NI TV Production Company Expands Its Export Horizons

A Northern-Ireland based production company is set to invest millions in exports over the next three years.
With support from Invest Northern Ireland, the Newry-based Big Mountain Productions is targeting £2.4 million worth of export sales over the next three years.
Also an independent television production company, Big Mountain Productions makes programmes and sells original programme formats to major broadcasters across Ireland.
The company aims to expand the business into Great Britain and the US and Canada and is investing over £480,000. Invest NI offered Big Mountain Productions over £88,000 towards the project.
As part of its investment, Big Mountain Productions will develop a series of new television programme formats. The firm will retain the rights to these programme formats to safeguard future business opportunities.
The company will also roll out a marketing campaign to increase its profile and promote its new programme formats in target markets. In order to facilitate these plans, Big Mountain Productions will recruit nine new staff members over the next three years in research, media and production management roles.
Bill Scott, Invest NI’s Director of Regional Economic Development, said: "The creative industries sector is key to economic growth in Northern Ireland. This investment will enable Big Mountain Productions to take advantage of emerging opportunities in international markets and to exploit its ideas across a range of media platforms. By strengthening its management and product development team, the company can boost its competitiveness and work towards gaining its share of sales in lucrative new markets."
Philip McGovern, Director of Big Mountain Productions, said: "This investment will help us to create new and unique products that can be marketed globally and grow our company into a major brand for popular factual and factual/entertainment formats. Protecting the intellectual property rights to our products will be a key factor in our future success and growth in key markets. Support from Invest NI will enable us to progress our expansion plans and help us to secure £2.4 million worth of new export business over the next three years."
(LB)