In 2023, UK-based production and distribution house Fremantle expects to surpass the 100 series and 17 films it made last year, according to executive Christian Vesper.
Recently promoted to the new position of chief executive of global drama, Vesper’s role gives him oversight of Fremantle’s expanding company portfolio, which includes series and film work from Miso Film, Wildside, The Apartment, Element Pictures, Lux Vide and Dancing Ledge Productions.
Last month Fremantle attended its first Sundance Film Festival, with group COO Andrea Scrosati, global head of documentaries Mandy Chang and Vesper all on the ground in Park City.
The company had three features in the Sundance selection: the world premiere of David Redmon and Ashley Sabin’s documentary Kim’s Video, about an esoteric New York video rental store; plus US debuts for two Wildside productions - Felix van Groningen’s Cannes title The Eight Mountains and Emmanuele Crialese’s Venice selection L’immensità.
Vesper spoke to Screen about his new role, the company’s 2023 plans, and whether more labels are on the way.
Last time you spoke to Screen, you described Fremantle as becoming “an auteur TV label”. How do you feel about that now?
We’re much more than that [now]. We delivered over 100 series last year, plus 17 films. Some of those are very auteur; but some are super-mainstream. The market is always shifting in different directions; lately everyone is saying it has shifted to much more commercial product. There’s a need and desire to have broad-based, easily-entered, easily-enjoyed projects. We, and our producers, want to have a diverse portfolio creatively. But we still see ourselves as creator-led. Our producers have taste, and we want to enable them to make the best shows that they can within that framework. Where we get involved is how we set them up financially – how do we find the right homes for them, what are the buyers wanting?
What is changing with your new role?
Now I have the six companies directly reporting in to me – it’s a lot more focused. Myself and my team still have a broad remit across all of the drama activity in the company – advising producers and working with Fremantle International [the company’s sales and distribution division] to get them financed.
How often are you in touch with your various labels?
We talk every week – there’s always something happening with all of them. They’re all different, but we can all learn from each other, both creatively and relationship-wise. That’s what the day is for – getting on Zooms, getting on airplanes.
Will you be making more acquisitions this year?
We have been busy on mergers and acquisitions on both the scripted and unscripted side over the last couple of years – it’s been a lot of work for everyone. Right now I want to make sure that we work to integrate everyone in a smart way. At the same time, it’s all about opportunity. We’re always open, we’re always looking. It’s something we all do together.
How would you describe Fremantle’s film strategy?
Nascent. We have certain companies within the group that do films; in the last few years we’ve supported them expanding that part of the business. At the same time, from a broader corporate perspective it’s about how do we attract talent; because talent is what the buyers want. They want certain directors, writers, actors. To get the commissions, you need to have a package that people want. By doing films, it creates an opportunity for our talent both in television and film. We have relationships with Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino, Michael Winterbottom, Alice Rohrwacher. I had lunch today with a director and her producing partner; he was saying that, as the market continues to evolve and budgets go down, there’s uncertainty at the big studios and streamers. He loves having a company like Fremantle to help them figure out how to finance projects. I like that – there’s a role for us to play.
Your roster includes Element Pictures, which has made several award-winning titles. Is there a particular Fremantle type of film?
We make a lot of Christmas movies; movies in Italy; local German, Norwegian films. So no; it’s a mix, it’s diverse. What’s important is if it’s something our producers want to make, if there’s an income that makes sense from a business perspective, and/or it creatively fulfils a passion of one of our creators.
Are you looking to expand your number of projects this year?
I would hate to give a number because it’s so early in the year; at this stage, it’s hard to guarantee delivery schedules. But I would expect it would be more; we’ve got more companies, we have hundreds of projects in development at any given time.
Which ones are you most excited about?
We’ve got Limonov, Kirill Serebrennikov’s movie with Ben Whishaw, that we shot first in Russia then in Riga. It’s based on the Emmanuel Carrere book [about the eponymous radical Soviet poet]; it’s crazy. We’re in post on Finalmente l’Alba by Saverio Costanza starring Lily James and Joe Keery; I haven’t seen a full cut yet [but] it’s a beautiful film.
On the TV side, I’m excited about a terrific show coming up in the UK, called Nightsleeper. It’s a BBC One show with Euston Films – a six-episode thriller that takes place across 24 hours on an overnight train from Glasgow to London. We’ll be premiering our Showtime show Fellow Travelers [in post]. Written by Ron Nyswaner and starring Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, it’s a story about the gay panic in the CIA and FBI in the 1950s. It follows two characters – one who decides to stay within the establishment, marry a socialite and not come out; and another one who doesn’t.
Then a cool show called Ouija, a co-production between two of our companies [France’s Kwai and Germany’s Big Window Productions]. It’s a nostalgic thriller about kids in the Ardeche [region of France] finding a Ouija board and opening a hoard of ghosts and secrets.
What is the major challenge for you this year?
We’re an intimate company in many ways, an intimate team of executives, and an intimate group of producers. I want myself and my team to always be available and engaged . That’s what we want to deliver to the companies in our group. As we continue to grow, the challenge is to maintain that culture.
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