Reeling from a steep revenue drop last year, Acamar Films has brought in veteran UK media luminary Peter Bazalgette to work hands-on with the prodco’s management team as board chairman on turning the tide by expanding its flagship preschool property Bing.

“Baz” (as he’s more commonly known in industry circles) made British formats of Big Brother and Deal or No Deal as CCO at Endemol UK, and he went on from there to serve as the chair of ITV. With all of this experience, bringing him into Acamar was a no-brainer, says CEO Mikael Shields. “Baz is creative-led and commercially driven. He’s also smart and he’s got an unparalleled network in the UK. The truth is we’re lucky to have him.”

Acamar wrapped up its fiscal 2024 with revenue down by 36% from the previous year, from US$9.3 million to US$6.8 million. Shields attributes this big underperformance to an unstable industry—and lots of digital competitors battling for dollars.

“Baz” as he’s commonly known, is “creative-led and commercially driven”, says Acamar’s Mikael Shields, making him a solid fit to help the company grow.

Bazalgette, who invested in Acamar a few years ago, was brought in to reverse the decline by helping the company find new growth opportunities to drive more revenue. In June, he played a key role in convincing Jasmine Dawson’s BBC Studios Digital Brands team to manage Bing’s YouTube ad sales and brand partnerships. Bazalgette started his career at the BBC and later produced a popular cooking game show called Ready Steady Cook for the pubcaster. So he went along to the meeting and hyped up Bing well enough that Dawson decided to take it on as the first third-party IP in a portfolio that includes Bluey and Doctor Who. 

It’s rare to have that seal of approval, says Shields, who believes that having Bazalgette on board is certain to open more doors for the brand. 

In terms of recent growth, Acamar locked in Rainbow Designs as Bing’s master toy licensee and Rocket Licensing for a consumer products program in the UK. 

Shields says much of the company’s focus is currently on YouTube, where new Bing channels have launched in Japan, India and Indonesia in the past six months.