The aim is to get IP in front of audiences faster. A recent example is CEOs\u00a0Go Wild, hosted by Tinuke Oyediran. The first episode was shot for \u00a3250 on two iPhones and released on LinkedIn, with six episodes now completed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBroadcasters are audience curators, studios are IP creators,\u201d says Smith. \u201cCreator shows often reach bigger audiences on\u00a0YouTube than they do when they transition to a broadcaster, but broadcasters like Netflix<\/a> and Amazon<\/a> are realising that colossal creators like MrBeast and The Sidemen can actually draw their millions of subscribers to their platforms.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cDigital-first\u00a0studios own\u00a0something\u00a0powerful \u2013 formats\u00a0that have already\u00a0been derisked with\u00a0an audience\u201d
<\/p>\n \u201cDigital-first shows often begin life as an\u00a0MVP [Minimum Viable Product] to gauge audience reaction before scaling, but always retain a lean digital production set-up to maximise the money going on screen,\u201d she adds. \u201cThis test-and-iterate approach means that digital-fi rst studios own something powerful \u2013 entertainment formats that have already been derisked with an audience.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Netflix is going to throw money at something, then of course you hire the best crew, build a more impressive set and \u2013 crucially \u2013 cast the biggest creator talent.\u201d<\/p>\n Bronagh Monahan, co-founder of talent management and production company\u00a0MonRae Productions, has spent years advising talent on what resonates online. She says broadcasters now actively need digital talent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThe\u00a0challenge is\u00a0translating\u00a0something that\u00a0works on YouTube\u00a0or TikTok into a\u00a0format that still\u00a0feels authentic\u201d
<\/p>\n \u201cThe challenge is translating something that works natively on YouTube or TikTok into a format that still feels authentic, but can scale for broadcast,\u201d she says. \u201cWe don\u2019t approach that like a traditional production company.\u00a0Economically, we\u2019re leaner and, creatively, we\u2019re closer to the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n Studios like this act as a bridge, \u201chelping broadcasters reach audiences they struggle to engage, while ensuring creators retain the qualities that made them successful in the first place\u201d, says Monahan.<\/p>\n In 2021, MonRae Productions developed\u00a0Let\u2019s Game for Sky<\/a> Kids (120 x 10-minute episodes) featuring gaming influencers\u00a0DanTDM and Ethan Gamer. The show remains one of the channel\u2019s most-watched and its spin-off s are still going strong.<\/p>\n Traditional production isn\u2019t sitting still.\u00a0This February, ITV<\/a> Studios launched Studio 55, led by executive vice-president of brand and commercial partnerships Will Scougal. It follows last year\u2019s launch of Zoo 55, a digital label that ties brands into social media, gaming and streaming platforms.<\/p>\n According to Scougal, Studio 55 acts almost like a commissioner.<\/p>\n \u201cStudio 55 connects creators with ITV\u00a0Studio thinking and brand partners,\u201d he says. \u201cIn so doing, we help creators build longterm strategic partnerships built on IP, which can also extend into licensing partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cThe creative\u00a0ambition of\u00a0creators\u00a0can be realised in\u00a0ways that are only\u00a0possible with a\u00a0big studio\u201d
<\/p>\n Distribution is a core advantage. Studio 55 partners with Zoo 55 to build collaborative models that allow \u201ccontent to meet people where they are\u201d and help scale revenue quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the largest benefits to partners is in the way we approach data and insight,\u201d\u00a0Scougal adds. \u201cThe creative ambition of creators can be realised and distributed in ways that are only possible in partnership with a big studio.\u201d<\/p>\n Staying nimble<\/p>\n The structure and speed of \u2018digital-fi rst\u2019 can be very different from content formatted for traditional broadcast, \u201cbut we aim to remain nimble from pre to post. We can scale up as needed,\u201d says Scougal.<\/p>\n Smith describes similar flexibility. \u201cIf we\u2019re self-funding a test format, we\u2019ll shoot it on iPhones and edit in-house.