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B4 Films - home is where the heart is

December 2010

B4_FILMS_015For the past two decades Jim Brown has worked in some of the most desirable locations in the world with some of the biggest stars.

But when he decided to set up his own production company it was not to Hollywood, New York, Madrid or Istanbul he looked but to his home town of Aberdeen.

Now B4Films is poised to put the city on the global film and television map with a production which it is anticipated will do for Shetland what Local Hero did for Pennan and a host of TV programme formats which are attracting interest across all five continents.

Offers of accommodation and incentives came in when he decided to set up his own company last year and he was asked “Why not Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle?” but his attitude was “Why not Aberdeen?

“That’s our home and with the regeneration of the city centre it seems a very positive place. We also have a separate corporate side to the business and Aberdeen seemed to be a good place to tap into that.”

An office in the city’s Bon Accord Crescent is now the heart of the family business which was called B4 because all four Browns are involved.  Jim’s wife Lesley runs the office, son Jonathan is a cameraman and son Chris is the managing director and the driving force behind the company.

Jim started his career as a camera operator at Pinewood Studios, working on feature films like Superman before returning north of the border to produce and direct programming for Scottish and Grampian television.

During a spell with Grundy International he became the only Brit ever to direct the Australian drama, Neighbours, and ran their operation in Spain before returning to the UK and jobs as Head of Entertainment for Scottish, Anglia and Yorkshire Television.

In 2002 Jim moved to the BBC before crossing the Atlantic and for the past few years has been commuting and working with some of the biggest names in showbiz including Bob Geldof, Duran Duran, Twiggy, Olivia Newton John, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner and  Bono.

It was Chris who suggested that instead of being “a gun for hire” he should set up the company to make films and create formats and control the intellectual property.

Chris sold his successful business in the motor trade and B4Films was started in January 2009.

Now they are in pre-production with “Between Weathers” a Shetland-based film which has attracted A-list actors and they have more than 40 programme formats ready for distribution.

“Between Weathers” will be filmed on the island of Fetlar and is the story of a David and Goliath battle by one man to reverse the depopulation trend using the internet.

The normal fee for just one of the stars would be greater than the budget for the whole film but the combination of Jim Brown’s reputation and the fact the film could literally save Fetlar with the bulk of the profits going to arts in Shetland and the North-east of Scotland has attracted household names, who will be revealed later this month, to make it a major success.

The programme formats they have developed range from “Duncan Bannatyne’s Britain” – in which the programme follows the entrepreneur’s vision of taking older people who have retired to pass on their skills to “no hope” youngsters to documentaries about fashion, travel, Scotland’s great estates and a contest between American and British comedians.

“We create the ideas and we have distribution companies which will sell those formats throughout the world.

“We then go and show them how to make the programmes and direct the first 10-15 episodes before handing it over to them.

“We are at the stage of creating five international pilots at the moment in co- production with a Los Angeles company – two games shows, two shiny floor entertainment shows and a reality show.

“Our aim is to replicate the success of shows like “Deal or No Deal” which is now shown in 80 countries around the world,” said Chris.

The early success of the company is built on the artistic skill of Jim and the business acumen of Chris.

“All my life I have been on the creative side and business has not been my strong point,” said Jim

“Chris is the total opposite and it seemed a real logical and good fit.

– I am still trying to get him to read the script!  But what he has done is all the budgets and all the logistics like just how do you get 17 articulated trucks on to a little island in the middle of nowhere for “Between Weathers?”

The film will be shot in June and will be premiered at Cannes in 2012.

Chris and his father have an excellent working relationship although Jim says when it comes to budget discussions he has found fewer people tougher to deal with during his career.

“When I came into it I had no interest in the creative side,” said Chris.

“However I appreciate the good ideas and I like being able to turn them into multi platform concepts and explore the wider commercial opportunities – I like the business side and I think we are an ideal combination and we each have our own strengths.

“Every day we are contacted by people who have studied media courses and are seeking employment in Aberdeen. We are one of the few TV companies in the region and they are desperate to come here to work.

“We would love to be in a position in a year to have a fully staffed operation in Aberdeen, with Aberdonians, to support the demand.

“At the moment there are four of us full time but then we have a team of around 20 on a freelance basis here and in New York and Los Angeles.”