Fremantle, Sky Germany and Channel 4 to develop "Crypto Queen" with Tondowski Films and Dare Pictures

Prodco's Tondowski Films and DARE Pictures have joined forces with powerhouse Fremantle and broadcasters Sky Germany and Channel 4 to unveil the startling new 3-part documentary series Crypto Queen (wt), shedding exclusive new light on one of the greatest scams of modern times."Sky Crime was just launched in April 2021 in Germany to provide our customers with premium true crime content and is meanwhile one of our most popular channel brands on the platform," Christian Asanger, Vice President Entertainment, SKY Germany said. "Sky Originals are a key pillar for that success story. We are excited to add the unprecedented and revealing crime series 'Crypto Queen' to our portfolio, produced by Tondowski Films and Dare Pictures and directed by renowned Rudolph Herzog. We look forward to a documentary series which will match international high-end production value."

"Crypto Queen" is created and produced by Tondowski Films and DARE Pictures in association with Lone Wolf Studios, with Sky Germany and Channel 4 on board as broadcast partners.  The series is directed by award-winning filmmaker Rudolph Herzog, working closely with writer and journalist Raid Sabbah who collaborated on the feature film, "How To Fake A War." Executive producers are Alex Tondowski, Ira Tondowski, and Derren Lawford.  Stephen Morse and Max Peltz from Lone Wolf Studios are co-Executive Producers. Fremantle who co-invested in the series are also handling worldwide sales, with the exception of UK and Germany. "Fremantle have huge ambition in the documentary and factual space, and we are seeing amazing growth of our slate through really unique projects," Angela Neillis, SVP Non-Scripted Content at Fremantle said. "We collaborate with the best, most credible talent globally, and are delighted to be working with Derren and Alex on this excellent and timely series."

Currently in production, the series explores the incredible story of how self-styled lawyer and Bulgarian businesswoman Dr. Ruja Ignatova dubbed 'The Queen of Crypto' scammed investors out of billions of dollars in less than three years through her cryptocurrency brainchild, OneCoin.  At her peak, Ignatova presented OneCoin on stage in Wembley stadium, hosted lavish parties in Dubai and New York, whilst indulging in glitz and glamour at the expense of her investors.  At the height of this frenzy in October 2017, she boarded a flight to Athens along with the riches of her clientele and vanished."We were immediately drawn to this ambitious twist on the true crime genre that follows one of the biggest cons in recent history," Polly Scates, Acquisitions Manager, Channel 4 said. "The strand True Crime on 4 continues to go from strength to strength and we're confident this stranger than fiction case will make an exciting addition to the slate! We're absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Tondowski Films and DARE Pictures to bring this incredible story to our viewers."

Filmed across multiple countries, and with insights from intelligence experts, defrauded investors and former OneCoin  employees, "Crypto Queen" also features exclusive contributions from Dr. Jonathan Levy, an attorney/solicitor who has represented efforts to secure $11 billion in compensation from OneCoin, and Timothy Curry,  one of the first to warn about the OneCoin scam. "OneCoin is a truly transnational scandal which straddles the worlds of cryptocurrency and corruption with the charismatic and enigmatic Ruja Ignatova at the centre of quite possibly the biggest scam in modern times," Derren Lawford, Founder & CEO, DARE Pictures said. "I'm a huge fan of Tondowski Films and Rudolph Herzog and couldn't think of better creative partners for DARE's debut commission. Having Sky Germany, C4 and Fremantle on board speaks to the huge international and commercial potential of this premium project packed full of surprise revelations."

"OneCoin is not just the story of financial fraud on a mind-blowing level," Ira Tondowski and Alex Tondowski, CEOs, Tondowski Films said. "It is also the story of OneCoin founder Ruja Ignatova, her excessive need for recognition and her uncanny ability to exploit many investor's dreams of becoming rich as quickly as possible. Crypto Queen peels back OneCoin's shiny façade to unveil the untold corruption, money laundering, death threats and sheer greed in a huge, growing, and mostly unregulated sector of international finance.  With Derren Lawford of DARE Pictures, director Rudolph Herzog and writer Raid Sabbah, we were able to put together a great creative team to bring this fascinating and relevant story to global audiences.  We couldn't wish for better partners than Fremantle, Sky Germany and C4 to bring this premium package to its full potential."