\u201d<\/p>\n External remote post-production help is brought in on bigger projects. \u201cThis usually takes the form of senior freelance editors working remotely and using Frame.io to \u2018note up\u2019 from the execs, commissioner and brand side,\u201d says Smith. \u201cWe have yet to use a bigger post-production facility, but that could well change as the budgets of our projects scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith says branding the show \u2013 including logos, thumbnails, format graphics and merchandising \u2013 can be as important as the show itself: \u201cWe always bring on world-class graphics specialists early in pre-production to create a bespoke brand around each entertainment format that can be embedded in the shoot.\u201d<\/p>\n She adds: \u201cThe deliverables definitely change when working for a broadcaster.\u00a0There\u2019s Ofcom QC [required] when delivering for a broadcaster \u2013 even for a\u00a0YouTube-first show.\u201d<\/p>\n A key decision for MonRae on Let\u2019s Game was resisting the instinct to overcomplicate. \u201cThe show was produced remotely, using the talent\u2019s existing setups, in the same environments their audiences already recognise,\u201d says Monahan. \u201cIt allows talent to work in a way that feels natural to them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t trying to upgrade the aesthetic in a traditional TV sense,\u201d she adds. \u201cIn a way, the production model reflects the audience\u2019s behaviour: they\u2019re already watching this kind of content, in these formats. The job is to meet them there, not pull them somewhere unfamiliar.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith notes that fully crewed-up entertainment formats massively increase professional responsibility, which is second nature to TV companies.<\/p>\n \u201cRobust duty-of-care protocols, location release forms, health-and-safety vetting, as well as Ofcom regulations, may have never occurred to small digital teams,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Scougal agrees, saying Studio 55 stays true to ITV Studios<\/a>\u2019 production values, such as duty of care, diversity and representation for creators and brands. \u201cWe\u2019re finding that there\u2019s a real ambition to create larger-scale, longer-term partnerships that can benefit as much from the infrastructural and operational expertise as they do from creative and craft support that we can bring.\u201d<\/p>\n Coming in as a \u2018fixer\u2019 with the assumption that creators need TV companies to professionalise them is unlikely to impress, and some facilities are adapting their models instead. Post house Vaudeville Sound is deliberately importing the infrastructure of professional TV production into the creator space.<\/p>\n Built in partnership with\u00a0The Finish Line, it has launched a podcast and video production studio in Shoreditch to broadcast standard, equipped with three Sony FR7 robotic cameras, Nanlite professional lighting and Shure SM7B broadcast microphones.<\/p>\n According to founder and chief executive\u00a0Daniel Jones, Vaudeville\u2019s model is a fullservice offering rather than a dry hire, with producers, technical crew and support built in. \u201cA lot of podcast studios say, \u2018Here\u2019s a room, go for it. Help yourself\u2019,\u201d says Jones.<\/p>\n \u201cBut everything\u2019s an add-on. If you actually get to three cameras and an engineer at the level we\u2019re offering straight off the bat, we\u2019re the same price, if not a bit cheaper, than all those add-ons total up to. We\u2019re bundling that in because for us, podcasting is new, but audio isn\u2019t. This has to be a wrap-around care that we give to any production.\u201d<\/p>\n Need for speed<\/p>\n The robotic cameras are not about flexibility; they are about speed and reproducibility.\u00a0Jones employed a DoP to build a library of lighting and camera presets so that a creator can walk in and be shooting within minutes. \u201cA podcast content creator would not expect to be hanging around for three hours while someone adjusts the lighting,\u201d Jones says. \u201cThey want to go in and press record, but with TV studio options.\u201d<\/p>\n The entire pipeline runs within the\u00a0Blackmagic ecosystem \u2013 capture via ATEM, edit, audio and grade in DaVinci Resolve.\u00a0The rationale is straightforward: keeping everything in one platform delivers the turnaround speed that creator workfl ows demand. AI handles social clips, best-of cuts and line-cut adjustments automatically from a transcript. Live streaming is available as a package option. At the other end of the scale, a full grade, mix and graphics package is also on offer.<\/p>\n What distinguishes Vaudeville from the average podcast studio, Jones argues, is less about the cameras than the compliance infrastructure behind them: \u201cWe deliver to Apple<\/a>, Disney<\/a>, Amazon, Netflix, BBC,\u00a0Channel 4 \u2013 and they\u2019re expecting that content to be handled and delivered at the same level as a TV show.