Award-winning fact-based producer Proper Content is set to close amid challenging market conditions.
Founder David DeHaney, who founded the company in 2016, announced on Thursday his decision to cease trading and appoint administrators.
“This was a very difficult decision,” DeHaney said. “We’ve been making some of the most talked about shows in the industry for nearly a decade, funny shows with a social purpose, and that’s exactly what I set out to do. But we want to do more, and the current environment doesn’t support that big change.”
One of the few independent black-led companies in the industry, Proper Content has produced a wide range of projects, from the recent BBC documentary ‘P Diddy: Rise and Fall’, to Channel 5’s royal documentary series ‘The King’s Guard’ which ran for two seasons, to the multi-award winning Channel 4 show ‘The School That Tried to End’ which won BAFTA, Venice TV Awards, Rose d’Or and Grierson Awards. was known for its wide range of factual content, ranging from “Racism.”
Despite growing the company to a turnover of £6 million ($8 million), economic conditions proved too difficult to continue.
“We are very proud of what we have accomplished with the right content,” DeHaney said. “We have turned our lens on society, and very diverse audiences, in so many different ways. As a growing indie, we could not have done more. But for a company like ours, taking the next step at this stage of development is incredibly difficult. There is no risk of commissioning, no time or space for the company to spread its wings in new ways, and as a result, the company is ‘stuck’. That doesn’t seem like a good or creative place. It would be. ”
“Despite these circumstances, we achieved what we achieved,” he added. “That’s not the core reason for our decision. We feel we still have a lot to offer, but we haven’t reached our full potential. That’s why we’re closing. The reality is that the market has changed dramatically in recent years. Commitment budgets are tighter, development cycles are longer, and opportunities for growing indies to scale are becoming increasingly limited. These pressures are impacting many companies across the sector and have undoubtedly contributed to the position we are in today.”
“My priority at the moment is to continue to work proactively with our freelancers and staff, as well as our broadcast customers and collaborators, to minimize the impact of the closure as much as possible. I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has worked with and supported us over the past 10 years. Together we have told some great stories, built a remarkable company and achieved much more than I ever imagined when we founded it in 2016.”
“While Proper Content is coming to an end, my passion for storytelling and creating ambitious new projects remains undiminished. I’m excited to see what happens next.”
In addition to the declining commissioning budgets that have disrupted the industry over the past three years, the UK, like other major markets, is also facing a wave of consolidation, from the recent merger of Banijay and All3 Media to Sky and Warner Bros.’ ongoing acquisition of public broadcaster ITV. Discovery, which owns a number of free and paid networks in the UK, has been acquired by Channel 5 owner Paramount.
