EXCLUSIVE: Dreaming Whilst Black producer Big Deal Films has secured investment from one of the architects behind BBC iPlayer and BritBox, who has become the company’s Executive Chair.
Bal Samra has taken an undisclosed minority stake in Big Deal and will help with commercial partnerships and a push into the podcast and digital space.
Samra has for the past couple of years been providing strategic advice and commercial support to Big Deal via his consultancy firm Bizet Media. He is a former BBC group commercial boss who spent three decades at the corporation, during which time he led work on the transformation of BBC iPlayer, BBC News online and BritBox. He also worked on commercial deals with the likes of Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Samra will “bring his commercial expertise, operational insight and a future-facing mindset to guide Big Deal Films through its next phase of growth, both in the UK and globally,” the London indie said, including a push into podcasts and digital.
Founded by Dhanny Joshi and Thomas Stogdon, Big Deal is gearing up for the second season of BBC Three’s Dreaming Whilst Black, which is co-produced and sold by A24 and airs on Showtime in the U.S. The critically-rated show follows an aspiring Black filmmaker navigating the industry, with the filmmaker played by the show’s co-creator Adjani Salmon. Big Deal has also made the likes of Scam Stories for BBC Three and Holier than Thou for U & Dave.
“As we look to scale Big Deal internationally and expand our footprint across platforms, it has been important to bring in leadership that not only shares our ambition, but can sharpen it,” Joshi said. “Bal will do that.”
Samra added: “I have huge respect for what Dhanny, Thomas and the team have built, and I’m energised by their vision to take these stories to even wider audiences. It’s rare to find a company that’s so well connected to both the broadcast world and the creator community. Big Deal is rooted in digital, with the agility and creative instincts to bridge new talent with more established parts of the TV and audio landscape.”
Samra also works with the likes of Milk VFX via Bizet Media.
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