TBI’s 2024 Predictions: Kate Beal, founder & CEO, Woodcut Media

By Kate Beal 4th January 2024

Kate Beal (Source: Woodcut Media)

2024 is set to be a pivotal year for the global content industry, so TBI has enlisted some of the biggest names in the business to share their thoughts on the major trends of the next 12 months and how they’re going to capitalise on them.

Here, Kate Beal, founder & CEO, Woodcut Media, discusses how the coming months will usher in the ‘new normal’, shares her company’s latest priorities and reveals why she can’t wait for the Summer Olympics.

What is the biggest growth area for your company this year?

The past year has been very challenging all round for broadcasters, production companies and freelancers. Therefore, I am hugely grateful that I am able to use the word ‘growth’ when it comes to Woodcut in the context of 2024.

Our aim is to continue to focus on our main priorities – consolidating us as the home of true crime production, championing female-led specialist factual, working more closely with the production community on Woodcut International and our exciting development with factual entertainment.

However, there are two more areas we will be prioritising throughout the year. Firstly, we’re looking to formalise our post-production offering. We have bold plans in the works to create a first-class on-site and remote facility for Woodcut productions and third parties.

Perhaps our most important goal this year is to delve deeper into how we operate as a company… what our values are, how we treat our team, how we interact with our clients and who we work with in terms of suppliers. As a business, Woodcut has a solid foundation, and we intend to use our power to enact positive change.

Simply put, we want to help the workforce and business of television to thrive… not just survive!

What is the key trend going to be in 2024?

2024 will see the beginning of the ‘new normal’. After the technological disruption of the past few years, alongside the economic boom and bust within the industry, I’m looking forward to seeing how everything settles.

Television is a constantly evolving industry with the rhythm of business changeable. We can look forward to a period of stability with the cost-of-living crisis easing, plus the streamers adopting a more pragmatic financing model alongside the recently merged mega-companies settling into their new way of working.

The post-covid ‘boom’ will not return but it will certainly be better than our collective ‘bust’ year. That is until AI fully integrates into our workflow and prompts us into a new way of producing television altogether – changing everything again!

What is your New Year’s resolution and why?

To be the positive change!

What will be the biggest headline in 2024 and why?

I sincerely hope the headline for 2024 will be world peace. And if not that, then I hope the two billion people who will be voting in elections this year make a choice for peace and stability. in 2024, 40 countries will be going to the polls and that’s a lot of election coverage for our incredible news outlets!

What show are you most looking forward to in 2024?

The Summer Olympics! Natural drama and storytelling over the course of two wonderful weeks! The ultimate stripped reality show!

Read more from TBI’s 2024 Predictions

Tom Fussell, CEO, BBC Studios

Nomsa Philiso, CEO of general entertainment, MultiChoice Group

Marina Williams, co-CEO, Asacha Media Group

Kate Beal, founder & CEO, Woodcut Media

James Burstall, CEO, Argonon

Julian Bellamy, MD, ITV Studios

Daria Leygonie-Fialko, founder, Space Production

Rob Wade, CEO, Fox Entertainment

Frank Spotnitz, CEO, Big Light Productions