TellyCast: The content industry podcast
A weekly podcast featuring opinionated international content industry business leaders joining Justin Crosby to discuss the week's top industry news stories. In each episode we discuss key business developments around the world and look forward to the big moments in the week ahead. New episode every Thursday.
Episodes
In this week’s TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by filmmaker Ben Zand and Documentary Campus CEO Donata von Perfall. Ben discusses the launch of Human, his bold new self-funded YouTube documentary strand that puts storytelling and brand-building ahead of TV commissioning. He explains why he’s betting on a digital-first strategy, how Zandland is creating content with empathy and access, and the business model behind the series.
Don...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by writer, producer and cultural commentator Stephen Arnell. With a career spanning Sky Arts, BritBox, ITV and bylines in The Guardian, The New Statesman and The Spectator, Stephen has seen the TV industry from every angle.
In this episode we dive into the big media stories of the week, from the Baywatch reboot and the search for Channel 4’s next CEO, to Jimmy Kimmel’s clash with Trump...
Is YouTube really the new TV? In this week’s TellyCast, Justin Crosby speaks with Ben Woods, Creator Economy Analyst at MIDiA Research, about his new report The New Hollywood: Tactics for YouTube’s TV Takeover. They explore why YouTube has now overtaken Netflix on living room TV sets, how younger audiences are watching social video instead of broadcast, and what this means for broadcasters, producers, and advertisers.
From the domin...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Tom Jenkins, Creative Director of Spud Gun Studios, the digital-first indie behind the hugely popular animation channel Mashed. Fresh from taking full ownership of the brand from Channel 4, Tom reveals how the studio is building on Mashed’s global fanbase of nearly seven million followers, striking new brand partnerships with the likes of Xbox and Baldur’s Gate, and winning four aw...
Branded entertainment is booming - but how can producers really work with brands? In this TellyCast episode, Justin Crosby talks to brand funded content specialist Charlie Read, founder of Upstream, about the five things every content producer needs to know about brand-funded content. From understanding business outcomes and audience insight to building IP with brands, learning their language, and shifting from interruption to enga...
Big Deal Films co-founder Dhanny Joshi joins Justin Crosby to share how he turned a call centre hustle into a BAFTA-winning indie. They discuss breaking through with Dreaming Whilst Black, navigating the commissioning crisis, and why digital-first, talent-led content is the future of TV.
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This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby sits down with Ofcom’s Director of Broadcasting and Media, Cristina Nicolotti Squires, for a deep dive into the regulator’s urgent six-point action plan to save public service media in the digital-first era.
With younger audiences flocking to YouTube, Netflix and TikTok, and PSBs losing share, is the UK’s broadcast model reaching a breaking point? Christina unpacks the tough questions: securing...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby sits down with Taf Makopa, founder of Mako Studios and one of the most exciting new forces in digital production. Taf reveals his first slate of four brand-funded shows with BoohooMan — including Are You Even Real?, a dating series hosted by UK rap icon Chip, and Luke Comes Home, a Luke Littler documentary featuring Angry Ginge.
In this candid conversation, Taf unpacks why talent-first formats a...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby sits down with Andrew Trotman, CEO and founder of Komi Group, to explore how one of the UK’s most forward-thinking creator businesses is reshaping the digital content landscape. From building data-driven social brands to launching creator-led businesses, Andrew shares how Komi Group went from a horse racing tipster account to a global social video powerhouse producing 4.5 billion views a month.
...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by social video sensation Hayley Morris. Known for her viral vertical comedies and brilliant multi-character sketches, Hayley shares her journey from early YouTube experiments to creating hit series like ‘The V Hotel’ and her growing portfolio of self-funded short films. She reveals how she built an audience of over nine million followers, the creative process behind her weekly videos...
On this week’s TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by two of the UK’s most respected TV leaders – Jimmy Mulville, co-founder of Hat Trick Productions, and Peter Fincham, co-founder of Expectation and former controller of BBC One and director of television at ITV.
They discuss the health of the UK TV industry, the impact of YouTube, the future of comedy, and the challenges facing independent producers today. Jimmy and Peter also refl...
This week on TellyCast, Justin is reporting from Conecta Fiction & Entertainment in Cuenca, Spain — the heart of Hispanic TV content innovation. He’s joined by two of Banijay’s top executives shaping the future of unscripted in Latin America: Frank Scheuermann, Chief Content Officer of Endemol Shine Boomdog, and Marie Leguizamo, Managing Director of Banijay Mexico and US Hispanic.
Frank unpacks why long-running formats are domin...
The TellyCast Digital Video Awards have arrived! In this special episode, we bring you all the highlights from the first-ever awards show dedicated to the social video and digital-first industry, held at The Londoner Hotel in London’s Leicester Square.
Hosted by Max Fosh, the night celebrated the creators, producers, studios and platforms redefining what video content means in the digital age. Hear from winners including Channel 4.0...
Sam Pearson, Digital Commissioning Editor at Hearst Networks UK, joins Justin Crosby to reveal how the broadcaster is reshaping its digital-first strategy across platforms like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and AVOD. From breakout social formats like History Crush and Unbreakable to monetising archive content and launching purposeful true crime programming, Hearst is evolving with the audience.
We go behind the scenes on the company’s c...
He’s the YouTube creator who trained a horse to bet on racing and tricked Heathrow passengers with a fake “Welcome to Luton” sign — now Max Fosh joins TellyCast to reveal how he’s built a global creator business rooted in originality, lean production, and long-form storytelling.
In this week’s episode, Max shares the inside story of his rise from Facebook vlogger to international touring comedian and digital video pioneer. He explai...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Amie Parker-Williams, Director of Commissioning & Production at MTV Entertainment Group International.
Amie shares how MTV and Comedy Central are evolving their commissioning models to embrace a bold digital-first approach. She breaks down how her team balances in-house production with collaborations with indies, the importance of commissioning content that tackles social issue...
In this powerful episode of TellyCast, host Justin Crosby sits down with Danny Fenton, CEO and founder of Zig Zag, to discuss the turbulent journey his company has faced over the past 12 months. From insolvency to reinvention, Danny opens up about the personal and professional challenges of leading an independent production company through financial crisis, the impact of industry upheavals, and the lessons he’s learned along the wa...
Top digital commissioners from MTV, Channel 4, and A+E Networks reveal exactly what they’re looking for - and what they’re not - when commissioning social video content.
Recorded live at the TellyCast How to Make Money in Digital event, this expert panel explores How to Work with Digital Commissioners and What They Want. Featuring Amie Parker-Williams (MTV and Comedy Central), Sam Pearson (Hearst Networks), Evie Buckley (Channel 4.0...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Channel 4’s Digital Commissioning Editor and Channel 4.0 lead, Evie Buckley.
In a wide-ranging and insightful chat, Evie reveals her latest exclusive digital commissions, shares her evolving commissioning strategy, and explains how data, talent, and creator-first thinking are transforming Channel 4’s approach to digital content. They also explore how traditional producers can break...
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Eline van der Velden, founder and CEO of Particle 6 – an AI-first production company shaking up the world of digital video. With a background in both physics and performance, Eline shares how her unique career path has shaped Particle 6’s groundbreaking approach to content creation using artificial intelligence.
From slashing production costs by 60% to creating AI-generated scripted...
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