Renowned showrunner Shane Byrne and Emmy-winning producer Jamie D’Alton, two of Ireland‘s leading TV execs, have teamed up to launch Diffusion Media, a new production company aimed at attracting international unscripted productions to Ireland and taking advantage of mooted Irish tax incentives for the unscripted sector.
D’Alton, who played a pivotal role in developing projects including Netflix doc feature “The Deepest Breath” and “Conor McGregor: Notorious” the highest-grossing Irish documentary of all time, sets up Diffusion after nearly 20 years as co-owner and joint managing director of Motive Television. D’Alton has executive produced and directed some of Ireland’s highest rated TV shows, including “DIY SOS: The Big Build Ireland” and “Special Forces: Ultimate Hell Week,” as well as IFTA-winning films “I Am Immigrant” and “Man on a Mission.”
Meanwhile Byrne, who comes with a wealth of industry experience in the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland and has produced formats including “Big Brother,” The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent,” is leaving his role as head of entertainment at Bigger Stage. In his previous role, Byrne managed a large slate of U.S. unscripted productions, filmed in Ireland for Fox Entertainment, including; “The Floor”, “Don’t Forget The Lyrics”, “Next Level Chef”, “Beat Shazam” and “Name That Tune”, of which Byrne has been the showrunner across four consecutive seasons.
“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.”
Diffusion Media is set to produce a broad range of content, including a slate of entertainment formats, studio shows, and documentaries, alongside offering production services tailored to the international entertainment markets. Its first title is “To Hell & Back”, a new series for RTE that will see A-list celebrities take on extreme outdoor adventures in some of the most inhospitable and hostile environments on the planet.
“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.”