EXCLUSIVE: Unscripted TV veteran James Lessell has launched the UK’s latest indie production outfit.
The former Naked Head of Factual Entertainment has created The End TV, and has drafted in fellow British production veterans Ed Booth and Justin Bradley-Lennon to work at the production house. Lessell exited Fremantle’s The Rap Game UK producer Naked in June to launch the biz.
The End will focus on producing TV shows and branded content in the UK and abroad. Lessell is MD and founder, while Booth is Creative Director and Bradley-Lennox is Series Director. We hear development deal discussions are underway with larger players.
Lessell has worked in unscripted TV for 25 years, producing shows such as The X Factor, Dancing on Ice, The Only Way is Essex, Celebs Go Dating and Big Brother. He was most recently fact-end chief at Naked and before that worked at The Masked Singer UK maker Bandicoot TV.
He said The End “represents the natural evolution of tradition production companies” by also positioning itself as a creative operation that can provide branded contents, commercials, social campaigns and other brand partnership projects to a wider range of clients than networks and streamers. Many indie TV producers in the UK have been hit by a network commissioning slowdown and international factors such as the U.S. labor strikes, causing many to shutter or reassess their core business models.
Booth is best known for producing the likes of Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice and The Cube, the latter in the UK and U.S. Bradley-Lennox has directed UK shows such as Big Brother, Fame Academy and Love Island.
“This is an exciting time to be a creative content maker,” said Lessell. “With times changing fast in the broadcast TV industry, I want The End TV to represent the natural evolution of tradition production companies. Whilst producing great entertainment and reality television programmes will always be a big part of our DNA, we are acutely aware that television content isn’t driven just by traditional broadcasters anymore, so a big focus for us will also be to provide high quality branded content, from TV commercials and brand partnerships to social media.
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