to the warm, outsider characters who are consumed with passion for movies has been overwhelmingly positive. The three kids driving the series represent all of us, navigating our passions while trying to figure the world out – who we are, who and what we love and how to deal with those who oppose and fear what we love and believe in. Follow your passion is the answer.
Have there been any changes to the partners, budget or timeline for the project?
Endeavor Content is on board as distribution partner and it is equally thrilled with the win at the Drama Series Pitch. The project will also greatly benefit from the marketing prize from C21. No further additions or changes have been made as of yet but we will keep you up to date. We still intend to shoot the majority of the series in Ireland to avail of the Irish tax credit and we would be hopeful of securing Screen Ireland production support given the strong Irish creatives at the helm.
Why did you choose the half-hour format for this show?
The energy and fun of the story and characters dictated the 30-minute form. Hugh [Travers] has successfully created an engaging, story-filled world for our three teens as they head off on their adventure to complete their video collection. It’s a good format for our target YA audience too.
How is demand for YA content changing and why?
We’ve seen a significant demand for YA content over the past few years as streamers and broadcasters alike try to attract and hold on to the younger audiences. While Video Nasty is undoubted a YA series, it also has strong cross-over to Gen X, who have lived through the 1980s and may remember the Video Nasty hysteria of the time.
