Search Results for: “"zodiak Media"”

Yellow Bird Producing Jo Nesbo-Created International Drama ‘Occupied’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 29 April 2013 11:23 UKTags: Jo Nesbo, Occupied, Yellow Bird

Millennium Trilogy producer Yellow Bird is embarking on a 10-part original series based on an idea by bestselling Norwegian crime novelist Jo Nesbø. International drama Occupied is a political thriller set in a not so distant future where Russia has staged a “silk-glove” invasion of Norway to officially secure the oil import for the rest of the world. The series looks at what happens to a nation under such an invasion.

Developed by Yellow Bird and Nesbø, Occupied will be co-produced with Zodiak Media’s French drama outfit GTV for Norway’s NRK and French/German channel Arte. Erik Skoldbjaerg, writer/director of the original Insomnia and director of Prozac Nation, will helm the first two episodes. Norwegian writer Harald Rosenloew Eeg is also on the the English-, Norwegian- and Russian-language project. Read More »

Comments (8)

MIPTV Briefs: Gary Janetti’s ‘Vicious’ Debuts; ‘Cybergeddon’ Does TV; Nordics, Latin America Hot On Formats

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday, 10 April 2013 19:36 UKTags: Big Deals TV, Cybergeddon, Ian McKellen, MIPTV

In yet another type of cross-border series – this one a sitcom – Family Guy and Will & Grace exec producer Gary Janetti’s Vicious premiered for buyers at Mip-TV last night. The six-part comedy stars veteran British thesps Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi in quite a departure from the likes of X-Men and Shakespeare. The pair plays a constantly bickering, but ultimately loving couple who’ve lived together in a small London flat for nearly 50 years. Their young upstairs neighbor is played by Misfits‘ Iwan Rheon and their best friend by Frances de la Tour of the Harry Potter films. Shine Group’s Brown Eyed Boy produced the show in association with Kudos Film and TV and Nickelby Inc. for the UK’s ITV. In keeping with current hit UK sitcoms like Mrs. Brown’s Boys, it’s shot in front of a live studio audience. There’s no U.S. outlet yet, but a deal was just concluded with Australia’s Seven Network. In a big push, Brown Eyed Boy’s Gary Reich, who’s co-producing with Janetti, says ITV will start trailering the series in British moviehouses and in video ads in the London Underground before the primetime debut later this year. Read More »

Comments (1)

BBC America Sets ‘Being Human’ & ‘In The Flesh’ Premiere Dates

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 1:56pm PDTTags: BBC America, Being Human, In The Flesh

BBC America announced today debut dates for the final season of Being Human and the new zombie mini-series In The Flesh later this year. Both shows will be part of the channel’s Supernatural Saturday block. Still full of vampires, ghosts and werewolves, Season 5 of Being Human will start on June 8 at 10 PM.  A Doctor Who and Torchwood alumnus, Toby Whitehouse is the head writer of Being Human with Polly Buckle producing the show’s final season. Being Human is produced by Touchpaper Wales, a Zodiak Media Company, for BBC Cymru Wales and BBC America. As one Beeb show ends, another begins, at least for the short term. The three-part In The Flesh premieres on August 3 at 10 PM. The mini-series drama deals with zombies being reintegrated into their living families and communities. Now called PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferers, zombie teenager Kieren Walker is dealing with the same problems fitting in as his living peers, plus a whole lot more scarier issues. In The Flesh is a co-production between BBC Drama Production North and BBC America. Jonny Campbell directs with Ann Harrison-Baxter producing and Hilary Martin as executive producer

Comments (1)

Second Death On France’s ‘Survivor’ Equivalent, ‘Koh-Lanta’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday, 2 April 2013 10:13 UKTags: Survivor, TF1, Zodiak Media

In what’s become an increasingly grim couple of weeks for reality television, a doctor working on TF1‘s Koh-Lanta, France’s version of Survivor, has committed suicide. Dr. Thierry Costa’s death comes a little over a week after contestant Gérald Babin died from a heart attack during filming of the first episode of the show’s 16th season in Cambodia. Production had already been shut down on Koh-Lanta and resulted in the cancellation of the entire 16th season. In a suicide note he asked be made public, Costa said he was confident he had treated Babin “as a patient and not a contestant” but said he was distraught by “false accusations and assumptions” in the media, according to local reports. Last Friday, Koh-Lanta producer Adventure Line Productions, a subsidiary of Zodiak media, said it would sue for defamation after information from an anonymous source, which called into question the on-site response of the production team and the doctor, was published by French media. A manslaughter inquiry has been opened into Babin’s death. Koh-Lanta started airing in 2001 and is one of leading network TF1′s flagship series, drawing an average of 7.4M viewers.

