BBC Studios appoints three executive as it scales up production in Germany

BBC Studios Germany has announced the appointments of Eva Holtmann as Head of Fiction, Susen Schadwinkel as Executive Producer, and Kai Krabbenhöft as Head of Development for Entertainment. These appointments are made as BBC Studios continues to scale its business in Germany, and follows the recent award-winning production of “1% Quiz” for Sat1.

Based in Cologne, Eva Holtmann will join BBC Studios Germany in September. Holtmann’s role as Head of Fiction will focus on exploiting BBC Studios scripted formats catalogue as well as developing original and local stories. She will build on an already exciting development slate which was helmed by executive producers Lea Gamula and Jessica Wirdemann, who will report directly into Eva, and together will build, execute and deliver BBC Studios Germany’s fiction strategy.

Prior to joining BBC Studios, Holtmann spent over seven years at Bantry Bay Productions as Executive Producer, where she was responsible for developing, selling and producing a wide range of productions that spanned from theatrical feature films, TV movies, series and sitcoms. She has over two decades’ experience in development, financing, production, co-production, and acquisitions in TV and the film industry.

“The BBC brand has always carried huge appeal to me and stands for high-quality productions. I am hugely excited to have the opportunity to further build the fiction business in Germany together with Lea, Jessi and the entire team in Cologne,”  Holtmann commented.

Phil Schmid, Managing Director at BBC Studios Germany, added: “I am excited to welcome Eva to our growing team in Cologne. Her wealth of experience will be invaluable as we build a full service in-house fiction department. Bringing in more formidable talent is a reflection of our ambition in Germany and we are now really moving from our launch phase in the market to scaling our business, with great people at its heart.”

As well as stepping up scripted productions, BBC Studios Germany is also expanding its Entertainment category under the leadership of Markus Templin, with two further appointments: Susen Schadwinkel will join BBC Studios Germany as Executive Producer in August, coming from Constantin Entertainment. For BBC Studios Germany, she will be responsible for delivering the next seasons of “The 1% Club” and will also be driving large scale entertainment commissions together with Markus Templin.

Furthermore, Kai Krabbenhöft, Head of Development for Entertainment, joined BBC Studios Germany in May 2023 with over two decades of experience in the industry in many senior development roles, as well as experience as a producer for UFA Show & Factual on Germany’s “Got Talent.” Kai is now responsible for supercharging format adaptation and original development activities.

“I am very pleased that we were able to win Susen and Kai for our team and look forward to working with them on broadening out our development and production slate. It is an exciting phase in our business,”  Markus Templin declared.