THE GLOBAL 100 - 2007
The Influential, The Inspirational And The World's Leading Prodcos From The Viewers' Perspective

realscreen
March/April 2008

One thing you'll definitely notice about this year's Global 100, realscreen's list of the world's top independent production companies, is that lifestyle and factual entertainment are far better represented than they were the previous times we did this report.

The reason is simple enough: this year's list is based on ratings. Previously, we polled the non-fiction industry itself to discover what it considered to be the most influential shows and prodcos in the world. This time around, we went to the broadcasters and asked each for a list of their highest-rated shows from 2007. In other words, this installment sees viewers deciding which production companies make The Global 100 - 2007. . .Congratulations to all the companies who made the realscreen Global 100 list for their work in 2007. Keep up the good work.

It's hard enough to do one thing well, let alone several. But if there is a genre that Hoff Productions hasn't tackled yet (and it's not likely), it'd probably do that well, too.

Launched in 1994, and producing for such diverse nets as Animal Planet, TruTV (nee Court TV), Fox, The History Channel, Fine Living, The Weather Channel and a dozen others, Hoff Productions has managed to thrive by following its instincts towards good stories, wherever they lead.

Broadcasters polled in realscreen's survey pointed to such series as Ultimate Factories and Quit Your Job as not-to-be missed. Speculating as to why that may be, president Michael Hoff suggests it's because "I look for hooks that grab and hold you throughout the show. We always remember the audience has unlimited choices, so we need to catch them and keep them. And hey, how many indie production company chiefs are willing to play Bigfoot for your shoot?"

Brendan Christie, with files from Alicia Androich and Kelly Anderson