BANIJAY HIRES LARS BLOMGREN AS HEAD OF SCRIPTED, EMEA

Banijay Rights confirmed its decision to appoint Lars Blomgren as Head of Scripted of EMEA. The expert will focus on scaled-up scripted offerings for languages besides English. Blomgren will work in partnership with the distributor’s large group of producers across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, to grow the pipeline of top-quality titles in the space. “Lars is a great addition to our evolving global team. He is well-versed in building partnerships and maximizing investments in this arena and now, with an even broader portfolio of businesses.”  Banijay’s Chief Executive Officer, Marco Bassetti said. “There is no doubt he can further develop our offering of high-quality content with a cross-border appeal.”

Banijay’s non-English language scripted entities now span the Nordics, Germany, Benelux, France, Iberia, Belgium, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, and India. “It is an honor to lead this unrivaled network of scripted producers whose work I so admire. With exceptional talent and a sharp, co-ordinated strategy which encourages independence and collaboration,” Blomgren said. “We are in a brilliant position to offer bold and original programming to all broadcasters and platforms.”

In his new role, Blomgren will report to Bassetti. He will be responsible for establishing collaborations with various entities and premium brands. The non-English scripted footprint helps the company identify new opportunities and partnerships for investment. He will also be tasked with co-production prospects between English speaking markets and EMEA-based labels.

The expert spent the last two years leading the non-English scripted production engine for the company. In 2019 the company was responsible for 69 productions, a growth of 50 from the previous year. Some of the content includes “Bron,” “Penoza,” “Caliphate,” “Beforeigners” and “Queens” along with highly anticipated new series, “Vinterviken 2021,” “The Idhun Chronicles” and “Bombay Begums.”