Pig & Horse grazes YouTube, Instagram, TikTok as format proving grounds

Risk averse commissioning has been a persistent complaint of format creators for decades, and straightened economic times are only exacerbating the problem. See the BBC rebooting proven formats Survivor and Gladiators rather than backing an original idea instead.

But the traditional attitude towards what counts as a proven format is increasingly out of step with the modern reality, according to Finnish actor Salla Kozma who has recently launched new format vehicle Pig & Horse Productions.

“I’ve been an actor since 2003, I know the business, I’ve been watching it for a long time albeit from another angle,” says Kozma. “What is going on in entertainment? There is nothing being created I want to watch. A friend of mine joked you should start a company and produce things you do like. I laughed at the time but here we are a few years later doing it for real.

“My big passion is TV formats, where you can put crazy creativity together with business. I really love formats, there are endless possibilities to create something new.”

Kozma has brought with her Fremantle Finland head of development Anssi Rimpelä who has an impressive CV and is equally passionate about a new approach the pair are dubbing “socially impactful formats”.

Forcing producers to get their show away and find an audience in places like Israel and The Netherlands before considering it for a UK or US run is archaic.

“I’ve run the unscripted/entertainment sides of companies including Fremantle, Banijay and Zodiak Finland and worked on Pop Idol, X factor, Got Talent, more than 20 different international formats as well as creating some new things for the Finish market,” Rimpelä says.

“With Salla we’re looking at combining the route from social media to big screen, taking traditional format thinking but also with these new platforms we don’t have to wait six months for a commissioner meeting and then another six months for the commissioner to decide. Within that 12 months we have already produced and got an unscripted format away into the social space.”

<em>Anssi Rimpelä </em>

If they’re right, then it’s great news for producers because the cost of producing shows for YouTube is a fraction of what a broadcastable pilot would cost for linear.

“If you do the old-fashioned way you use a lot of money in development because it takes a long time. With the same money you can produce the whole series for a YouTube channel,” Kozma says. “What would be the point of waiting when you can start working tomorrow? It’s a relatively small amount of money, you don’t lose much if it doesn’t gain an audience – put it down to experience, learn the lessons, don’t continue with it, let’s try the next one. You can work at a fast tempo. That fits my personality. I do not like to wait very long.”

Kozma soft launched in 2023 to produce a documentary film, Reflections of Gaugin (1×80′) an investigative art mystery, but Pig & Horse Productions launches officially now with a slate of formats that includes a European wide K-Pop talent search which Rimpelä says they plan to build out from TikTok auditions, and a culinary format that crowdsources new talent and recipes from online.

Another relationship format, Miles Between Us, which puts separated and estranged couples back together for a long road trip guided by remote therapists, has already shot a pilot.

“It wasn’t our original plan but after going to Berlinale, MipLondon, listening to the industry and what they’re talking about, I decided to go this way,” says Kozma.

“It’s much cheaper because it’s so much faster. We’ll put something like €12,000 into an idea and see what sort of views it clocks up on socials. If it ticks the boxes and the metrics we’re looking for we go to a second step of developing a whole 10-episode series with about €50,000.”

In a fast changing landscape she believes brand funding can be the answer to a lot of this seed money. “The advertising market has changed completely with things like ChatGPT,” she says. “Investing in branded content is now one of the only ways brands can gain visibility.”

Rimpelä adds: “We’ll do a social media campaign around these concepts to build traction. If it succeeds then we move to the next level where we can get brands involved. It’s very easy for them to come on board, if they want to put €25,000 in we’ll match that with our own development money. We truly believe this is a way forward for an industry that has stagnated. You’re doing your development together with your audience and learning from the traction. Not all of them will end up with a global streamer or on a bigger screen, but they can become self funding on platforms like YouTube.

“You have to put your neck out there with something you really believe in, and make yourself easy for brands to access.”