Lana Salah, creative director at Zinc Media Group-backed factual and formats label Rex, talks about the company’s strategy to focus on the US market, exploit the current trend for social experiment content and diversify into true crime docs.

Scott Mills and Natalie Cassidy, presenters of Get Your Eurovision On

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that this is a scary time to launch a start-up prodco. With both broadcasters and streamers cutting back on commissioning, production costs soaring and budgets being slashed, the climate within the content industry is challenging to say the least.

It is to London-based label Rex’s considerable credit, then, that within its first 18 months in business, it has already delivered three shows for UK public broadcasters.

Although Rex is a plucky newcomer, the company is steered by experienced hands. Backed by Zinc Media Group, the label is headed by First Dates and SAS: Who Dares Wins executive Lana Salah in the role of creative director.

A former executive producer at Shine TV and freelance programme maker, Salah’s CV boasts dozens of shows from the formats, docs and factual entertainment spaces – from The Write Offs and Diamond Dealers, Cockney Geezers, both for Channel 4, to Britain Underwater (ITV), and Mary Berry’s A Berry Royal Christmas (BBC One).

She is joined by former Plimsoll Productions executive Chris Reindorp, who was appointed development producer at Rex in June last year.

Lana Salah

Together, they have worked up a slate of programming that has so far yielded 3×60’ BBC Two travelogue Rob & Rylan’s Grand Tour, 4×90’ factual series Scandals for Channel 5, and 1×209’ highlights show Get Your Eurovision On for BBC iPlayer.

“People told me that if Rex got one commission from a standing start we’d be doing well, so we’re really chuffed to have got so much traction from different channels at this early stage,” says Salah. “It is a tough time now, with former colleagues out of work, advertising down and even the streamers cancelling shows, but you’ve got to find the opportunities within that.”

Indeed, instead of consolidating its success in the UK, Rex’s three-year plan is based around a
focused strategy to target the potentially lucrative US market.

Taking advantage of Reindorp’s strong contacts on the other side of the Atlantic, Rex currently has two projects already receiving funded development from US streaming companies, including one access-led series set in the world of junior motor racing.

“After proving our reputation in the UK, we’re now looking to expand into the US,” says Reindorp. “Obviously there are great opportunities with the streamers, but they’re very careful with what they pick and we feel there are a lot of US linear channels that are slightly neglected by UK indies.

“I’d love for NBC to become a preferred buyer, as well as TLC, and Roku is a relatively new streaming platform which is commissioning content that really chimes with the kind of shows we like to make.

“Commissioners in the States are also looking for social experiment content, which Lana has a strong background in, so we’re pitching some headline-grabbing concepts out there at the moment.”

There are also plans to diversify Rex’s programming offering beyond the genres that fall within Salah and Reindorp’s comfort zones – with the true crime space firmly in their sights.

“Our golden rule in business is to give the buyers and the audience what they want,” says Reindorp. “True crime is really booming and it’s been fun to develop new ideas within this genre. We’re determined to crack it.”

Rex joined a stable of five other TV prodcos at Zinc Media Group: factual label Atomic Television, investigative docs maker Brook Lapping Productions, unscripted label Supercollider, formats-focused Red Sauce and Scottish outfit Tern TV.

The hope is that working with other producers within the group will enable Rex to maximise its potential.

“The infrastructure at Zinc is really collaborative and cohesive,” says Salah. “We have access to edit suites and post-production, plus teams which specialise in branded content, podcasts and corporate videos. It’s a great environment to bounce ideas around, find ways to get alternative funding and tap into each other’s contacts.

“By 2026, we’d like to expand our development team, grow within Zinc and collaborate with the other labels more. I’d also like to have delivered a high-end, big-budget show for a streamer and more great UK programming.

“I always want to bring heart and humour to any content that I produce. If we continue to do that with our slate at Rex, that will be a good place for us to be in.”