Related: UPDATE: ‘Buckwild’ Shuts Down Production In Wake Of Shain Gandee’s Death

Comments (1)

Contestant’s Death Leads To Shelving Of France’s ‘Survivor’ Equivalent, ‘Koh-Lanta’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 25 March 2013 09:14 UKTags: Survivor, TF1, Zodiak Media

The death of a participant on TF1 reality series Koh-Lanta, the French version of Survivor, has resulted in the cancellation of the show’s 16th season. Gérald Babin suffered a heart attack and died on Friday during the first day of shooting in Cambodia following a “shipwreck” challenge. He was 25. Production ceased immediately and the other contestants were being flown back to Paris today. Over the weekend, a spokesperson for France’s leading commercial broadcaster TF1 said, “The show will not take place in 2013.” Koh-Lanta, produced by Zodiak Media subsidiary Adventure Line Productions, started airing in 2001 and has consistently won its timeslot, drawing an average of 7.4M viewers. The 16th season was expected to air next fall. TF1 and ALP said in a joint statement: “The teams from ALP, TF1 and (host) Denis Brogniart are devastated and join in the profound sadness of Gérald’s family. All of their thoughts are with his parents, his sister, his girlfriend and all those close to him.”

Comments (4)

Zodiak Rights Taps New VP For U.S. Sales

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday March 14, 2013 @ 9:16am PDTTags: Janet Robinson, Zodiak Media, Zodiak Rights

Zodiak Rights, the international distribution and rights exploitation arm of Zodiak Media, has hired Janet Robinson as VP Sales & Acquisitions, North America, where she will focus on selling Zodiak Media’s unscripted programs to the U.S. and Canada. She will be based in Zodiak’s LA office and report to Glen Hansen, SVP Sales, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, North America. Previously, Robinson was Sales Manager at ITV Global Entertainment, where she managed sales and programming revenues across North America and the company’s distribution partnership with Animal Planet/Discovery Enterprises. Read More »

Comments (1)

Zodiak USA CEO Natalka Znak Departs

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday March 8, 2013 @ 9:16am PSTTags: Natalka Znak, Zodiak USA
Nellie Andreeva

Natalka Znak will leave Zodiak USA at the end of her contract next month. Znak moved to Los Angeles from her native Britain in early 2010 to become EVP of then-RDF USA and was named Chief Creative Officer in March of that year, shortly after Grant Mansfield joined the company as CEO. Last June, Znak was upped to CEO, replacing Mansfield who returned to the UK. Then in July, Zodiak Media consolidated its production businesses in North, Central and South America, including Zodiak USA, into Zodiak Americas and tapped Jonny Slow as Zodiak Americas CEO. “Natalka has been a fantastic producer and leader for us over the past three years,” Slow said. “We’re sorry to see her go, and wish her the best in her future endeavors.” At Zodiak USA, Znak sold around 20 shows, and will continue to work on several projects until her exit. She won’t be replaced. Prior to joining Zodiak, Znak served as Controller of Factual Entertainment for ITV Studios in London. Zodiak USA’s slate include Hardcore Pawn, Wife Swap, Being Human and Killer Karaoke.

Comments (6)

Zodiak Americas Promotes Pair

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday January 23, 2013 @ 8:31am PST

Mike Gamson has been upped to Chief Creative Officer of Zodiak Americas and Sheila Cabano to Chief Operating Officer, Zodiak New York. They will oversee the NY office of the reality TV producer, the outfit behind such series as truTV’s Hardcore Pawn and Lizard Lick Towing. The plan is to expand Zodiak’s development and production teams to double profits at the Americas division by the end of 2014, the company said. Gamson had been SVP and executive producer and has been a longtime EP on the company’s Wife Swap for ABC; Cabano was SVP Production.

