At BBC Studios TalentWorks, we identify and develop emerging talent who are interested in creating content, writing, and producing with us. We work to maintain the highest industry standards as we nurture the next generation of creators.

One of the latest campaigns we worked on was launching our Creator’s Collaboration with Top Gear and AliExpress.

When thinking about our campaign, our first thought was our audience. There are sometimes misconceptions surrounding Top Gear, and some may assume because the show is about cars, then this is a brand targeted towards ‘stereotypically’ male interests. When in actuality, 50% of our newest Top Gear audience identify as female. That’s why for this campaign we decided to put Lydia Elise Millen in the driving seat.

Lydia Millen is an author and internationally celebrated content creator, The products featured effortlessly into her car, and with a quick shoot featuring none other than charming (and extremely well behaved) dog-friend Berkeley – the pooch perfect products were modelled dutifully.

How did we do this?

Finding our talent...

We have lots of methods when finding talent. As a team, we have a deep network with talent management across the UK, both bespoke small agencies to the big players. We have regular catchups with them to have our finger on the pulse of what talent are interested in, and where they are looking to develop. Not all talent wants to work with big Studios like ours, others aren’t interested in developing longer form content – and that is completely fine! We are interested in talent who have a longer story to tell, where our added production values, and working with our teams can add real value.

We also have good relationships with the platforms directly. Recently we collaborated with BBC Public Service and TikTok to produce Creator Lab. The platforms know their creators inside-out, with a close understanding of talent who are keen to work with production companies. They also have a good understanding of what is trending, with steep growth – vs. Talent who have a loyal audience.

We often look at data and insights platforms, like CORQ which gives good headlines on what creators are doing in the marketplace. Keeping with our BBC Studios ethos, we like to keep our finger on the pulse, that is why we prioritise looking for innovative creators who are doing something new. Lydia was one of the first emerging creators in the UK luxury content space, she perfectly embodies her brand through various means, from outfits to lifestyle.

Top Gear is all about experimenting with the hottest vehicles. It’s all about the latest and it showcases the new. Keeping this in mind we decided that Lydia perfectly aligned for this campaign.

Lydia also breaks the mold of who the average Top Gear consumer may be. Externally, Top Gear can appear to be a ‘macho’ and ‘fast-paced’ brand, when Top Gear in some sense is about luxury as it pushes the most sought-after cars to their very limits. One of the best aspects of the brand is answering the all-important questions, for example: can a Porsche really withstand a mountainous Argentinian landscape? What happens when you roll a Range Rover down the steepest UK hill? The show takes aspirational cars and puts them in places no one would expect, this unique aspect, is something that is important to highlight in order to attract newer audiences.

Lastly, we keep our ears to the ground and are genuinely really passionate about the creator marketplace. We’re really proud of the team – and how often they are bringing trending and interesting talent into the fold.

Establishing the balance between creative freedom for creators and keeping in line with the brief and BBC editorial standards

What we enjoy most about working with creators, over traditional talent, is respecting their creative voice in a campaign. We know they already are sometimes their editor, director, talent, editor, marketeer and distributor. Creators have a unique 1-2-1 relationship with their audience – and they know what works and what doesn’t.

There are many reasons we love working with creator talent...

  • Master of craft – they know how to shift gear between 6’ and 60’ cuts of content, and everything in between, perfect for their audience to devour at top speed.
  • Quick to respond – digital creators are often the first to identify emerging trends which can be perfect when we are looking to give a brand-new lease of life.
  • Keen to collaborate – BBC Studios is home to iconic globally-known brands working with us is often a mutually beneficial transaction, as creators breathe new life into our brands and we can open up them up to new audiences.
  • New voices – Lydia provided a new take on the reputation of Top Gear, her love for cars is natural which makes this collaboration authentic.

A last piece of advice...

Such a lot of our work is about forming positive working relationships, built on trust, with talent management. We advise businesses to not be afraid of breaking the mold, keep it current, keep it fresh.

Digital creators one of the best ways to bring new life to well established brand and to open to new audiences.

A special shoutout to Carrie Grayson, Chief Operating Officer at LEM ONLINE LTD. Often talent management is the unsung cog of the entertainment industry, behind-the-scenes visionaries who are adept at seeing opportunities that others can’t. Carrie moved swiftly to bring this project to life with Lydia, negotiate for her client, and ultimately deliver a piece of work that we are all proud of. Not to be underestimated and a relationship worth investing in!

By Helen O’Donnell, TalentWorks