Exclusive: The Essential Film Group, under the chairmanship of former Sf Studios exec Rasmus Ramstad, is launching in Cannes with a newly minted international sales division Essential Films International and the Essential Film Fund.
In addition, the group has unveiled the expansion of Sarke Studios, its Tbilisi-based production facility, which it hopes will make the group a one stop shop for finance, production, post and sales.
Appointed to lead the newly formed sales agency, Essential Films International, are veteran sales executives James Norrie and Nina Kolokouri. Norrie has held leadership roles at Icon, Capitol Films and together with Kolokouri at Salt and most recently Amp. Kolokouri, in addition to her sales experience has spearheaded all business operations and financial closings for close to a decade.
Essential Film Group is also expanding its in-house production slate, together with plans for more co- production partnerships. Notable projects in development include an Ashley Miller-penned script as well as [In]Fusion, a sci-fi thriller about the future of AI; the self-funded production is currently out for casting and is due to shoot at the company’s Tbilisi studios.
Under the leadership of Irakli Chikvaidze, Head of Production at Sarke Studios, the company’s production wing has had significant upgrades to production facilities and its backlot space.
“It’s an exciting operation we’re building at Essential and a pleasure to have the experience of a sales team that includes James Norrie at the helm,” said Ramstad, Chairman at Essential Film Group. Norwegian vet Ramstad is the former Sf Studios CEO.
“With our investment board, we’ve structured a 3-5 year plan that includes establishing the Essential Film Fund, and developing our sales strategy,” said Andy Thompson, Partner & Senior Executive at Essential Film Group. “I have been consistently impressed with James and Nina’s work since our collaboration during their tenure at Salt. This partnership, together with our established production business, enables us to create additional opportunities for collaborating with talented and experienced producers at all levels of production.”
“We are thrilled to be joining the Essential family,” said Norrie. “It’s extremely rare for a sales agency to have the weight of a robust film fund, an established production company and its own studio/production base. This, together with a team with so much ambition and experience under one roof makes it feel like the sky is the limit”.
In addition, the group has unveiled the expansion of Sarke Studios, its Tbilisi-based production facility, which it hopes will make the group a one stop shop for finance, production, post and sales.
Appointed to lead the newly formed sales agency, Essential Films International, are veteran sales executives James Norrie and Nina Kolokouri. Norrie has held leadership roles at Icon, Capitol Films and together with Kolokouri at Salt and most recently Amp. Kolokouri, in addition to her sales experience has spearheaded all business operations and financial closings for close to a decade.
Essential Film Group is also expanding its in-house production slate, together with plans for more co- production partnerships. Notable projects in development include an Ashley Miller-penned script as well as [In]Fusion, a sci-fi thriller about the future of AI; the self-funded production is currently out for casting and is due to shoot at the company’s Tbilisi studios.
Under the leadership of Irakli Chikvaidze, Head of Production at Sarke Studios, the company’s production wing has had significant upgrades to production facilities and its backlot space.
“It’s an exciting operation we’re building at Essential and a pleasure to have the experience of a sales team that includes James Norrie at the helm,” said Ramstad, Chairman at Essential Film Group. Norwegian vet Ramstad is the former Sf Studios CEO.
“With our investment board, we’ve structured a 3-5 year plan that includes establishing the Essential Film Fund, and developing our sales strategy,” said Andy Thompson, Partner & Senior Executive at Essential Film Group. “I have been consistently impressed with James and Nina’s work since our collaboration during their tenure at Salt. This partnership, together with our established production business, enables us to create additional opportunities for collaborating with talented and experienced producers at all levels of production.”
“We are thrilled to be joining the Essential family,” said Norrie. “It’s extremely rare for a sales agency to have the weight of a robust film fund, an established production company and its own studio/production base. This, together with a team with so much ambition and experience under one roof makes it feel like the sky is the limit”.
