Moe Bennani
French production company Dreamspark has launched in March 2022 and in two year, has developed more than 50 formats. "The goal was to create as much as possible and be able to meet the needs of the clients," asserted Moe Bennani, CEO at the company, in a chat with Señal News. Main Dreamspark clients are in France, but they also talk to the Dutch market, the German market and the American market.
Dreamspark is not a usual production company because they are focused on creating and producing unscripted hit formats using Artificial Intelligence. "Using AI, it's helped us also go faster and better," asserted Bennani. "This is how we created 50 formats and we sold three of them, 'The Power', 'Poker Society' and now we are in production of 'The Werewolf' for Canal Plus, which is the adaptation of the card game Werewolf," he commented but also clarified that when they produce a show, the spark from the start comes from the human being, "from us. It's our talent", he said. "Then instead of spending time writing, rewriting, searching, AI does it for us. This is where AI is very important," he affirmed. He also recognized that AI it's not a full trust tool. "We have to be careful because sometimes copyright can be an issue, you have to do your research, that's why we partnered with the Database of the Wit, because it helps us with what is original, what is not. AI in general is not perfect, like human beings, so we do double checks," he explains.
NEW FORMATS
Dreamspark is promoting three new unscripted titles, the first one is the new strategy game "The Power" co-developed, co-produced and co-distributed with Studio 89 from the M6 group. "It's our flagship show," affirmed Bennani. The show centers on one critical question: Who holds the power? and features 13 celebrities (including reality stars, TV personalities, and influencers) known for their competitive spirit and strategic skills, spanning over several weeks. "We launched the show on W9 with very good ratings and a second season is officially confirmed. We are very happy because we did as good as the top shows of W9, and we have a lot of interest from international parties, more than 10 territories that are willing to sign option deals and license deals," he said.
The second Dreamspark format is "Poker Society", a reality competition series that the company produced in collaboration with Winamax TV on YouTube. It is a distinctive tournament where ten renowned artists and content creators, collectively boasting over 50 million followers, unite in a thrilling reality competition for a grand prize of €100,000. "French journalists have labeled it as the 'Squid Game' of poker because we have a very dark universe with masks," he described. The French company is also globally pushing the game show "Hotspot" where contestants have only solve one question, where are we? "Two contestants come to an immersive studio with a big screen, and then they see a location somewhere, and they have to guess where it located. The further they are from the answer, the more money they lose," Bennani described.
On the other hand, Dreamspark is producing "Werewolf" for Canal+, with JAAD Productions and Presque Prod as co-producers. "'Werewolf' is a card game very well known in France and all around the world and I hope it's going to be a success," mentioned the Dreamspark CEO.
FUTURE TRENDS
Bennani analysed the future content trends and asserted that the strategy games with hidden roles, lying, manipulation, is something very interesting. "I think also that quiz shows for prime time, for linear channels is a trend that is interesting because the viewers can play along with their kids or with their parents," he affirmed. And the third trend is the branded entertainment, branded format. "What we did with 'Poker Society' is we brought the brand first, Winamax, we did a show for them on YouTube, and now we're discussing with linear channels to have this show on their screen. We start from digital with the brands, and then we go linear," he described.
THE LAST DANCE
Bennani referred as the last MIPTV in Cannes as a big loss for France. "It should not have happened," he said. "I would have understood if the MIPTV has been cancelled but now that we have the MIP in London, I think that the geopolitical battle for content is on. UK is a country that does not adapt a lot of foreign shows, while we adapt a lot of UK formats. I think that all Europeans have to think about what just happened. Because it's not a simple move. It is a geopolitical one," he added.
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