Programming Profile

Jetpack CEO and founder Dominic Gardiner discusses the UK-based distributor’s new shows on C21’s Digital Screenings, its shortform content strategy and his plans to expand into new areas of business.

It is nine years since Dominic Gardiner, former director of acquisitions at Disney, launched boutique kids’ TV distributor Jetpack. In that time, the company has grown rapidly, so that today it represents 56 producers and has a catalogue of 1,800 half-hours. Classic brands in its line-up include Dennis & Gnasher, Chuggington and The Clangers.

With the company coming through the pandemic in good health, CEO Gardiner says: “Part of our strength has been a clear focus. Our business is all about content aimed at 0- to 16-year-olds. Whether we’re working with producers, toy companies or the new wave of digital creators, we’ve ensured that kids’ content remains the heartland of the business.”

Expansion, when it comes, happens within this kid-centric framework. “For example, we now represent more live-action than we used to,” says Gardiner. “We also occasionally extend up to young-adult. And we have added a lot more shortform content.”

The fact that the company has managed to bring onboard so many indie clients is down to its culture, says Gardiner. “I launched Jetpack as a joint venture with a small group of producers, and that creator-first mindset is still part of our DNA. Every show has to make money, of course, but we look at each project on its own merit. That approach has enabled us to build up a roster of personable, compatible partners.”

Another point that has made Jetpack a firm favourite with indies, says Gardiner, is its track record making money from shows where others have failed. “We quite often take on projects that have been with other distributors and not really gained any traction. But our focus and agility mean we can often find the right home for productions,” he says.

Recent additions to the Jetpack catalogue that Gardiner is keen to highlight include live-action series Dreamars, about a group of teens on a critical mission to Mars. A Hebrew-language production, the 20×22’ show is set to launch on Zoom in Israel and KiKa in Germany, before being sold around the world. At the other end of the kids’ spectrum, he also points to the acquisition of live-action preschool show The Mini Kids from Norwegian DTT channel NRK Super. Now up to three seasons, the show targets babies and toddlers and has just been licensed to Sky Kids in the UK and ABC in Australia.

In terms of Jetpack shows that have already made an impact with buyers, a key performer is CGI preschool series Moley (52×11’). The eclectic line-up of buyers for this show includes ZDF in Germany, Warner EMEA, TVP in Poland, Globoplay in Brazil and Jetsen Huashi in China.

Jetpack has also had a lot of success with shows from French producer Samka, its joint-venture partner. “One of our biggest hits is Jamie’s Got Tentacles from Samka,” says Gardiner. “A 2D animation series, it sold widely and has just been given a third series commission. The Sisters is another Samka show that does well.”

Another deal that highlights Jetpack’s ability to create new opportunities for shows was the sale of Brazilian animation series Oswaldo to the BBC. The show, which follows the antics of an excitable penguin and his chums, aired originally on Cartoon Network in Brazil during 2017 and was picked up by the BBC in 2022.

As referenced above, one area where Jetpack has become increasingly active is shortform content, with episodes under five minutes in length. Titles in this category include The Singalings, Yap Trap, Spookiz, Claymotions, Welcome to Cardboard City and Pop-Up, among others. “Historically, I don’t think shorts were viewed as particularly monetizable because they didn’t fit broadcaster schedules,” he says. “But we’ve moved into a more fluid market where shortform can be interesting for several reasons.”

In a pure distribution sense, shortform content can be stitched together to make longer episodes and can be used as part of flexible scheduling grids. “The latter is becoming more appealing,” says Gardiner. “Kids are increasingly used to watching shortform on digital platforms, so it makes sense for broadcasters to experiment in similar ways.”

A case in point is Snipple Animation’s animated preschool musical show The Singalings, which comprises 26×1’45” songs, 26×5’ episodes, plus two song compilations and five-episode compilations. This show, notes Gardiner, was acquired by Sky for its Sky Kids linear TV channel and on-demand, while Jetpack has picked up worldwide rights.

Another shortform title, Bumpybox-produced My Petsaurus, consists of 75 two-minute episodes of blended animation and live-action, and has also proved popular with broadcasters including the BBC, TVNZ in New Zealand, DR in Denmark and Rai in Italy.

Aside from the basic distribution case, Gardiner says: “Shorts are also a great way to generate exposure for new talent and ideas. We have a 52×11’ animation series from Outfit 7 called Talking Tom Heroes Suddenly Super. But Talking Tom is a character that started life as a huge shortform hit online. Spookiz is also an interesting example of a show that went from shortform episodes to a full-length movie. Some of the creators making shorts on digital platforms like YouTube and TikTok today could develop into the industry’s leading producers over the next decade.”

Geographically, the company is continuing to make its mark, with recent deals taking Jetpack content on to streamer Showmax in South Africa as well as pan-Latin American platforms run by NBCUniversal and Disney.

The company also came back from the most recent Asia TV Forum in Singapore having licensed 269 half-hours of content. Warner Bros Discovery took the rights to Mechamato for Cartoon Network while Disney acquired Ladybird & Bee for Japan. At a local level, Astro in Malaysia acquired the Spookiz franchise and ETV Balbharat in India re-licensed The Sisters.

The fast-growing digital market is an area Gardiner is watching closely. “We’re still happiest when we can secure a distribution fee in return for exclusive rights to a show, but there are undoubtedly some interesting opportunities emerging around non-exclusive deals and revenue shares. FAST channels are also an interesting development. It’s early days, but this has got us thinking about adding more volume to our catalogue – perhaps long-running series that might have a life on a FAST channel.”

In terms of the company’s prospects for 2023 and beyond, Gardiner is conscious of the economic headwinds. “But overall, the kids’ market is in good shape,” he says. “We still have all the same traditional customers as before, but there are constantly new additions to the market. Just recently, we licensed a kids’ show to a US news platform that had never acquired anything in this sector before, so you always have to be alert to opportunities.”

Gardiner believes that Jetpack’s producer-led sensibility helps it maintain firm partnerships with buyers: “One thing buyers often say to us is that we bring them original ideas, things they haven’t seen anywhere else. I always like to end a pitch by showing them one of our comedy shorts, to send them away in a good mood.”

For the most part, Jetpack has stuck to its core role as a kids’ content distributor. But one recent move has seen the firm expand cautiously into the branding and licensing side of the business. “We haven’t become a licensing agent,” stresses Gardiner, “but we found ourselves having a lot of conversations with producers about how to create a global hit. So we decided to offer a global entertainment brand management service. We’ve brought in Stephen Toye Green as a strategic advisor to help develop the division.”

While we’re talking about expansion, how about moving into production? “We work with a lot of producers in the early development stages of their ideas,” says Gardiner, “so we know that part of the business well. We have no active plans as yet, but production could be a good business for us to be in.”