Production and distribution giant Fremantle has promoted Christian Vesper to CEO Global Drama, reporting to Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe.
In the newly created role, Vesper will have direct oversight of some of Fremantle’s scripted labels, including Miso Film (Face to Face), Wildside (My Brilliant Friend), The Apartment (Bones and All), Element Pictures (Normal People), Lux Vide (Medici, Devils), Dancing Ledge Productions (The Salisbury Poisonings) and the group’s most recent acquisition, Passenger (This England, Catch-22).
He will also oversee Fremantle’s talent partnerships and deals, which includes Chernobyl director Johan Renck and Michael Paret’s newly launched production company Sinestra, Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films, Afua Hirsch’s Born In Me and The Creatives, Fremantle’s three-year partnership agreement with a creative alliance of nine leading independent production companies.
Based in London, Vesper and his team will support Fremantle’s broader drama initiatives, working with its regional drama heads across all territories in which Fremantle operates including UFA in Germany, Fremantle Australia, Abot Hameiri in Israel and Fremantle Mexico.
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Vesper will also play a strategic role in Fremantle’s growing film strategy, working with its producers on projects including Element Pictures’ On Becoming a Guinea Fowl directed by Rungano Nyoni and projects soon to be announced by Wildside.
Vesper joined Fremantle in 2016 as executive vice president and creative director, global drama, and was promoted in 2020 to president, global drama. He was previously drama chief at Sundance TV. Vesper previously held roles at HBO; entertainment industry start-up iFilm; October Films and USA Film.
Scrosati commented: “Following the acquisitions of Element Pictures and Lux Vide, our scripted eco-system has become even stronger. This new role is part of the new organisational structure we are putting in place to best support our family of great producers.”
Vesper added: “Over the last seven years, I have been lucky enough to be a part of Fremantle’s growth in the scripted business and am proud to be part of us having increased the number of dramas we have delivered from around 30 projects in 2016, to over 100 projects in 2022. I can’t wait to continue the journey of growth and quality.”
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