BROADCAST | Broadcast Best Places to Work 2018

• Paula Cowles, head of production and Marnie Sirota, senior VP of operations & finance

How do you find talent?

This year, we partnered with the Mama Youth Project and we’re employing their graduates across our commissioned projects. We are looking to broaden our work-experience scheme with Leeds University in 2018.

How can staff contribute ideas to improve the working culture?

We hold weekly meetings where company news and updates are shared and staff can contribute their ideas.

How do you encourage and reward staff and freelancer loyalty?

Staff and freelancers are encouraged to stay and/or return because of the open, fun and supportive culture we create. We hold a number of social events each month that encourage teams to mix and socialise outside of the work environment. We also feel that our favourable levels of pay encourage both staff and freelancers.

Nominate a ‘rising star’ in your business

During one of our many interview rounds, we spotted a senior casting AP, Dwayne Eaton, and gave him his first long-term casting producer role on our sports entertainment series for Sky 1, Revolution.

He has thrived in the role, managing a team of four and responsible for casting an eight-part series of 75 contributors in the disciplines of BMX, skateboarding and inline skating. We are now hoping to develop his skills further in an edit producer training role.

What are you most proud of about your company?

Having worked for big media giants and super-indies, we love opening up the office each morning and locking our own front door at night.

While remaining very business focused, we feel we are in charge of our own destiny and decision-making, and this feeds down to everyone within the company.

The feedback we get from staff and freelancers is that they want to work hard for and return to Znak & Co, which we are very proud of.

VARIETY | Fox Plots ‘Revolution,’ Orders U.S. Pilot of Game Show on Wheels

 Original Variety article by  Stewart Clarke

Revolution (Znak&Co/Motion Content Group)

“Revolution” could be coming to Fox after the network greenlit a U.S. pilot of the U.K.-originated game show on wheels.

The British series is being made for pay-TV giant Sky’s flagship channel. The format has amateur inline skaters in competition professionals  over several rounds in an indoor arena, with ensuing thrills and spills. The British version sees Inliners skaters compete with BMXers and Skateboarders and is being made in a huge warehouse outside London and will go out on Sky in early 2018.

“Revolution” was created by Znak & Co., the U.K.-U.S. production company founded by Natalka Znak. She is the former ITV executive behind “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” and “Love Island.” She also worked on “Hell’s Kitchen” in the U.K. and exec-produced the first two seasons of the Gordon Ramsay show on Fox.

Znak will exec-produce the U.S. “Revolution,” alongside Glenn Coomber (“Strictly Come Dancing”) and Jenny Stephenson (“Ninja Warrior”). Motion Content Group, the programming arm of advertising giant Group M, is making the original British show with Znak & Co. and and has also boarded the U.S. pilot. Motion CEO Richard Foster is an exec producer.

Sky backs Znak & Co., which is based in London and L.A. Sky Vision handles international sales of “Revolution” with Motion, but the production company is thought to have done the deal directly with Fox. The broadcaster confirmed it had ordered a pilot.

Another possible trans-Atlantic project in the works at Fox is “Man vs. Machine,” from British indie Tuesday’s Child. The show would see humans take on robots in various challenges and has been in early development at the network, but a pilot order is contingent upon the successful development of the machines that would feature in the show.

Original article taken from:

http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-revolution-pilot-sky-game-show-on-wheels-1202617395/

VARIETY | ‘60 Days In’ Producer Links Up With U.K. Partner for ‘Bad Girls Banged Up’

by  Stewart Clarke

60 Days In... (A&E Network)

Lucky 8 TV, the producer of A&E’s “60 Days In,” has forged a partnership in the U.K. and is pitching a new prison format, “Bad Girls Banged Up,” to British channels.

New York-based Lucky 8 has teamed up with Znak&Co, helmed by former ITV executive Natalka Znak, for the U.K. push.

“60 Days In” has innocent parties enter U.S. prisons undercover, with their experiences in the penal system filmed for the reality series, which is heading into its fourth season in the U.S. Continuing the prison theme, “Bad Girls Banged Up” will take a group of British teenagers at risk of getting into trouble with the authorities and put them in an American jail for a week.

Znak and the co-presidents of Lucky 8, Kim Woodard and Greg Henry, will executive produce the project if it is picked up. The two production companies said they also planned to develop other U.K.-focused unscripted formats.

“Lucky 8 is one of the most innovative and daring production companies in the United States, and has garnered unprecedented access to some of the country’s toughest jails,” said Znak. “It’s really exciting to be in business with them and bring their unique brand and sensibility to the British marketplace.”

Znak&Co already has a co-production partnership deal with Electus International & Jenny Daly’s T Group Productions, and a development deal with musician and presenter will.i.am.

A+E distributes “60 Days In,” which has been sold into over 100 territories. In Britain, it airs on Channel 4’s E4, and Vice-owned Pulse has optioned remake rights.

Original article taken from:

http://variety.com/2017/tv/global/60-days-in-producer-preps-bad-girls-banged-up-1202491757/

PRESS RELEASE | REVOLUTION - COMING TO SKY ONE IN MARCH 2018

New large scale action-entertainment show Revolution is a thrill-packed war on wheels filmed on a jaw-dropping purpose-built course that only those with speed, skill and nerves of steel will be brave enough to face. The tournament starts on a vertigo-inducing platform high above the arena where 30 competitors – 10 inline-skaters, 10 skateboarders and 10 BMX riders – race to make it through to a series of exhilarating rounds. Over eight episodes our competitors will scare us, entertain us but ultimately impress us as they attempt to conquer the Revolution course.

Revolution, due to air in early 2018, is produced by Znak & Co and Motion Content Group. It is executive produced by Natalka Znak (I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, Hell’s Kitchen) and Glenn Coomber (Strictly Come Dancing, The Jump) for Znak & Co, and Abigail Adams (The Jump, Wild Things) for Motion. The commissioner for Sky is Bill Hobbins, and international distribution for the series will be handled by Sky Vision and Motion Content Group.

DEADLINE | Fullscreen Picks Up ‘Clickbait With SSSniperWolf’ Game Show With Social Media Stars

by Patrick Hipes

EXCLUSIVE: Fullscreen has acquired Clickbait With SSSniperWolf, a new weekly game show from Znak&Co that will feature social media influencers pitted against one another in ludicrous challenges. The digital network will debut the original series May 11 and drop a new episode each Thursday.

YouTube gamer SSSniperWolf, who has 5 million subscribers, will host the show, with guests including the likes of Sean O’Donnell, MacDoesIt and Jordan Doww already set to compete. The gist: Three fast-paced rounds will see contestants competing in games including grabbing hanging hot dogs covered in wasabi using only their mouths, or attempting to catch an uncontrollable fizzy soda and mint eruption without the use of their hands. Points are awarded in each round, and the player with the most at the end will pick which of the two losers becomes the ultimate clickbait in the Clickbait Chair.

Natalka Znak (Hell’s Kitchen) and Michael Dietz (Minute To Win It) are executive producing for Znack&Co, which is currently producing Electus and ABC’s format The Toy Box in the UK.

Original article taken from:
http://deadline.com/2017/04/clickbait-with-sssniperwolf-game-show-fullscreen-1202073380/