BBC Studios has signed a first look deal with indie Big Deal Films, a London based production company which focuses on producing programming for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) audiences.
The two-year deal gives BBC Studios a first look at distributing its factual, factual-entertainment and scripted programming slate.
The indie has achieved rapid growth since its 2014 beginning, with of some of the most diverse content on television.
This includes – Sending Money Home (2015) for The One Show on BBC One, which follows the journey of money earned from migrant workers in the UK, Disabled Fight Club (2015) for Channel 4, which follows the journey of six disabled fighters on their paths to compete in combat sports, and The Things I See (2017) for BBC iPlayer, an innovative reconstruction of mental health conditions of the point of view of the person experiencing visual delusions.
“We’re so excited to be working with BBC Studios and feel privileged that they are supporting our unscripted ambitions and recognising the potential of our ideas,” said Managing Director Dhanny Joshi of Big Deal Films.
“The BBC has been championing Big Deal Films as a company since our inception. Partnering with BBC Studios in this distribution and first look deal is the exciting next chapter in our story.”
Rebecca Brown, Specialist Factual Commercial Manager for BBC Studios, said: “The hunger for diverse content has never been higher. Supporting Big Deal will provide content across a number of genres at a time when this is needed more than ever.
“We know that younger audiences really want truth in a world of fake news, and Big Deal is the ideal producer to deliver this.”