- 5/14/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Swedish deal will see Tre Vänner boss Jonas Fors replace Rasmus Ramstad as Svensk CEO.
Swedish major Svensk Filmindustri is to acquire 90% of Tre Vänner, the Stockholm-based production outfit behind the smash hit Snabba Cash franchise.
As part of the deal, Tre Vänner managing director Jonas Fors will become CEO of Svensk from Oct 1, replacing Rasmus Ramstad.
The agreement unifies a film and TV conglomerate founded in 1919, with subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and a production company set up in 1995 by three scriptwriters, with the aim to make films with a local and Nordic flavour as well as international potential.
Tre Vänner’s latest feature, Jens Jonsson thriller Livet De Luxe (Life Deluxe) concludes the Snabba cash (Easy Money) trilogy from author Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir series. It opened last week at the top of the Swedish box office with 85,000 admissions over the weekend.
“Svensk is a well-known brand with a catalogue of more than 1,200 films...
Swedish major Svensk Filmindustri is to acquire 90% of Tre Vänner, the Stockholm-based production outfit behind the smash hit Snabba Cash franchise.
As part of the deal, Tre Vänner managing director Jonas Fors will become CEO of Svensk from Oct 1, replacing Rasmus Ramstad.
The agreement unifies a film and TV conglomerate founded in 1919, with subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and a production company set up in 1995 by three scriptwriters, with the aim to make films with a local and Nordic flavour as well as international potential.
Tre Vänner’s latest feature, Jens Jonsson thriller Livet De Luxe (Life Deluxe) concludes the Snabba cash (Easy Money) trilogy from author Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir series. It opened last week at the top of the Swedish box office with 85,000 admissions over the weekend.
“Svensk is a well-known brand with a catalogue of more than 1,200 films...
- 9/4/2013
- by jornrossing@aol.com (Jorn Rossing Jensen)
- ScreenDaily
Swedish deal will see Tre Vänner boss Jonas Fors replace Rasmus Ramstad as Svensk CEO.
Swedish major Svensk Filmindustri is to acquire 90% of Tre Vänner, the Stockholm-based production outfit behind the smash hit Snabba Cash franchise.
As part of the deal, Tre Vänner managing director Jonas Fors will become CEO of Svensk from Oct 1, replacing Rasmus Ramstad.
The agreement unifies a film and TV conglomerate founded in 1919, with subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and a production company set up in 1995 by three scriptwriters, with the aim to make films with a local and Nordic flavour as well as international potential.
Tre Vänner’s latest feature, Jens Jonsson thriller Livet De Luxe (Life Deluxe) concludes the Snabba cash (Easy Money) trilogy from author Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir series. It opened last week at the top of the Swedish box office with 85,000 admissions over the weekend.
“Svensk is a well-known brand with a catalogue of more than 1,200 films...
Swedish major Svensk Filmindustri is to acquire 90% of Tre Vänner, the Stockholm-based production outfit behind the smash hit Snabba Cash franchise.
As part of the deal, Tre Vänner managing director Jonas Fors will become CEO of Svensk from Oct 1, replacing Rasmus Ramstad.
The agreement unifies a film and TV conglomerate founded in 1919, with subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark, and Finland, and a production company set up in 1995 by three scriptwriters, with the aim to make films with a local and Nordic flavour as well as international potential.
Tre Vänner’s latest feature, Jens Jonsson thriller Livet De Luxe (Life Deluxe) concludes the Snabba cash (Easy Money) trilogy from author Jens Lapidus’ Stockholm Noir series. It opened last week at the top of the Swedish box office with 85,000 admissions over the weekend.
“Svensk is a well-known brand with a catalogue of more than 1,200 films...
- 9/4/2013
- by jornrossing@aol.com (Jorn Rossing Jensen)
- ScreenDaily
Cannes -- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Sphe) has signed a distribution deal with Scandinavian giant Svensk Filmindustri that will see Svensk distribute Sphe rental DVD and Blu-ray titles in the Nordic territories, starting Oct. 1.
