‘Voice’ maker hits right note for revenue

Top-rated show The Voice of Ireland was the main driver behind revenues at Screentime Shinawil, which doubled to a record €8m last year as the firm recorded profits of almost €250,000.

The independent Dublin-based production company enjoyed a 50% jump in revenues in 2012 as the firm recorded profits of €245,031 in the 12 months to the end of Jun 30 last.

The €245,031 profit in 2012 followed a loss of €59,882 in 2011.

CEO Larry Bass, said: “In a difficult trading environment, it has been difficult to increase margin while we have invested in programme development.”

Mr Bass said that the firm “is targeting a similar profit for 2013, but we are not there yet”.

The abridged accounts just filed with the Companies Office show that the firm’s accumulated profits increased from €515,611 to €760,642 last year.

The firm — set up in 1999 with a staff of two — today produces some of the most popular TV shows on our screens here with Irish editions of The Apprentice for TV3 and Masterchef, Dragons’ Den, and The Voice for RTÉ.

Mr Bass said revenues associated with The Voice — which debuted on screens here last year — accounted for “a good chunk” of the increase in turnover last year.

The firm today employs 26 full-time staff and Mr Bass said that on a production day for a show like The Voice — which attracted almost 1m viewers to RTÉ for its final this year — can have 100 people employed.

Mr Bass said: “We’re very proud of our production of The Voice — it has been the strongest performer of any production of The Voice across the world in terms of audience share.”

Mr Bass confirmed that a celebrity version of Masterchef is to appear on RTÉ screens this Summer with a celebrity version of The Apprentice coming to TV3 this autumn with Caroline Downey Desmond replacing Bill Cullen.

Mr Bass said it was an interesting time to be working in TV “where there is a paradigm shift happening right before our eyes”.

He cited the firm having recently pitched a TV show to Yahoo.com. He said: “It is a whole new world our there for TV where you are talking about social media driven TV schedules.”

He also confirmed that Screentime Shinawil is developing drama and comedy shows for the first time with the planned comedy work being done in conjunction with known Irish comedy writers.

He also confirmed that the firm is currently pitching two new format shows to RTÉ and one to TV3.

“We are constantly dreaming up new concepts. We are pitching to many TV stations. We are like bad pennies going back to commissioning editors. You have to be relentless.”