INTO THE LEAD: BOOM POW!

We continue our look at Into The Lead, a new Screen Alliance North programme supporting and upskilling leaders of independent production companies across the North of England, with writer and producer Johanne McAndrew, founder of Boom Pow Productions.  

Johanne is a professional film and television scriptwriter whose career spans decades, international work and some of the UK’s most recognisable series. After years of freelancing and selling scripts to production companies, she set up Boom Pow Productions to retain greater creative control over her work. “After years of handing scripts over,” she explains, she wanted the freedom to shape projects from development through right the way through to production. Though still only a few years old, the company already has around 15 projects on its slate, including sitcoms and adaptations of existing written work. 

Collaboration sits at the centre of Boom Pow’s approach. Johanne works closely with script editors and is keen to create opportunities for emerging talent, particularly those fresh out of university, to gain experience in television development. She sees working with younger creatives as essential to responding to the changing demands of the industry, while still keeping strong storytelling at its core. 

Her own route into the industry began in 1996, when she won the Granada New Voices competition as a writer, with Peter Kay acting for the very first in Johanne’s winning submission ‘Two Minutes’. From there, her career took her across the UK and internationally, including periods working in Los Angeles with Johanne creating original series ‘Nice Guy Eddie’ and ‘Candy Cabs’ for BBC, ‘Pitching In’ for Liverpool’s LA Productions and ‘Daylight Robbery’ for ITV – which went to have a huge 44% audience share upon airing in 1999 and was re-developed by Fox in the US. She also spent several years writing for both Hollyoaks and Holby City, gaining experience in fast-paced, long-running television drama in our region and further afield. 

Johanne is clear about the appeal of producing in the Liverpool City Region. She describes it as having “everything you need visually”, from beaches and historic cityscapes to wide, open landscapes, alongside what she sees as one of its biggest strengths: the people. Combined with lower production costs, it’s a region she believes makes both creative and practical sense. 

As a participant in Into The Lead, Johanne values the opportunity to connect with other producers across the North West. “You’ve got to be in the room with people to get that connection,” she says, noting that independent production companies can often feel isolating, particularly during development when teams are small. Since joining the programme, she’s already been in touch with “over half a dozen” producers about potential collaborations.