Related: Zodiak Media Unit Sets U.S. Division Headed By Stefanie Gélinas

Comments (0)

Zodiak Media’s Creativity & Innovation Unit Sets US Division Headed By Stefanie Gélinas

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday January 10, 2013 @ 4:22pm PST
Nellie Andreeva

Zodiak Americas has set up an US outpost for Zodiak Media’s Creativity & Innovation Unit. Stefanie Gélinas has been named SVP C&I Unit, Zodiak Americas. Based at Zodiak’s Santa Monica office, Gélinas will report to US-based Jonny Slow, CEO, Zodiak Americas, and London-based Cathy Rogers, Director, C&I Unit.

The C&I Unit connects Zodiak Media’s producers from the company’s 45 production companies in 20 countries. It is designed to identify projects with global potential and get resources, including money, behind developing them before introducing them to individual territories. Gélinas, who will be working in tandem with Zodiak USA CEO Natalka Znak and her development team, will oversee an LA-based creative Think Tank. Gélinas is planning to recruit a VP of Development to join her team in 2013. Read More »

Comments (1)

Zodiak Rights Restructures; Jane Millichip To Exit, Sara Wookey Named COO

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday, 15 November 2012 12:10 UKTags: NBC Universal International, Wallander

Wallander, Millennium Triology and Fort Boyard producer and distributor Zodiak Media today said it would reorganize its London- and Paris-based international sales operation, Zodiak Rights. As a result of the restructure, managing director of Zodiak Rights London, Jane Millichip, will exit the company at the end of January. The newly-created role of COO will be filled by former director of broadcast at NBCUniversal’s KidsCo TV, Sara Wookey.

From Januray 1, rather than be territoriy-based, Zodiak Rights’ new structure will be genre-based and include five divisions: non-scripted, scripted, kids, digital & publishing and clips. All non-scripted programming will be sold out of London while scripted will trade out of Paris. All other divisions will be based out of London. Zodiak Rights CEO, Matthew Frank, said the shift would “provide absolute clarity for buyers on where they should be going.”

Comments (0)

Global Showbiz Briefs: MTG Studios Names COO, C More Partners With Miramax, Cohen Media Picks Up ‘You Will Be My Son’ & More

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday November 13, 2012 @ 9:11pm PSTTags: Miramax

Jens Eriksson Joins MTG Studios
Sweden-based MTG Studios has appointed former Zodiak Media Group Nordic exec Jens Eriksson as president and COO. He will take up his post on January 8, 2013. MTG Studios, which formerly went by the moniker Modern Studios, is the holding company for the production and distribution arm of Modern Times Group, which makes and distributes content for television, print media and the Internet. MTG Studios owns reality format producer Strix (The Farm), Central and Eastern European production group Paprika (Wife Swap In Romania) and communications company Redaktörerna. Read More »

Comments (0)

Zodiak Targets Expansion With Launch Of Zodiak Americas

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday July 11, 2012 @ 8:00pm PDTTags: Natalka Znak

Jonny Slow Zodiak AmericasZodiak Media is consolidating its production businesses in North, Central and South America to mirror its structure at its 45 other production outfits in 20 territories worldwide. The newly formed Zodiak Americas, announced today, is is part of a longer-term plan to increase the production company’s focus and investments in the region and will be spearheaded by Zodiak Media COO Jonny Slow, who will relocate from London to LA to become Zodiak Americas CEO. Zodiak Americas TV ProductionHe will work closely with new Zodiak USA CEO Natalka Znak, who was promoted to the post last month and oversees a U.S. programming slate that includes ABC series Secret Millionaire and Celebrity Wife Swap and truTV’s two highest-rated series, Hardcore Pawn and Lizard Lick Towing. He also will work alongside Zodiak Latino CEO Harris Whitbeck and Zodiak Brazil CEO Carla Affonso. “This move is a demonstration of the importance of these geographic markets to us and the pace with which we want to both broaden our activities in TV production and develop our international distribution and online media activities here,” Zodiak Media CEO David Frank said.