\u201d<\/p>\n That kind of broadcaster-grade security and delivery capability is not something most podcast studios provide. As the lines between creator content and premium platform content blur, Jones is betting that it will increasingly matter.<\/p>\n Over in Soho, the Dean Street Podcast\u00a0Studio has deployed VeePod, which applies virtual production thinking to podcasting. Founder Rob Chandler positions it as a cost-efficient middle ground for price-sensitive creator budgets. It offers infinite customisable digital sets without physical builds, addressing both cost and creative limitations.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pricing is roughly \u00a3200 an hour for studio time and \u00a3200 for editing,\u201d he says. \u201cFor creators, that can feel expensive, but with sponsorship, it becomes viable.\u00a0Compared to traditional production, it\u2019s low-cost.\u201d<\/p>\n It has also been gradually building. \u201cWe\u2019ve picked up projects like Gabby Logan\u2019s podcast [The Mid\u00b7Point] and a football podcast [The Dressing Room with Joe Cole,\u00a0Carlton Cole & Wayne Bridge], but more recently, we\u2019re seeing higher-level creators, particularly those coming from TikTok, starting to use the studio.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of\u00a0filming\u00a0everything\u00a0themselves on an\u00a0iPhone, creators\u00a0can come to a\u00a0studio, batch\u00a0content and\u00a0increase output\u201d
<\/p>\n Such creators are looking for a more efficient way to produce content at scale, something more professional but still predictable in cost. \u201cThey become time-poor,\u201d says Chandler. \u201cSo instead of filming everything themselves on an iPhone, they can come into a studio, batch content and increase output.\u201d<\/p>\n Crucially, the workflow remains familiar. \u201cCreators have the idea, they can book it, walk through the door, deliver, leave, get the footage, and do what they need to do instantly. That\u2019s their workflow.\u00a0That\u2019s the run-and-gun process that they\u2019ve developed.\u201d<\/p>\n He cites a beauty influencer adapting quickly to a multi-camera set. \u201cThey\u2019re used to small setups, but they know how to deliver to camera. It\u2019s just a case of adjusting to landscape and multiple angles.\u201d<\/p>\n Editing can be handled by VeePod or handed back to the creator.<\/p>\n Chandler says creators are starting to adopt more structured production, with volume being a key driver. He talks about creators who would normally film multiple pieces at home, having to change clothes and locations to avoid \u2018viewer fatigue\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cThe advantage of using VeePod is that we can just change backgrounds, instantly, from simple colours to more complex environments, without them having to move location.\u201d<\/p>\n Middle ground<\/p>\n It also offers more flexibility for brand integration. \u201cWe can do anything,\u201d says\u00a0Chandler. \u201cFrom having a product placement on a shelf or in the background, to having a double-decker bus driving past outside the window with an advertising sign on it.\u201d<\/p>\n As Chandler points out, a simple creator video can be made very cheaply, whereas even a basic corporate video can cost tens of thousands when you factor in larger crews and traditional workflows. Facilities like\u00a0VeePod and Vaudeville off er a middle ground: fast, structured production that aligns with creator workflows while introducing elements of broadcast discipline.<\/p>\n Too much discipline doesn\u2019t suit the DIY ethos of creators. \u201cCreators are used to autonomy; take that away, and you risk losing what makes them compelling,\u201d says Monahan. So it becomes a balance: structured where it needs to be and flexible where it matters most. That hybrid approach is probably where the future of this kind of production sits.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The media landscape has shifted dramatically as solo creators, armed with little more than a smartphone and a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-573054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Lucy Smith,\u00a0Fawkes Digital<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1478264_insides2275_428057.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Bronagh Monahan,\u00a0MonRae Productions<\/p>\n
Will Scougal, Studio 55<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1478262_twopersonsofasetup_119593.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"01_01_LetsGame-WorldBuilders_S01\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1478266_01_01_letsgameworldbuilders_s01_200837.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Rob Chandler,\u00a0VeePod<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1478265_thedressingroom3_257584.jpg\")
<\/p>\n