Maverick TV
high growth digital media company
Maverick TV first approached the Creative Advantage Fund in 2001. At this point, the company had already won numerous Royal Television Society Awards under the leaderships of Founder, Jonnie Turpie and Creative Director, Alexandra Fraser.
At this time, Maverick TV had been growing for 8 years, had around 10 productions on their slate, and an annual turnover of around £2.5m. The company were at the cutting edge of putting cameras in the hands of the public to create reality TV. The majority of their commissions were coming from Channel 4, but the creative team recognised the huge potential that digital broadcasting would bring over the coming years, and anticipated an explosion in the market with the advent of broadcasting 24 hours a day fuelling a huge demand for new content.
Maverick TV approached Creative Advantage Fund for investment that would help them purchase a range of new digital cameras and editing equipment. The company also wanted to expand from their existing office base in the Custard Factory and establish a stronger presence in London.
Alongside this investment, our team helped the company establish much stronger internal management systems to pull together all production budgets, and generate more robust financial management information. One of our Directors, David Edmonds, took a hand-on role as interim Managing Director to help them leverage additional finance from their bank, implement their business plan, and expand their presence in London.
Over the next few years, our team continued to support the growth of the company with a follow-on investment through the Advantage Creative Fund and continued expert advice. This investment, along with the strategic support provided, massively accelerated the growth of the company. By 2007, Maverick TV has grown its production slate to around 30 different productions (including the hit shows 10 Years Younger and How to Look Good Naked) and was acquired by All3Media for an undisclosed sum*.
Over the following years, Maverick TV continued to growth the range and quality of its productions, adding hit shows like Embarrassing Bodies to its slate, award winning multiplatform productions, digital content for Channel 4, YouTube, Social Media, Gaming and other digital platforms. In 2014, the parent company of Maverick TV and North One Television was bought by a US joint venture in a deal worth £550 million.**
