By Leah Hochbaum Rosner
MIPCOM is just a month away and TV executives the world over are gearing up for the global television market, which will be held October 13-17 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. Included among those TV companies is the German subsidiary of Belgium’s Studio100 Media, which, following its recent acquisition of Munich-based EM.Entertainment is poised and ready for the MIPCOM showcase. VideoAge spoke with Patrick Elmendorff, managing director of Studio100, to find out what product he’ll be bringing to Cannes and why MIPCOM will always have a place in his heart and wallet.
VideoAge International: What product are you bringing to MIPCOM?
Patrick Elmendorff: We are focusing on character-driven stories targeting both girls and boys, containing animation, puppetry, comedy, action and adventure. Our aim is to provide programming that has international appeal, high merchandising potential, European storytelling and broad exploitation opportunities. Among the shows we’ll be offering at MIPCOM are puppetry series Big & Small, quiz show Kerwhizz, and animated Zeke’s Pad and Master Raindrop.
VAI: What territories are you focusing on? Why?
PE: Due to the recent acquisition of EM.Entertainment, we are currently focusing on Germany and German-speaking territories. But Italy, France, Spain, the U.K., Asia and Eastern Europe continue to be very important territories for us.
VAI: What are you most looking forward to at the market?
PE: Studio100 Media made its debut at MIPCOM 2007, and with its recent acquisition of EM.Entertaiment’s extensive library, we are looking forward to outlining our plans and strategies both for the company and for our clients. Our main aim is to continue with our sales activities (TV, home video, VoD, etc.), network, as well as extend existing partnerships and touch base with new partners.
VAI: Sounds like it’s going to be a busy MIPCOM for you.
PE: Indeed. We are also keen to contact possible co-production and co-financing partners to get involved in new projects, including our own in-house productions that are in development. In addition, we will actively focus on third-party distribution in order to extend our agency business and work with partners and rights manager who are interested in offering their properties for international distribution.
VAI: Does Studio100 have anything special planned for the market, such as a party, a cocktail or a press conference?
PE: There are no plans for any special events at this year’s market, but the whole team will be attending for networking and sales opportunities.
