Ged Mansfield and Alex Ranken, the leaders of Bristol-based Plimsoll Studios’ new kids & family division, have some big plans for growing the unscripted-focused studio in the children’s market.
The two Plimsoll staffers were named chiefs of the A Real Bug’s Life studio’s recently formed kids division last week. Plimsoll didn’t share many specifics about the division when it was unveiled, but Mansfield and Ranken opened up a bit to Kidscreen in an interview about their plans. It’s early days, but the duo hinted at projects in the works, new strategies the company is employing and why a company that’s best known for more mature documentaries is looking to grow in the kids space.
“This is the space that we think we see opportunities in,” says Mansfield, now creative director of kids and family. “Increasingly we’re hearing from commissioners that they’re looking for four-quadrant programming, and we feel like we’re equipped to deliver that.”
The studio has already produced family-friendly unscripted programming, including series such as Tiny World for Apple TV+. The studio’s A Real Bugs Life (pictured) for Disney-owned National Geographic, which won multiple Children’s and Family Emmys and a Kidscreen Award, was inspired by Disney and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life brand, and this strategy of IP integration is something that Plimsoll aims to do more of through the new division.
Along these lines, the company is in funded development on a project with “one of the biggest toy companies in the world” and another with “one of the most iconic and successful movie franchises in the world,” says Mansfield.
“We’ve got huge IP plays and are doing lots of genre-busting storytelling, with the use of both top-drawer wildlife footage and really playful animation,” says Mansfield. “But we’re also really excited about working with the breadth of amazing talent that you find in the kids and family space.”
The studio is looking for partners in the kids and family industry, both on the broadcast and sales side—but also in the vein of working with talent like Mark Rober, the massively popular science- and engineering-focused kids creator that has secured recent deals with Netflix and Scholastic. “[In Netflix special Skyscraper Live], we were really honored and lucky to work with Mark Rober,” Mansfield says. “Mark worked as a kind of engineering expert and a roving reporter, and he was fantastic. We’ve got a couple of projects in the pipeline with Mark as well.”
Plimsoll’s experience producing family-friendly series and specials for the major streamers primes it for success as it looks to grow in this market, says Ranken, creative director of natural history and head of immersive.
“Wildlife and the fuller genre of kids TV are very, very good bedfellows,” Ranken adds. “We lean into the drama, we use lots of scripted tropes to try and tell stories in ways that feel more entertainment-led. Those are the same things that we feel we can bring into kids and family shows [to create something] educational, but at the same time something that’s really fun [and] that kids just want to watch.”
Plimsoll’s new kids division eyes IP integration and “genre-busting” projects
The unscripted studio is seeking partners in the kids space as it aims to meet commissioner demand for four-quadrant programming.