Sphe recently inked a similar deal for sell-through titles with Sony Music Entertainment.
The deal was announced by Svensk Filmindustri CEO Rasmus Ramstad and Jonas Wahlander, country manager of the Nordic Region for Sphe.
Sphe recently inked a similar deal for sell-through titles with Sony Music Entertainment.
The deal was announced by Svensk Filmindustri CEO Rasmus Ramstad and Jonas Wahlander, country manager of the Nordic Region for Sphe.
- 5/19/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- Johan Mardell, head of production at Scandinavian major Svesnk Filmindustri, is stepping down at the end of March to begin a new career as an independent producer, the company said Monday.
As production head since 2003, Mardell has overseen SF films ranging from Reza Bagher's Art House comedy "Popular Music" (2004) to the medieval epic "Arn -- The Knight Templar", at $30 million the most expensive Scandinavian film of all time. He also shepherded SF's impressive TV slate including the politically charged miniseries "Crown Princess" and the popular "Van Veeteren" detective series.
"Johan Mardell has played a most important part in the development and increased production activities the last few years," Svensk president and CEO Rasmus Ramstad said. "As he now chooses to leave the company and play an independent role as producer, we wish him the best of luck. We will of course try to find ways of cooperating with him in the future."
Mardell will stay on with Svensk as an executive producer on "Arn 2", which is in postproduction.
As production head since 2003, Mardell has overseen SF films ranging from Reza Bagher's Art House comedy "Popular Music" (2004) to the medieval epic "Arn -- The Knight Templar", at $30 million the most expensive Scandinavian film of all time. He also shepherded SF's impressive TV slate including the politically charged miniseries "Crown Princess" and the popular "Van Veeteren" detective series.
"Johan Mardell has played a most important part in the development and increased production activities the last few years," Svensk president and CEO Rasmus Ramstad said. "As he now chooses to leave the company and play an independent role as producer, we wish him the best of luck. We will of course try to find ways of cooperating with him in the future."
Mardell will stay on with Svensk as an executive producer on "Arn 2", which is in postproduction.
- 3/11/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Scandinavian minimajor Svensk Filmindustri has hired a cell-phone expert to head up its Swedish operations as managing director.
Svensk said Wednesday that it has hired Tobias Lenner from TeliaSonera Partners & Retailers, a telecoms company operating across the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Lenner, who was most recently TeliaSonera managing director, has a wealth of experience in the mobile, TV and broadband services sectors.
He will report to Rasmus Ramstad, who will remain CEO and president of the SF Group. The SF headquarters will remain in Stockholm.
Prior to TeliaSonera, Lenner was CEO at Halebop, a subsidiary mobile operator of TeliaSonera. His resume also includes stints as a journalist and producer.
Svensk Filmindustri produces or co-produces some 25 feature films and TV series annually and distributes between 30 and 40 features across the Scandinavian region.
"The appointment of Tobias Lenner comes as a natural step in our ambitions to further strengthen the activities in the Nordic territories," Ramstad said.
Svensk said Wednesday that it has hired Tobias Lenner from TeliaSonera Partners & Retailers, a telecoms company operating across the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Lenner, who was most recently TeliaSonera managing director, has a wealth of experience in the mobile, TV and broadband services sectors.
He will report to Rasmus Ramstad, who will remain CEO and president of the SF Group. The SF headquarters will remain in Stockholm.
Prior to TeliaSonera, Lenner was CEO at Halebop, a subsidiary mobile operator of TeliaSonera. His resume also includes stints as a journalist and producer.
Svensk Filmindustri produces or co-produces some 25 feature films and TV series annually and distributes between 30 and 40 features across the Scandinavian region.
"The appointment of Tobias Lenner comes as a natural step in our ambitions to further strengthen the activities in the Nordic territories," Ramstad said.
- 1/24/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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