Johannes Jensen is aware of a factor or two in regards to the legal guidelines of the TV jungle. In any case, began his trade profession in 1992 as a freelancer at Swedish manufacturing agency Strix Tv, the place he later performed a key position in producing the unique model of the Survivor format, identified in Sweden as Expedition: Robinson, for public broadcaster SVT in 1997.
Since then, he has risen by way of the ranks. He ended up main the 2 manufacturing labels Jarowskij and Yellow Chook, which at the moment are merged as Jarowskij/Yellow Chook underneath France-headquartered content material powerhouse Banijay Leisure (Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders, MasterChef, Huge Brother). After serving as Banijay Nordic head of scripted, a promotion early this yr expanded his remit with the position of head of scripted, enterprise, reporting to chief enterprise officer Frédéric Balmary.
Along with head of scripted, inventive Steve Matthews, he’s tasked with working “to successfully help and accomplice with the group’s thriving portfolio of over 60 devoted labels,” the corporate mentioned, lauding Jensen for enjoying “an integral position in considerably uplifting scripted slates, with experience in co-production, navigating complicated trade modifications, and driving long-term strategic growth.”
Heading into his first MIPCOM since taking over the brand new position, Jensen has stored busy. “We see ourselves not as those that time out the route or prescribe the long run for the labels, however reasonably those nurturing the abilities, the creativity, supporting the place we predict we will,” Jensen tells THR about how he and Matthews strategy their jobs. “We would like folks, we would like the labels, we would like the creatives to behave and be unbiased. Steve involves the position with lots of information from the inventive facet, working with HBO and several other others. He goes into the precise improvement, the script-writing rooms, and so forth. Whereas, I come from the enterprise perspective — having a method, the best way to finance issues, and interested by what the worldwide world appears to be like like. What’s the urge for food for sure issues? So, we complement one another and have a holistic strategy.”
The output of the greater than 60 labels in additional than 20 territories that Jensen works with inside the Banijay household speaks for itself. “Over the past years, we produced greater than 1,000 hours of scripted content material, over 100 titles,” he explains. “And we have been the primary European scripted studio.”
‘Culpa Nuestra’
Courtesy of Banijay
However what are Jensen and colleagues searching for? “We all the time say that we put creativity first. We would like daring, new tales,” he tells THR. “We’re additionally fostering IP as a result of we’d like scale and stability. And we try to deliver the labels, the producers collectively, the place we will discover the bodily alternative to share info. ‘We’ve got an thought right here. We’re missing funding. We all know this chance.’ That’s the place we deliver them collectively at gatherings like MIPCOM or different festivals or commerce occasions to have a day the place we’re attempting to share a few of the information we now have. An important factor is bringing them collectively so they begin assembly one another and be taught from one another.”
Jensen has his eyes on sustainable progress by way of output reasonably than fast short-term wins. “Basically, we’re attempting to be very bold. We wish to create extra, however on the similar time, it’s essential be good,” he explains. “We’re not going to be over-investing. We’re not deficit funding in lots of issues. We’re working in an ecosystem the place we now have been good in placing financing collectively over time.”
The U.Ok., Italy, and Spain are Banijay’s “dominant markets for us presently,” Jensen highlights, additionally citing France, Germany, and the Nordics as “sturdy markets.”
Requested in regards to the firm’s progress areas, the exec tells THR: “We’re doing increasingly more with the worldwide streamers, which have gotten increasingly more. To start with, we have been unsure, however now we will see they’re right here to remain. They’re complementing what the native broadcasters are searching for.”
So what does the Banijay scripted workforce deal with at MIPCOM this week? “It’s such an extended listing,” Jensen says with fun. “We’ve got large tales, together with some sturdy returners, however clearly additionally new reveals. We simply had the premiere of the drama Home of Guinness for Netflix. And the second season of The Buccaneers launched on Apple TV+” and has been renewed for a 3rd season.
Different returning Banijay dramas embrace Bergerac and SAS: Rogue Heroes from the U.Ok. and The Legislation In line with Lidia Poët from Italy, whereas new provides embrace French historic drama collection Montmartre. Plus, the ultimate chapter of the Spanish Culpa film trilogy for Prime Video, Culpa Nuestra, is popping out.
Among the many upcoming new dramas is Half Man, starring Richard Gadd and Jamie Bell, a co-production between the BBC and HBO that explores the complicated relationship between two estranged brothers.
‘Half Man,’ courtesy of BBC/Mam Tor Productions/Anne Binckebanck
“We’ve got some actually sturdy English-language collection, each for streamers and for broadcasters, after which lots of non-English talking reveals as effectively,” highlights Jensen. “What all these titles have in frequent that I actually suppose resonates worldwide is that they’re constructed primarily based on a neighborhood story reasonably than attempting to create a world hit. Suppose regionally, act globally. We go from an enormous historic piece for Netflix, like Home of Guinness, to a small Swedish younger grownup comedy, and so they each entice audiences in several methods.”
Different Banijay scripted priorities embrace a up to date reboot of the Wallander franchise, starring Gustaf Skarsgård and that includes three 90-minute movies primarily based on the unique novels, and Falling, a six-part drama from acclaimed British author Jack Thorne (His Darkish Supplies) and starring Keeley Hawes and Paapa Essiedu. “Anna is a loyal nun who has spent most of her grownup life in a convent while David, a catholic priest, is on the high of his recreation, dedicated to his work within the church and the Bristol neighborhood that surrounds it,” reads a synopsis of the latter. “Neither are anticipated to fall in love… Nonetheless, after they do, each Anna and David are compelled to wrestle with what it means for them, their vows, and their relationship with God.”
Requested in regards to the state of premium collection within the post-peak TV period, the exec says: “Excessive-end drama is tremendous tough to finance, and we’re all battling budgets going up and financing taking place. However that’s a part of the enterprise. We nonetheless suppose it’s a sustainable factor to proceed investing in as a result of we predict that makes the tales related worldwide.”
Anna (Keeley Hawes) and David (Paapa Essiedu) in ‘Falling,’ courtesy of Banijay
What position will AI play in the way forward for scripted TV? “AI clearly will probably be one thing that can have an effect on the enterprise,” Jensen tells THR. “We don’t have a look at it as a inventive software. We’re doing issues with AI to help our creatives. We don’t wish to replicate all of the issues that have been carried out by asking AI to jot down the subsequent script. However we’re going to use it like after we began utilizing iPhones. They’ve turn out to be a pure a part of our lives. And I believe AI will probably be that as effectively.”
Amid all of the challenges, alternatives, and technological change, Jensen is retaining his focus firmly on
one key purpose. “Sustainable progress is one thing tremendous vital for us,” he says. “It means staying bold, however being good, balancing threat and funding and having the deal with creativity. That’s the reason the primary general focus is being open to new, daring tales, whereas on the similar time valuing the large IPs that we now have inside the group. And it’s why we combine working with broadcasters and streamers.