Across 25 territories, Banijay Entertainment operates 170 labels, yet its global strategy begins with writers rather than platforms or market data. Steve Matthews, who leads scripted creative for the company, delivered that message at Iberseries & Platino Industria.
“I built this large group of companies and then encouraged this granular process where the company has maintained their different creative identities,” Matthews told Variety. “All of these are based on creativity, based on talent, based on writing.”
The Boot Camp That Finds Writers
Twice a year, Matthews holds a four-day boot camp where Banijay gathers writers and producers from its various labels to work on developing ideas or scripts. The aim is straightforward — to identify writers capable of building a show.
“My real pleasure is looking for writers who are episodic writers and are ready to create a show,” he said. He noted that the need for training and upskilling new writers and producers has grown as the streamer boom saw certain development schools in Europe decline.
The panel brought together Maria Grazia Vairo of Italy’s Groenlandia, Simone Oliviera of Brazil’s A Fábrica and Carolina Bang, CEO of Spain’s Pokeepsie Films. All three work in very different markets but face the same problem: finding material and talent strong enough to cut through an increasingly crowded scripted landscape.
Three Producers, One Approach
The slate at Groenlandia is built on original stories, frequently taken from true events and overlooked characters. The company’s series about Italian pop band 883, which began as a one-season project, has become a returning hit.
Vairo said that the streamers are “What they’re really looking for are original stories,”.
Groenlandia has chosen writers as its response to the quality-versus-commerciality question. The company builds a reputation as a talent-friendly producer, offering writers creative partners who understand and develop their ideas.
Oliviera from A Fábrica stressed the importance of lasting connections with creators. The Brazilian firm operates across premium series, films and sitcoms, and it has multiple ongoing projects with writer Raphael Montes, which include both adaptations and original series.
Bang’s move into young-adult storytelling was a case of following instinct rather than chasing trends. Pokeepsie, the company behind horror and comedy, entered this new genre when Bang noticed what younger members of her own family were reading. She became fond of the material and devoted years to getting the project produced.
“We do whatever we like,” Bang said. “If you have in mind to have a success, you will not have it. You have to believe in what you are doing.”
Trust the Idea, Not the Data
Matthews cautioned against treating market intelligence as a recipe for development. “You never set out to make a commercial show,” he said. “You come into the office and say, ‘Guys, let’s make a commercial show.’ It won’t be good. And therefore, it won’t be commercial either.”
The trick is finding the right balance between understanding the market and protecting the creative idea that made the project worth pursuing in the first place. “The trick is getting that creative integrity in the thing that you’re trying to make,” Matthews said.
According to Vairo, production carries risk no matter how strong the material. A project can fall apart due to casting, financing, commissioning or a host of other factors.
For Matthews, Banijay’s scale can help absorb some of that risk while allowing individual labels to remain relatively nimble. “These guys are taking these creative decisions all day, every day,” he said. “The philosophy of getting that balance [is that] these guys can stay small, wind behind them, to come up with something big.”
The Cross-Border Model
Matthews explained that his job was to offer assistance — money, connections, creative hours or access to associates in other regions — while leaving the creative leadership to the producers. This approach matters especially now that the scripted business is tightening and commissioning has grown more selective.
“There’s a lot less work to go around,” Matthews acknowledged. But he argued the squeeze could ultimately raise the bar. “I genuinely believe that good shows will get made,” he said. “Shows that are manufactured to be commercial will not.”
KEY FACTS BOX
– 170 labels across 25 territories
– Twice-yearly four-day boot camp for writers and producers
– Groenlandia’s 883 series went from one season to a returning hit
– A Fábrica develops with writer Raphael Montes
– Pokeepsie’s young-adult project drew from books younger family members were reading
The panel’s examples — from a hit about an Italian pop band to a horror-comedy adapted from a CEO’s family’s reading — make the point with warmth. Good shows come from trusting writers, not chasing market data.
Source material: “Banijay Entertainment’s Scripted Secret: Find the Talent, Then Back the Ideas,” Variety.
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