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How Transmedia IP Studios Like The Orangery Are Changing What Gets Adapted

vviralnews

2026-02-04

9 min read

How transmedia IP studios like The Orangery are rewiring adaptations — and why WME’s 2026 signing matters for graphic novels like Traveling to Mars.

Why you’re still getting bad adaptations — and how transmedia studios like The Orangery are fixing it

Frustrated by faithful-but-flat screen versions of your favourite comics? You’re not alone. Audiences — and buyers — have grown tired of one-off adaptation hunts that treat graphic novels like raw material instead of finished ecosystems. The result: risky, expensive projects that rarely scale beyond a single film or a short-lived series.

Enter a new breed of creative company: the transmedia IP studio. In January 2026, The William Morris Endeavor agency (WME) signed European transmedia outfit The Orangery, a move that makes clear why talent and agency powerhouses now prefer packaged, cross-platform IP over raw manuscripts and cold submissions. (Variety first reported the WME deal.)

“The William Morris Endeavor Agency has signed recently formed European transmedia outfit The Orangery,” Variety reported on Jan 16, 2026 — a small headline that signals a much larger shift in how IP reaches screens.

Fast summary: What the WME deal tells us

Agencies want ready-made universes. WME isn’t buying another hopeful feature—it's signing a studio that already owns and develops franchises like Traveling to Mars and Sweet Paprika.
Risk is being engineered out. Transmedia studios design IP to survive multiple formats, reducing one-off flop risk.
New pipelines are emerging. From graphic novels to streaming series, games and merchandise, these studios build content pipelines that speed up adaptation and monetisation.

The evolution of adaptation: from optioning pages to buying ecosystems

Historically, studios and agencies optioned single works — a graphic novel, a novel, a script — and tried to retrofit them into one medium: film or TV. That model worked when tentpole budgets and a physical cinema ecosystem masked development inefficiencies. By 2024–2025, with streaming consolidation, tighter release windows and a demand for long-term franchise value, buyers started looking for IP that already functioned as an ecosystem.

That’s the core value proposition of modern transmedia studios: they don’t just own rights, they own formatted, audience-proven universes. The Orangery’s Traveling to Mars and Sweet Paprika arrive as more than stories — they are packaged properties with character bibles, serialized narrative plans, art assets, audience data, and monetisation maps for games, music and experiential licensing.

Why graphic novels are the perfect seed for transmedia

Visual-first storytelling: Graphic novels supply ready-made visual language for production design, VFX and marketing.
Serial structure: Issues and arcs translate naturally into episodic TV or seasons.
Built-in fandoms: Successful series come with community-engaged readers and measurable engagement signals.

Case study: Traveling to Mars and Sweet Paprika — why they scale

Traveling to Mars is a science-fiction series that lends itself to high-concept visuals, worldbuilding and franchise arcs. Its serialized issues map neatly to season-long TV arcs while giving game designers latitude for episodic missions in a companion game.

Sweet Paprika — a steamier, adult-toned graphic novel — demonstrates a different pipeline. It’s prime for adult drama series, soundtrack-driven promotion and lifestyle merchandising. Its tonal quality helps it live across platforms: a prestige streamer series, an illustrated novella line, and curated live events or podcasts focused on creator commentary.

What these titles show about modern IP strategy

Multi-tier monetisation: primary content (film/TV), secondary products (games, merch), and tertiary revenue (live/experiential).
Audience-first development: test serials as comics to prove engagement, then scale to screens.
Talent packaging: agencies like WME attach star showrunners, directors and cast faster to packaged IP.

How transmedia studios build content pipelines (the 7-step framework)

If you want to replicate what The Orangery is doing, follow this actionable pipeline — the operational backbone for modern transmedia adaptation:

Acquire & curate: Buy or develop IP with built-in seriality and distinct visual identity.
Worldbuilding bible: Produce a detailed transmedia bible: characters, timelines, visual cues, tone, spin-off hooks.
Proof-of-concept publishing: Launch the IP as a graphic novel or webcomic to build an audience and generate engagement metrics.
Data capture: Use reader behaviour, subscription data and social trends to refine story arcs and monetisation priorities.
Package with talent: Use agency relationships (like WME) to attach writers, showrunners or directors early.
Simultaneous-format development: Prepare screen treatments, game design docs, podcast outlines and merchandising concepts in parallel.
Sales & distribution strategy: Plan a phased release across platforms: limited series, streaming exclusive, theatrical, followed by games and live events.

Why agencies like WME are signing transmedia studios now

WME’s move is strategic, not sentimental. Agencies are marketplaces of talent and buyers; they earn when IP becomes big across formats. Signing a transmedia studio gives an agency a short-hand to:

Quickly package projects: Talent can be attached faster when a property is already developed for multiple formats.
De-risk development: Agencies can show engagement and revenue projections based on existing audience behaviour.
Control multiple revenue streams: From adaptation fees to merchandising and gaming revenues, agencies can maximise client upside.

