The Shorts Circuit: BritShorts LTD

If you’ve come across this series before, you’ve probably noticed that the word “international” has popped up more than once in context of describing the marketplace for Chicago-made short films. Given that I’ve only discussed the international side of the shorts business in terms of audience and potential venues until now, you may be tempted to assume that’s where it begins and ends.

Fortunately, it wouldn’t take more than a casual look at BritShorts LTD’s operation to convince you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Founded back in 2000 by old guard producers Barnaby Thompson and Robert Fox and based in London, the folks at BritShorts have quickly become the premiere short film specialists in the UK. To simply refer to them as a full-service short film distribution co. might even be an understatement. Through their programming arm, the aptly named Shorts International, they supply over 120 broadcasters worldwide—across every platform and every medium.

Boasting what they consider to be the “world’s largest collection of short films,” BritShorts’s dabbles in production but their focus is on licensing. They provide “branded entertainment” shorts to companies ranging from Nike and Tiscali to Diesel and Jameson Whiskey and programming to internet providers, television broadcasters, and even airlines. They’ve also partnered with O2, Nokia and the French telecom group Orange, to offer the mobile channel Shorts TV.

Like most other companies in the short film business, that’s where they see the future.

“Short films, created by the world's hottest new filmmakers, are perfectly in tune with this new format because they are at the cutting edge of filmmaking," said Carter Pilcher, CEO of Shorts International. “Not only is the format good news for broadcasters, it’s great news for aspiring filmmakers. Their films will be seen by much wider audiences, greatly increasing both sales and the chances that individual films will receive exposure and acclaim.”