Business Strategy

For TV, film and digital content production companies

Many creative business leaders are so busy doing what they do best - developing ideas, pitching and delivering projects - that they don’t have the time or mental space to stand back and work out their longer term ambitions and what their strategy should be to get there. Or they have a specific project that needs expert help to get it to happen. This is where I come in.

I provide business, strategy and leadership expertise to TV, film and digital content producers. I help you create a business strategy for the next three to five years to grow your business and increase profitability, as well as build your leadership skills to create a positive company culture and attract the best talent. As well as business strategy, I am a professional coach that helps people make a positive change within their careers, businesses and working relationships. We all face challenges in our professional lives, and often we can get stuck in a particular way of thinking and behaving, sometimes which isn’t helpful.

I’ve worked with over 100 production companies over the past eight years. As well as working with some companies directly, I’ve also been a consultant with Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund since 2022 and Screen Scotland’s FilmCity Futures’ FOCUS initiative since 2017.

How I can help you

  • Whatever your size or stage of your business, I can help you stand back from your company, acknowledge and evaluate your real longer term ambitions and devise a plan for how you are going to get there. Sometimes this is a fixed period of work, other times I am engaged as an advisor over a longer period to help you stay on course and tweak the plan as events change and your business grows.

  • Especially for companies in their early stages or those going through a period of growth, it is essential to have accurate and reliable tools to understand your true financial position, what your KPIs should be and whether your strategy is working or not. Not just your cashflow and P&L, but also being able to evaluate whether your business model is creating a sustainable organisation for the future, and what sources of investment are needed to achieve your goals.

  • A key way for production companies to stand out in the crowd and get a project commissioned is by having a clear brand and a unique proposition that is understood by buyers. I can help you unearth and refine this USP to help you have greater clarity around your brand and business, which in turn can help you land big projects.

  • Organisational culture comes from the top, and so it is important to ensure your leadership style is creating the type of company you and your colleagues appreciate. Company values are your hiring super power - knowing these and hiring people who share them means you’ll create, retain and grow a great team around you.

  • There are a lot of UK and international networks and platforms out there looking for content, with ever changing needs. I have my ear to the ground on their strategies and latest wants, and am experienced at evaluating your development slate and identifying potential commissioning opportunities . I work cross genre including News, factual, kids, entertainment and scripted, and am experienced commissioner-side as well as with the production sector.

  • Projects can be financed in many different ways - commissioned, brand funded, self funded retaining advertising income, work for hire versus rights retention, PPV and subscriptions, new partnerships, tax credits and secondary sales. I can help you quickly evaluate what are the best and most viable routes to get your project off the ground.

  • New operations often need processes and rules to reduce risk and enable greater creativity. I can produce and implement the right editorial, compliance and operational processes and policies for you especially for your digital, editorial and social output. I’ve often been a safe pair of hands to deal with tricky online audiences and editorial issues. I’ve written and implemented editorial, compliance and operational processes and policies including Channel 4’s online editorial guidelines and first social media policies for Twitter and Facebook.

What people say…

  • “Jen is an excellent consultant with a rare ability to see straight to the crux of any issue, and provide structured and effective solutions. We have been impressed by her market expertise, business acumen and communication skills. We have consistently received excellent feedback from the participating companies themselves, as well as seeing real results in terms of their company growth and focus. She’s also a delight to work with!

    Rebecca Thompson, FOCUS, Filmcity Futures

  • “Jen was incredibly insightful and helped us explore our business and long term strategy in a way that was useful and impactful.”

    Producer, Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund

  • “Jen was a very insightful and encouraging professional. She offered real honest feedback and steer.”

    Producer, Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund

  • “Best and most useful part of the whole course for me. Doing the business plan and really thinking about strategy and tactics - the stuff you don't get to in the day to day - was invaluable. I was able to share comfortably with her where we are on our journey and she gave really valuable insight and advice. I'd like to continue working with her.”

    Producer, Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund

  • “Jen was really helpful in getting us to address our specific needs. Her thoughts and advice felt bespoke and personal to us, our position and future growth. She made the space really open so we felt we could share things and ask any question, however stupid it might sound. Her added resources that she shared with us (e.g. Business Plan templates) have been invaluable.”

    Producer, Channel 4’s Emerging Indie Fund

  • “It was invaluable. Felt slightly like therapy at times! Jen is great at getting to the nub of an issue and talking in clear, straightforward language. She was also fantastic at offering smart, practical help and challenges you to keep the big picture in mind at all times. It's really informed and reinforced the approach we're trying to take. I hear her voice in my head a lot! She's brilliant.”

    Andrew Snowball, Creative Director, Flabbergast

  • “I think Jen is straight to the point and knows her stuff. You feel you are in very capable hands when speaking with her.”

    Nagana Modhwadia, CEO, SLNda