Reinhardt Beetz and Christian Beetz
Leonine Studios acquired a 50% controlling interest in production house gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG, with its locations in Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne, effective today. With the agreement, Leonine Studios has also secured the right to acquire the remaining 50% of the shares. Therefore, 100% of the shares in gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion Lüneburg GmbH will be acquired directly.
The gebrueder beetz Filmproduktionsgruppe is one of the most renowned production houses in German-speaking Europe. The prime documentary powerhouse produces nationally and internationally acclaimed, award-winning documentary features and series of various genres for cinema, TV and streaming.
The gebrueder beetz Filmproduktionsgruppe will remain an independent company and brand within the Leonine Production segment. The current managing partners Christian and Reinhardt Beetz will continue to lead the company as Managing Directors. Fred Kogel, who in addition to his role as CEO of Leonine Studios is responsible for non-fiction production and license acquisitions, will join the management of gebrueder beetz Filmproduktionsgruppe after the transaction has been completed.
Furthermore, Georg Tschurtschenthaler, the longtime senior producer and showrunner of gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, becomes the new Chief Creative Officer, and will take care of the development slate for the new high-end documentaries and series.
"With gebrueder beetz Filmproduktionsgruppe, we have strengthened our position in the documentary sector with the most high-profile production company in Germany. Together with the outstanding team at gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, the new setup opens up a wide range of opportunities for us to participate in the strong national and international market growth in the documentary sector. We will invest in our own high-end IPs with international potential and in the development of original content. Christian and Reinhardt Beetz are pioneers and known for their groundbreaking, high-quality productions, which are also internationally successful and have won numerous prestigious awards. The content strategy fits perfectly with Leonine's premium content ambitions. We are extremely pleased to welcome Christian and Reinhardt as two of the best creative minds together with their outstanding team," commented Fred Kogel, CEO of Leonine Studios.
Christian and Reinhardt Beetz, Managing Directors of gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, added: "The international documentary film in the prime segment is facing great challenges. The quality requirements for the productions have multiplied and the market has become highly internationalized. Global audiences expect first-class, high-quality documentaries. In order to continue working from Germany for the global market, a strong partner is essential. As part of Leonine Studios, we have a multitude of exciting opportunities to realize national and, above all, international cooperations and co-productions. We are focusing on further expanding our slate of high-end documentaries with a global appeal in the film and series sector, and intensifying our long-standing partnerships with broadcasters, streamers and distributors."
Among the more than 250 productions of gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion are the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Open Heart,” the Emmy Award-nominated, multi-award-winning docu-thriller “The Cleaners,” as well as the first German Netflix Original “A Perfect Crime,” the Emmy Award-nominated investigative documentary “The Hunt For Gaddafi’s Billions,” the IDA International Documentary Award-winning docu-series “Viral Dreams,” and the successful format “Make Love.”
The Leonine Production segment now comprises eight production brands: gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, hyperbole, i&u TV, Madame Zheng Production, Odeon Fiction, SEO Entertainment, W&B Television, and Wiedemann & Berg Film. Leonine Studios thus covers the entire spectrum of film, TV and streaming production of scripted and non-scripted content in the premium sector in all genres and for all distribution channels.