Building a bridge between the UK and the United States

US and UK-based production companies ATS and the UK's Nest Productions have formed a new transatlantic development and production partnership aimed at fostering collaboration and boosting entertainment production between the US and the UK.

"There are so many synergies that it organically just made sense to create a partnership that leveraged our strengths and specialisms," stated Shayna Waldman, Development & Production Executive at ATS, who also added that ATS and Nest have extensive experience and knowledge of the US and UK production industries. "The foundations and philosophies of both our companies are completely in sync. We want to build strong transatlantic partnerships that companies can trust, providing a one-stop-shop solution to the changing landscape of the global industry," she said.

"Partnerships are the future and key to remaining successful in our industry," asserted Derek Drennan, MD at Nest Productions. "It's baked into our DNA; we have always wanted to provide the best infrastructure and production support for co-pro partners to make high-quality content. In ATS, we see the same ethos; we've all seen the standard of production and set designs on the massive IPs ATS has worked on, from 'Ninja Warrior' to 'Celebrity Bear Hunt.' From the technical to the creative, we are perfectly aligned, which makes this an ideal match," he added.

The partnership between ATS and Nest Productions will leverage the strengths and offerings of the UK industry to US producers, including reduced costs for US productions shot in the UK and enhanced UK tax incentives. "We hope to facilitate UK/US productions that combine resources and open an ongoing transatlantic production flow," noted Waldman. "The UK and US have always had historically close ties in the types of shows people watch, whether that's taking Gordon Ramsay or 'Doctor Who' to the States, or bringing 'The Simpsons' and 'The Sopranos' to the UK. There is so much more that can be done between the two countries, and there's huge opportunity over here for North American producers," Drennan asserted.

He noted that in the UK, producers could reduce costs by more than 20% for US productions, offering lower price points for labor, kit, and crew; access to additional funding for large-scale projects filmed in Scotland through Nest's Scottish base, Nest Scotland; and enhanced UK tax incentives, including the new scripted tax credits. "With the potential of a UK Unscripted Tax Credit, we are actively championing the opportunities this could bring for entertainment shows. Extending this credit to unscripted productions in the UK could prove highly attractive for US entertainment projects," he said.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Derek Drennan emphasized that the initial focus of the partnership between the two companies will be on unscripted content, but "there's no reason why this wouldn't work for the scripted market," he said. "The cost savings, access to talent, and infrastructure are here and work across both genres. Coupled with the advantages of qualifying for local content quotas, there is plenty of scope for a wide range of IPs to be made here and commissioned either in the UK or the US. For the US industry, we want to provide a base for making massive formats with global appeal; it's what Americans do well, and we have the capacity to deliver," he explained. For Waldman, large-scale formats will benefit the most from this deal, as "this creates an opportunity for us to involve multiple territories and financial incentives, further reducing the overall cost for all parties," she noted.

Working with the UK can appeal to US distributors, streamers, and broadcasters, as it means they can have confidence that the money they invest is going toward a product that can be produced at a solid price point and is more likely to succeed in the international market. "This becomes more appealing due to the potential of bringing on a UK broadcast partner to help spread the costs, along with access to local funds like the ones we have in Scotland," said Drennan. "The UK offers access to some of the best talent in the industry, yet at significantly lower costs across the board when compared to the USA, and that's without even factoring in the potential UK Unscripted Tax Credit currently being campaigned for. There's also the benefit of a shared language and similar culture that make the entire process easier for all," concluded Waldman.