Sidemen Entertainment taps quizshow specialist Ben Justice for development role

Sidemen Entertainment, the production arm of YouTube collective The Sidemen, has tapped quiz and gameshow specialist Ben Justice for a development role.

Ben Justice

Justice, who created BBC One quiz format Bridge of Lies during his time at Scotland’s STV Studios, is already working with Sidemen Entertainment on a new, as-yet-unknown project.

He will serve as development executive at London-based Sidemen Entertainment, which produces content featuring the collective of British YouTube personalities who include KSI and Vikkstar123.

Having previously worked as a freelancer in the UK beleaguered traditional TV industry, including three years at STV Studios, Justice has pivoted to digital-first production recently.

Posting on LinkedIn about his appointment at Sidemen Entertainment, Justice thanked digital formats company Strong Watch Studios for “blooding” him into the “new media landscape.”

“Also thank you to all the companies that have kept me afloat before this opportunity,” Justice said.

It comes after Justice created and produced his own gameshow format The Loop on a minuscule budget of just £50 (US$67) and launched it on YouTube last year.

In a video titled I Made A TV Quiz Show For £50, Justice explained how he hoped to turn the gameshow industry “upside down” with his microbudget format, having struggled to find continuous work during the UK TV industry’s recent downturn.

The move came as commissioners increasingly look to YouTube as a testing ground for new IP, with Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video both striking big budget deals with creators such as The Sidemen and MrBeast to bring their shows to their streaming services.