The co-founder of Dublin indie Motive Television and the exec behind some of Fox’s biggest hits to be made in Ireland have joined forces to take advantage of the country’s proposed unscripted tax credit.
Run by managing director Jamie D’Alton and creative director Shane Byrne, indie Diffusion Media aims to attract international studio shows, entertainment formats and documentaries to Ireland are targeting collaborations with the UK and the US.
Diffusion comes out of the gate with To Hell and Back, a format for RTE that tasks celebrities with taking on extreme outdoor adventures in extreme locations.
In 20 years at Motive, D’Alton executive produced shows from Netflix doc feature The Deepest Breath, RTE2’s Conor McGregor: Notorious, RTE1’s DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland and BBC2’s Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week.
Byrne was previously head of entertainment at Bigger Stage, where he managed slate of unscripted Fox Entertainment productions filmed in Ireland. On the first of these, Name That Tune, he was showrunner over four series, cultivating a 300-strong domestic production team.
“Three years later and many successful productions later, it is obvious that unscripted production in Ireland is at world class level,” said Byrne, with Fox shows such as Next Level Chef and The Floor following Name That Tune into the country.
Byrne, who has also produced UK formats including Big Brother, The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, said Diffusion would “double down” on a production model that has brought A-list talent such as Rob Love, Jamie Foxx, Jane Krakowski and Gordon Ramsay to primetime US shows.
D’Alton added: “The proposed fiscal incentives from the Irish Government could present amazing opportunities, with the growth potential for unscripted content produced in Ireland immense,” said D’Alton. “This, coupled with our individual track records and existing relationships with international broadcasters and streamers, positions Diffusion Media to be a market leader for unscripted content.”
“In 2021, I was asked to be the showrunner on the first unscripted U.S. network show to be made in Ireland (“Name That Tune” for Fox). This entailed building and cultivating a domestic team of over 300 talented industry professionals. Three years later and many successful productions later, it is obvious that unscripted production in Ireland is at world class level,” said Byrne.
“The ambition that we have for Diffusion Media is not only to develop exciting original content, but also to double down on the production service model that has seen TV show hosts like Rob Lowe, Niecy Nash, Jamie Foxx, Jane Krakowski, Randy Jackson and Gordon Ramsay collaborating closely with domestic production teams on a variety of prime time U.S. shows. We are very excited to launch another option for international clients to consider.”
