New company Wildseed is looking for pitches

A new production company called Wildseed Studios is looking for comedy projects to take on.

Formed by Miles Bullough (previously at Aardman Animations) and Jesse Cleverly (previously from the BBC), Wildseed Studios is described as "a next-generation entertainment content incubator designed to attract creators looking for funding and expertise."

The company is calling on emerging and established comedy creators to get in touch and have their ideas commissioned, developed, financed and distributed.

They reportedly are planning to invest up to £10,000 into each of 50 new projects over the next 3 years, with follow-on investment available for projects that make a connection with an audience. Not all of the projects will be comedy-focused, but comedy is one of the major genres the company is focussing on.

Miles Bullough explains: "For our investment-funnel model to work we need just one of our 50 investments to turn into a breakout hit. That feels achievable given our experience, our test and roll out methodology and the amount of talent out there looking for investment and support. The key will be to create characters that the audience wants to be or be with and when we do, to be ready to exploit them across all media and all over the world."

Wildseed has recently completed its first round of funding and has already invested in two projects. The first, which is based on the work of underground UK comic artist Ralph Kidson (see '8th Day', pictured below), is described as a "wickedly funny animated show for young adults".

The format features sketches including Animal Job Centre where an unemployed squirrel tries to navigate the vagaries of the job market; Serengeti where 'punchy and loutish' animals launch into foul-mouthed tirades against each other at the slightest provocation; and God And Jesus, in which God explains his plans to Jesus for his latest miracle.

The second project is a live-action sci-fi/horror web series from 19 year old creator Drew Casson.

Wildseed describes itself as being platform neutral. Miles Bullough explains: "A YouTube Channel will be a big part of what we do, but we are also working with creators who, for example, want to produce a mobile game first and that is really exciting for us where there is a great character at the heart of the game."

The company is focussing on low-cost production with its early pilots. "Neither we nor our creators make money from our early stage investments - it all goes into the projects" says Bullough.

The duo are mainly looking for formats in particular sub-genres, namely character comedy (i.e. sitcoms and sketches, rather than stand-up and panel shows), primetime animation and sci-fi/fantasy/horror. The target is to appeal to young adult audiences (13 to 35) or Kids (6 to 11).

To find out more about working with Wildseed see the Working with Wildseed web page. This page contains a link to the New Projects Form, where you can formally submit your project to the company.

Jesse Cleverly concludes: "Miles and I have spent the last 9 months working on our business plan and fund-raising and we have found that there are lots of incredible creators out there who are making original engaging content with huge potential, but who lack the resources and experience to take what they do to the next level. We aim to be the company that enables them to develop into the next generation of entertainment trail blazers."