A World of Shed

Mmmmm......so Shed Productions want to take over World Productions. Not the sound of something I like for a number of reasons.

As Dave Bishop points out http://viciousimagery.blogspot.com/, World are one of the few majors who actively encourage new writers. Okay they've had a few ratings hiccups recently with shows like Goldplated and Perfect Day, but they are also responsible for gems like This Life. The Cops, Cardiac Arrest, Sharman and Buried. Tony Garnet is very writer friendly and this is reflected by the producers who work there. Almost all of whom I've dealt with in one way shape or form over the years.

Shed.......well I don't know that much about them. I know they produce Footballers Wives, and Bad Girls and Waterloo Road. People obviously have their own opinions on those.

But the reason I don't know much about them is that I have never met them. The reason I've never met them is that my agents refuse to send them any original material or put writers forward for any of their shows. That doesn't sound too good does it?

They became cautious about doing it when some of their writers had nightmares working on Shed shows. To say Shed are 'hands on' is apparently an understatement. Think 'in house,page one re-write on your script . '

They flat out refused to have anything more to do with them when it came to light that Shed paid a writer HALF the PACT rate for an episode of Waterloo Road. Bear in mind that Ann McManus, one of the head honchos at SHED sits on the board of PACT? Perhaps the reason they didn't get their arses kicked from here to China.

Apparently the excuse was that the writer was desperate for a credit and volunteered to work for that money.

So WHAT???????? . That stinks no matter which way you try to cut it. Minimums are there for a reason. To stop writers lowballing each other and being exploited by companies who want scripts on the cheap because they know they'll re-write a lot of it themselves in house.

It devalues writing and writers. The writer who took that deal should be just as ashamed as Shed should be. And by the way, the chances are that particular begged for writing credit is pretty meaningless because most people in the business know exactly what went on and who was involved.

First meeting with another prodco - 'Oh you're the schmuck who took half fee just so you could get a credit'

Because make no mistake, a lot of prodco's are up in arms about this as well. Why should Shed get a commercial edge by ignoring PACT regulations when they all play by the book?

I understand that World are not yet commenting on the proposed take over. Hopefully the eventual comment will be a rousing Fuck Off!


Oh and before I forget. Shame on the BBC for passively endorsing that shoddy deal.

EDIT

I've just heard from the horse's mouth that the report in Broadcast about Shed in talks with World is completely unfounded. Spitting feathers, no chance and never in a million years were mentioned.