TellyCast: The content industry podcast

In this episode of TellyCast, Justin Crosby is joined by Joe Churchill, former Digital Commissioning Editor for Branded Content at Channel 4 and now co-founder of Fan Club, a digital-first agency built around brands, creators and premium social video.Joe breaks down what it really means for brands to behave like broadcasters, why owning audiences now matters more than owning formats, and how branded entertainment has moved far beyond interruptive advertising. Drawing on his experience inside Channel 4 and now on the agency side, he explains how brands are developing long-term IP, building native formats for YouTube and social video, and working more strategically with creators.The conversation covers the realities of talent costs, the role of creators versus legacy talent, and why audiences are far more comfortable with brand-funded content than the industry often assumes. Joe also shares his predictions for 2026, including YouTube’s collaboration tools, the rise of brand-backed micro drama, consolidation between broadcasters and digital studios, and why audience ownership is replacing IP as the most valuable asset in the production economy.Topics include branded entertainment, social video strategy, creators and talent economics, micro drama, YouTube’s evolution, audience growth, and what comes next for digital-first studios.Sign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok

Sam Barcroft returns to TellyCast with a major update: he’s now Group CEO of SWNS Media Group, the UK’s largest independent newswire. In this wide-ranging conversation, Sam explains why news, social video and the creator economy are colliding faster than anyone expected — and what that means for producers, brands and the entire media landscape.Sam breaks down the future of news in a video-first world, how SWNS is reshaping itself across six companies, and why trust, truth and journalistic rigour are becoming more valuable as AI-generated content floods feeds. He also gives a brutally honest diagnosis of the UK’s collapsing documentary ecosystem, why most TV producers misunderstand YouTube, and what it really takes to build a sustainable content business in 2026.The conversation digs into creator M&A, branded content, subscription models, the rise of news influencers, vertical video, micro-drama, Goalhanger’s expansion, TikTok’s disruption of YouTube, and the biggest consolidation moves sweeping global media. Sam also shares his story of the week, his hero of the week, and who he’s putting in the bin.A sharp, punchy, essential episode for anyone navigating the new production economy.#TellyCast #SamBarcroft #DigitalFirst #SocialVideo #CreatorEconomy #NewsMedia #YouTubeStrategy #MediaTrendsSign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok

Factual isn’t standing still - and this panel proves it. Recorded live at the TellyCast Digital Content Forum, this conversation digs into how the factual genre is being rebuilt for a digital-first world. Lucy Smith hosts a sharp, unsentimental discussion with Gerrit Kemming (Quintus Studios), Marvyn Benoit (Baker’s Dozen Studios) and Jamie McDonald (After Party Studios) about who really owns value in today’s market: the audience-holders or the IP-holders.They unpack how social video has reshaped commissioning logic, why audience ownership is now the most powerful currency in factual, and how creators are becoming new-age broadcasters. The panel gets into hybrid funding models, co-ownership of IP, rapid-cycle development, YouTube economics, CPM realities, danger-led factual, testing formats on social platforms, and the rise of patchwork financing. This is a clear-eyed look at the future: faster turnarounds, collaborative models, creator-talent partnerships, and a factual economy where anyone with audience can commission.If you want to understand where factual formats are heading - and how digital-first production companies are finding new routes to money, scale and global reach - this session is required listening.Sign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok

Vertical video drama has exploded in the past year – but is it a passing craze or the next big shift in storytelling? Recorded live at the TellyCast Digital Content Forum, this session brings together Spirit Studios’ Matt Campion, TheSoul Group’s Victor Potrel and writer-director-producer Katharina Gellein Viken to unpack the boom in micro drama. Moderated by Deadline’s Stewart Clarke, the panel digs into what audiences are actually watching, how shows are being funded and distributed, the role of AI in production, the emergence of new platforms, and why the economics are creating a brand-new content category. A sharp, forward-looking conversation on how vertical drama is being made, monetised and scaled.Sign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok

This week’s TellyCast comes from Lisbon and the 2025 Web Summit, featuring three standout conversations from the frontline of social video. Engineering superstar and YouTube icon Colin Furze joins the show fresh from his packed session to discuss two decades of building one of the world’s biggest creator channels, the near-mythical underground tunnel project, his relationship with TV, and how he keeps millions of viewers hooked. Ahmed Fayed from Dose of Society shares the journey behind the fast-growing social video brand, how they built a global audience from London street interviews, and why authentic storytelling now travels everywhere from the Emirates to Africa. Justin also catches up with Eline van der Velden from Particle6 after the global reaction to the launch of her AI actress — covering the backlash, the outcomes, and what comes next for creators building with AI. A Web Summit special packed with insight on the future of content, creators and social video.Sign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok