KAREN YOUNG: "THERE HAS BEEN A DEMAND FOR BOTH OLD AND NEW TITLES"

Orange Smarty was born as a virtual business with staff adopting a flexible working practice from home. This innovative way of working allowed the company and its staff to speak in real-time with clients around the world. "The only difference with lockdown has been the increased volume of calls and the move into video," explained Karen Young, Founder and Managing Director of Orange Smarty to Señal News.

In the current scenario, the business has been more active than ever as the company is working even harder to help channels fill vacant slots or provide quick turnaround content options.

With most of the markets canceled or taking place in a virtual way, Orange Smarty has developed new distribution strategies. "When MIPTV was canceled, we quickly replicated the meeting schedule online", told Young. "Since then, the emphasis has been on continued communication and increased marketing activity to ensure the channels have a full understanding of our complete catalogue offering," added the executive.

Regarding the main demands of the clients nowadays, Young asserted that there has been a demand for both old and new titles but with keeping quality as the most important issue and in a lot of cases speed in turnaround. "No channel has the same demands so it’s about being available, quick to respond, and ensuring the content on offer is relevant and delivers in quality," she completed.

NEW TITLES FOR SPRING

Orange Smarty Spring slate featured new series including "Living With the Boss", "This is Our Family" and "Naughtiest Toddlers Caught on Camera", as well as Royal specials, "The Royals: A Family in Crisis" and "Prince Andrew and Scandal in the Royal House of York".  "We also had returning seasons of 'A Place in the Sun', 'Pilgrimage - the Road to Istanbul', and 'Catching a Killer'," said Young.

On the Formats side, Orange Smarty was delighted to secure the "School of Hard Tricks"; a positive factual format that combines a great social experiment with magic.

By Romina Rodríguez