Comments (0)

Natalka Znak Named CEO of Zodiak USA

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday June 20, 2012 @ 5:00pm PDTTags: Natalka Znak, Zodiak USA
Nellie Andreeva

Zodiak USA’s Chief Creative Office Natalka Znak has been promoted to CEO. She succeeds Zodiak USA CEO Grant Mansfield who is leaving the company this month to return to his native U.K. after two years at the helm of RDF USA and then Zodiak USA, following Zodiak Media’s June 2010 acquisition of RDF.
In her new position, Znak will oversee Zodiak USA’s production offices in  New York and Los Angeles and will manage a programming slate that includes Secret Millionaire (ABC), Celebrity Wife Swap (ABC) and truTV’s two highest rated series, Hardcore Pawn and Lizard Lick Towing.  “Natalka is a force of nature and an inspiring creative – she thinks big and isn’t afraid to take a risk,”Zodiak Media CEO David Frank said. Read More »

Comments (1)

Endemol France Adds Exec Nicholas Coppermann As Managing Director

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday, 28 May 2012 11:22 UKTags: Endemol

Endemol, the world’s largest independent production company, today announced that Nicholas Coppermann has been appointed as Managing Director of Endemol France.

Copperman will report directly to Virginie Calmels, who was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Endemol Group and continues to oversee Endemol France as its Chairman. Calmels will now share her time between her responsibilities at Endemol France and the position she has taken up internationally at Group level.

In his new role Nicholas Coppermann will support Calmels, taking responsibility for the day to day operational management of Endemol France, which has recent credits including hit series for TF1 such as Secret Story, The Money Drop and les 12 Coups de Midi, and Undercover Boss for M6.

Read More »

Comments (1)

BBC America Picks Up 5th Season Of Original UK ‘Being Human’ Series

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday March 26, 2012 @ 2:15pm PDTTags: BBC America, Being Human

The US version of the BBC series Being Human returned to BBC America on Feb. 25. While that continues its run, a fifth season of the original UK series has been commissioned.

New York – Monday, March 26, 2012 - BBC AMERICA announced today that award-winning and critically-acclaimed Supernatural Saturday series, Being Human, written and created by Toby Whithouse (Doctor Who,Torchwood), will return for a fifth season. The unconventional trio of a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost will live on as six more episodes have been commissioned for BBC AMERICA and BBC Three in the UK next year.Being Human is produced by Touchpaper Wales, a Zodiak Media Company, for BBC Cymru Wales and BBC AMERICA. The fourth season is currently premiering as part of the channel’s Supernatural Saturdayprogramming block.

Read More »

Comments (4)

Syfy Renews ‘Being Human’ For Season 2

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday March 17, 2011 @ 11:14am PDTTags: Syfy, Zodiak USA
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Syfy has renewed promising freshman drama series Being Human for a second season. In its January 17 debut, Being Human, an adaptation of the British series, averaged 2 million viewers to become Syfy’s most watched new scripted series winter premiere since Battlestar Galactica in 2005. The series, produced by Zodiak USA and Muse Entertainment, has solidified its status as Syfy’s most successful winter scripted series launch in 6 years with a season-to-date average of 1.8 million viewers. It is also the channel’s most female-skewing series ever, with women comprising 53% of its audience. “Being Human has proven to be a winner for Syfy on all fronts,” said Syfy’s president of original content Mark Stern. “Using the original format as inspiration, showrunners/writers Jeremy Carver and Anna Fricke – along with a superlative team of writers, cast, and production – have created an amazing, compelling series in its own right,” said  We can’t wait to watch Aidan, Josh and Sally continue their struggle to be human in the second season!” Read More »

Comments 162

IFC Renews ‘Todd Margaret’ For Season 2

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday February 24, 2011 @ 9:17am PST
Nellie Andreeva

IFC has greenlit a second season of its original comedy series The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. Production on the six-episode order begins in April for an October premiere. The series is created, written by and stars David Cross (Arrested Development) as Todd Margaret, a corporate nobody and pathological liar who bluffs his way into a senior sales position heading up the London office for the new energy drink Thunder Muscle. “Todd Margaret personifies the type of offbeat comedy IFC brings to viewers,” said IFC’s SVP original programming Debbie DeMontreux. Season One, which aired in the fall, featured a roster of stars including Will Arnett and guest stars Janeane Garofalo, Amber Tamblyn and Russ Tamblyn. Todd Margaret is a co-production between IFC and RDF Television, part of Zodiak Media Group in the UK. The series is co-written by Shaun Pye (Extras) and Mark Chappell.

Comments 34