EXCLUSIVE: Producers from Belgium and Norway have joined European indie producer collective Thirtyfour Media. The Oslo Company out of Norway and Belgian prodco Sputnik Media have become members of the new outfit, which was set up by former Banijay exec Joris Gijsbertse last year.
The idea behind Thirtyfour, Gijsbertse told Deadline at launch, is to act as a hub for indies and provide infrastructure, support and idea-sharing across development, production and distribution. The partner labels will also collaborate on format and IP acquisitions.
Getting prodcos together to collaborate is routine among the huge producer-distributor groups, but for the true indies out there, the opportunity to work with likeminded labels in other countries is harder to make a reality.
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The Oslo Company, founded in 2016 by Christian Steen and Trond Kvernstrøm, works across reality, factual entertainment, drama, comedy, as well as live events and advertising. It has made shows including Home for Christmas for Netflix and The Oil Fund for Norwegian pubcaster NRK.
Sputnik Media is based in Antwerp and works across fiction and non-fiction. Its unscripted catalog includes Prank Squad, which was for the VRT MAX platform, and Paranormal for streaming service Streamz.
The Thirtyfour roster of partners is capped at one per territory. The Olso Company and Sputnik join the companies already in the ranks: Constantin Entertainment in Germany, NewBe in Holland, Laud People in Denmark, and Constantin Entertainment Polska in Poland.
“As a production company today, we face a myriad of challenges, making creative collaboration and exchange fundamental to our future vision,” said Rutger Beckers, MD, and Kris Gaens, Creative Director at Sputnik Media. “We immediately saw the value of joining Thirtyfour, a focused network where partnership is respected and collaboration is enabled.”
Trond Kvernstrøm, Creative Director, and Ida Jørgensen, Head of Entertainment at The Oslo Company said: ” Thirtyfour offers a collaborative space where creative ideas are exchanged to the benefit of everyone, and we’re really looking forward to linking up with like-minded producers across Europe.”