Fawkes Digital goes LinkedIn-first with self-funded survivalist series CEOs Go Wild

The CEOs Go Wild pilot was shot on iPhones in Scotland

UK indie Fawkes Digital is self-funding an unscripted series based on its CEOs Go Wild pilot and will continue distributing it on LinkedIn, while international versions are also in the pipeline.

Fronted by survivalist Tinuke Oyediran, CEOs Go Wild takes female business leaders and entrepreneurs into the wilderness for an overnight expedition to explore themes of risk taking, work-life balance, hormones, motherhood, competition and investment.

The show is a key part of Leeds-based Fawkes Digital’s strategy to go digital-first with its formats and circumvent the traditional TV commissioning model.

The show’s pilot was posted on LinkedIn by Fawkes Digital founder Lucy Smith towards the end of 2024 and cost £250 (US$332) to make, according to Smith.

Lucy Smith at the Creative Cities Convention

Charlie Swinbourne

“When we develop a new format, instead of shooting a taster tape that more often than not withers on a hard drive, we shoot a pilot to cut into a series of six-plus shorts and publish them on digital platforms,” Smith told delegates at the Creative Cities Convention in Bradford last week.

“We shot the CEOs Go Wild pilot on two iPhones in the Scottish Highlands. And a week later, we started dropping clips on LinkedIn to gauge the response. Incredibly embarrassing, but to turn this around rapidly, I owned my imposter syndrome and posed as a guest,” said Smith.

After posting the trailer on her personal LinkedIn, Smith said it generated 26,811 organic views with comments and likes from Netflix commissioners, high-profile CEOs, founders and Forbes journalists.

“Imagine how many ambitious people and inspiring entrepreneurs we could reach with more influential female leaders posting on their social feeds. We’re now self-funding the format as a LinkedIn-first brand, with episodes and clips on both the CEO’s Go Wild channel and guest profiles.

“We’re deep in the casting process, talking to loads of incredible women from across the UK and beyond. We’re also in discussions with a major recruitment company about sponsoring a US and UK series and are planning further series expanding to cover India, Nigeria and Japan.

“Who knows, once this content brand is established, there is total scope to sell up a mammoth version to a broadcaster. Can you imagine a version with Michelle Obama, Anne Boden, Jacinda Ardern, Taylor Swift and Sheryl Sandberg? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from getting your IP out in the open,” said Smith.

For more on Lucy Smith’s strategy at Fawkes Digital, keep an eye out for this week’s Formats Weekly, which will be published here later today.