Life advice for Formatland
By Siobhan Crawford
23-04-2025
C21’s formats expert offers her wisdom for navigating the formats business in difficult times.
No, we are not talking about all you MIPsters and MIPstresses out there – you can keep your secret joy to yourselves a little longer (roll on Cannes). I am pondering life logic we can apply to the world of formats, and it just so happens this is one of my specialities: dating logic. Remember we are here for a good time; all those people too serious to smile can move along!
If they wanted to, they would
This piece of advice is a real zinger in dating because it implies that if a person wanted you, they would make the effort to pursue you. Please God, I ask you all to apply it to the things people say in the press, conferences and markets and when we pitch in Formatland! If people wanted something, they would make it happen. Right?!
Let’s consider: California wants to bring production back to the state via tax incentives. What have they done? Talked about it a lot but not yet introduced legislation that brings their tax credits in line with Georgia (or Canada), or addressed the fact unscripted never seems to qualify as broadly as other genres in tax credits. If they wanted to they would… wouldn’t they?
Coproduction. Everyone is talking about downward budgetary pressure right now and the need to coproduce. What do we do? Only Banijay seems to make this happen.
Latin America wants to push hub productions for Europeans. What do they do? Everyone opens their own studio and continues to only talk about the success of Still Standing. The BBC wants to find a co-dev/co-commissioning partner in Lat Am, probably Brazil. It talks about it at a market. Result: it still doesn’t have partnerships with broadcasters in Europe.
If you want to do something, do it (ideally strategically). Don’t let other people’s hot air fill your balloon.
He is just not that into you
For far too long we have lived in a ‘promise’ land. We live by what people say, which becomes expectation and leads us to very wonky forecasts, disappointment at poor sales, to chase deals that don’t materialise, to put effort into follow-ups and expect the reasons for commissioning to be logical – all because we wait in hope until that awkward email finally says ‘no’.
We need to stop fixating. Remember, historically we have discussed the art of the ‘quick no’ – people should use it. Sales is not the art of endlessly chasing an answer after someone says ‘send me the materials’ at the end of a pitch. We need to be a little more cool about it. All of us have enough territories or projects to be busy with other things and if not, let’s stop using the ‘I have another offer’ to chase people in. The buyer is just not that into it. Either find another way or move on – don’t play into the scarcity mindset.
Single/exclusive (kind of)
First look, joint venture, partnership, coproducer, development partner…or the dating equivalent of the same thing but differentsingle (but separated and living together), single (but still married), single (but not ready for more), or just plain ethical non-monogamy (ENM). When does being exclusive actually mean exclusive?
We are all so desperate to access and control content. We are all so desperate to generate press headlines and show ‘progress’ (you know who I am talking about). I was told, ‘An exclusive distribution partnership can exclude original developments not yet commissioned and you still get our whole pipeline.’ No, my friend, that is not an exclusive partnership. ‘A little bit of something is better than nothing’ – I bet you have heard this as much as me in the industry and probably in dating too, it just means we get less than we deserve. But that this means is ‘exclusivity’ really is on the decline in Formatland.
If we all want to be loose and flexible in the market, fine, let ENM reign in Formatland. Maybe it means the groups will finally open up back-catalogues for others to try, but remember this is all a slippery slope.
The Pedestal
The Pedestal. You place your prospective partner on it and daydream about all the wonderful (hypothetical) things about them – even though they have not earnt the respect.
Enter the UK and US commission that we are all still putting up high. Are we honestly saying that low rates of commissioning and shrunken budgets, deals with a backend ‘international sales bump’ rev shares and ceilings on fees are sexy? Is the scarcity mindset in Formatland too?! In the UK, where you still have to spend two to five years working with a production company because the channels only want their friends to pitch and their friends want to take a position in the IP because a UK sale ‘makes waves’. Does it honestly give you all the feels instead of those super-attractive (more abundant) Dutch and Spanish commissions?! It is time to remove The Pedestal. Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Spain – those people have earned your love.
Thirsty
A friend of mine, let’s call him Matthieu Porte, called me the other day. We had a catch-up and I was in awe. Can’t Stop does not have the largest catalogue but it punches above its weight; it is relentless. AND it’s not thirsty. Remember, thirsty means you are a little too ‘easy’ in dating and in Formatland, this means you acquire too many formats just to have something to say, not because you can actually sell them all. So stop being thirsty, stop being afraid to wait for quality.
So there you go, one woman applying life logic to her beloved Formatland. Hopefully you keep thinking about the industry as a living thing that we continue to grow in, continue to ask questions but ultimately have fun with too. We spend too much time in this industry to not cross over occasionally…
