Here, he tells Deadline about the shift from linear to streaming and what he is cooking up next.
MasterChef, fronted by Gordon Ramsay, was a big hit when it launched in 2010.
But ironically, Ashbrook, whose company also makesBaking Squadfor Netflix, had never produced a food show before.
Next in FashionNetflix
At the start, I thought, I know how to make a gameshow.
What is going to make this food show successful with Gordon at the heart of it?
The rule on that show was to have the audience guess every three minutes, he said.
Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of HousesTBS
You could take the construct of that and it could apply to floristry, baking, singing or dancing.
Id like to think the perception of us isnt that we just do food.
Im not afraid of broad familiarity.
Audiences dont always need to find something they have never heard of before.
You just have to find enough to make it feel distinctive, he added.
Next In Fashion, Baking SquadandThe Final Tablewere all for Netflix.
But Ashbrook thinks that all of these shows could also have been made for linear networks.
Even more so now than four years ago, I think they could all live on a data pipe.
Ashbrook says they are working on new gameshow ideas as well as an adventure series.
That looks like a competition series that isnt necessarily on a stage.
Just look at locations, there is a reason that its season 556 ofThe Amazing Race, he joked.
But focus is also important; dont expect The Old School to move into true-crime, docu-soaps or podcasting.
Focus, for us, is a word to embrace rather than be embarrassed about.
If youre a truly independent company like we are, we cant afford the distractions.
Is The Old School looking at this avenue?
But costs may come down, Ashbrook admits.
Would Ashbrook consider becoming part of a bigger group?
Ask me in two or three years, he said.