2026 trends that make this model sticky

Several industry shifts in late 2025 and early 2026 turbocharged the transmedia model:

Streaming consolidation: Fewer, bigger buyers demand immediate franchise value and cross-platform IP, not single-title gambles.
AI-assisted development: Generative tools have accelerated script treatments, concept art and even animatics — reducing early-stage costs.
Gaming convergence: Streamers and publishers increasingly seek narrative-first IP they can turn into games and interactive experiences.
Short-form discovery: Social platforms fuel rapid audience growth for comics and micro-episodes, which serve as testing grounds.
European IP maturity: A growing number of European transmedia houses (including The Orangery from Turin) are producing export-ready comics and graphic novels that appeal globally.

Practical steps for creators and small studios

If you’re an author, artist, or indie studio with a killer world, here’s a compact, practical playbook to get your IP noticed by agencies and buyers in 2026:

Ship a serialised proof: Launch an issue or episode on Webtoon, Tapas, Substack or a dedicated site. Data beats a pitch deck.
Build a transmedia bible: Even a 20-page document showing story arcs, spin-off ideas, and visual guidelines signals readiness.
Capture audience metrics: Track bounce rates, retention, newsletter signups and social shares. These are the KPIs agencies care about.
Package talent early: Shortlist a showrunner or scriptwriter and approach agents with a packaged pitch — talent + audience = meetings.
Secure clean rights: Make sure you control the relevant rights (film, TV, game, merchandise) or have a clear rights-splitting plan.
Prototype affordably: Use AI for concept art and short animatics to give buyers a cinematic sense of the IP without big budgets.
Plan monetisation across tiers: Outline primary (licensing, streaming deals), secondary (games, merch), and tertiary (events, podcasts) revenue streams.

What agencies should do differently

For agencies and execs, the opportunity is to become partners, not middlemen. Practical moves include:

Invest in development slush funds: Small pre-packaging capital to turn promising comics into polished bibles and pilots.
Offer transversal packaging teams: Create cross-discipline teams that can simultaneously craft TV scripts, game pitches and marketing strategies.
Leverage data science: Build analytics that quantify audience engagement across platforms and forecast adaptation potential.
Be flexible on windows: Propose phased rights deals that reward multi-format rollouts rather than one-off buyouts.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Transmedia isn’t a silver bullet. Avoid these mistakes:

Over-fragmentation: Don’t spread a story too thin across formats before the core audience exists. Build depth before breadth.
Poor legal foundations: Ambiguous or missing rights kill deals. Clear chains of title and granular licences are essential.
Talent misalignment: Attaching talent who don’t understand the IP’s tone can alienate established fans.
Ignoring long-term IP maintenance: Franchises require ongoing editorial oversight — assign a creative steward to keep the world cohesive.

How the UK fits into the transmedia boom

The UK — with its strong indie comics scene, festivals, and production infrastructure — stands to gain. Broadcasters like the BBC and major streamers commissioning UK-based adaptations are hungry for exportable IP. For UK creators, this means:

Leverage local grants and co-production treaties to finance pilot packaging.
Use festivals (Angoulême, Thought Bubble, MCM) as marketplace showcases for packaged bibles and proof content.
Partner with local game studios to prototype interactive tie-ins affordably.

Measuring success: KPIs that matter

When you’re selling transmedia-ready IP, measure what buyers care about:

Audience retention across issues/episodes.
Conversion rates from free readers to paid subscribers or newsletter signups.
Engagement depth — time on page, comments, fan content creation.
Cross-platform lift after a promotional piece (social to comic sales to newsletter).
Early licensing interest — inbound queries from publishers, merch companies or game devs.

What success looks like in 2026

Success isn’t a single greenlight anymore. It’s a staged roll-out: proof-of-concept comic -> limited streaming series -> companion game or podcast -> merchandising line -> live events. The key indicator is not whether a film does well, but whether the IP grows in value across multiple channels. When WME signs a studio like The Orangery, they’re betting on that staged, multi-revenue future.

Final practical checklist: get your IP transmedia-ready

Create a 20–40 page transmedia bible.
Ship 6–12 issues or episodes and collect performance data.
Secure clean rights for screens, games and merchandise.
Build a visual asset pack (key art, character turnarounds, moodboards).
Prototype a short animatic or trailer using low-cost production + AI tools.
Draft a phased monetisation map: primary, secondary and tertiary revenue.
Identify an agent or boutique studio that understands cross-platform deals.

Why the shift matters for fans and creators

For fans, transmedia studios mean deeper adaptations that honour pacing, nuance and visual DNA. For creators, they offer clearer revenue pathways and professional development structures. The WME—The Orangery pairing is emblematic: it shows how agencies now value IP that’s already built to multiply.

As streaming landscapes settle in 2026, the winners will be those who don’t treat adaptation as an afterthought. They’ll be the teams who design stories to live in many places at once.

Call to action

Have a graphic novel or IP you think could be the next Traveling to Mars? Start packaging it now: build your transmedia bible, ship serialised proof, and track engagement metrics. For industry readers: if you’re an agent, exec or publisher, pay attention to transmedia studios like The Orangery — they’re where the next generation of scalable franchises will be born.

Want a template for a transmedia bible or a one-page checklist to pitch to agencies like WME? Subscribe to our newsletter for free tools, templates and a monthly roundup of transmedia deals around the UK and Europe.

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Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.