GARDAM MAKES INDIES A TOP PRIORITY

TIM GARDAM, Channel 4 Director of Programmes has said his top priority at the moment is to establish relationships with independent producers.
At Channel 4’s Pact open day held this week Gardam revealed plans to install ‘Best Practice Guidelines for Commissioning’.
Gardam (pictured) said: “There has been a shift in the culture of our relationship to one of different businesses appreciating the others’ needs and working together to maximise the assets we have. I am acutely aware that the relationship between us can, at its worst, be exasperating and tetchy, when all we both want is to exploit our joint talents to the full.”
The new commissioning guidelines state Commissioning Editors should work more closely with their finance managers and business affairs counterparts. Also there should be clear editorial spec for each programme so that there was an established benchmark against which the producer and the commissioner could judge the progress of each project.
Gardam also said he wanted a ‘timetable of delivery,’ and for editors to give timely answers to proposals. Gardam said; “I want them to concentrate on dealing properly and professionally with those where they think there is a potential, and not leave projects hanging in the air.”
He also included in the guidelines establishing a clear basis of trust where more new talent can be risked on projects, where there is less conservatism in the choice of Directors.
Gardam stated the ‘Best Practice Guidelines’ make it equally clear what they expect of Independent Producers, ‘it is simply not good enough for an executive producer to show a film to a commissioning editor that he or she has not bothered to view first’. Gardam said he was unapologetic in talking to producers about the needs of the schedule, and their expectations for certain slots and the ratings they expect to be delivered at certain times.
Diane Freeman, Deputy Chief Executive of PACT, said: “We welcome any improvements in commissioning between channels and independent producers. The idea to improve communication and understanding for each side if they help to speed up commissioning is very valuable. The intention, outlined by Tim Gardam, is setting out what Channel 4 aim to achieve both for the Channel and the independent producers. It states what they intend to do and what they expect from independents. The aim is to speed up the process for commissioning as independents encounter various problems with the length of time it takes for them to receive confirmation. The guidelines are to be reviewed and this will allow us to see if they have made the improvements they set out to.”
Channel 4's new guidelines will be reviewed after next spring’s budget round for programme commissions.
The open day will be repeated for producers and executives in Scotland on Monday November 20 at The Lighthouse in Glasgow.
(CMcL)