Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.
Banijay Group is the world's largest independent content creation Group for television and multimedia platforms. Banijay Group is present in 16 territories.

Tag Archive: Ben Samek

  1. Sharon Levy Named Chief Executive Officer, Endemol Shine North America

    Comments Off on Sharon Levy Named Chief Executive Officer, Endemol Shine North America

    Sharon Levy has been elevated to Chief Executive Officer of Endemol Shine North America, the Banijay-owned studio behind the Emmy Award- nominated LEGO Masters, MasterChef, Wipeout, and the highly-anticipated Ripley, it was announced today by Ben Samek, Chief Executive Officer, Banijay Americas.

    In her new role, Levy, who has served as Chief Content Officer, Endemol Shine North America, since 2021, will manage all aspects of the business and its growth. Named as one of the “Most Powerful Producers in Unscripted TV” by The Hollywood Reporter, she will also continue to lead all of the studio’s unscripted and scripted programming efforts from the company’s North Hollywood headquarters.

    “Sharon is one of the most strategic executives in the business, someone whose creative vision is matched only by her market savvy,” said Samek. “Over the past five years, she has already positioned Endemol Shine North America as a major industry player and unleashed the creativity of her group. I look forward to supporting her as she leads her talented team to new heights.”

    “I’m very excited to take on the CEO role for the new Endemol Shine North America as we chart its course forward during an extraordinary time for the industry,” said Levy. “I am thankful to Ben for believing in me and my exceptional team and giving us the responsibility and opportunity to redefine ESNA. With Endemol Shine North America now operating solely as a production studio, we’ll move more nimbly and be better positioned to meet the challenges of the moment. It’s a new era at ESNA, and we look forward to working with partners, old and new, to create great television.”

    With Levy now in place as CEO, Endemol Shine North America, which previously operated as the holding company on behalf of Banijay Americas, will operate as an independent production studio alongside the nine other Banijay-owned studios. In announcing these moves, his first since being named CEO, Banijay Americas, Samek completes the restructure of Banijay’s businesses across the Americas, establishing the new Endemol Shine North America studio alongside fellow U.S.-based Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment and Stephen David Entertainment; Mexico-based Endemol Shine Boomdog and Banijay Mexico and U.S. Hispanic; and Brazil-based Endemol Shine Brasil and A Fábrica.

    “Historically, Endemol Shine North America served a dual role as the parent company to our subsidiaries and as its own production label,” said Samek. “Reconstituting ESNA as a pure production studio that lives alongside the nine other studios that form Banijay Americas, each with its own leadership and goals, will afford us the opportunity to work more collaboratively and efficiently and represent ourselves more clearly to our industry partners.”

    Since joining Endemol Shine North America in 2017 as President, Unscripted and Scripted TV, Levy, an award-winning producer and executive, has successfully reconfigured the studio’s Los Angeles-based programming team to work more closely with Banijay’s myriad global production companies and created an original development slate that features projects from co-owned labels worldwide with marquis talent highlighted by Will Arnett, John Cena, Nicole Byer, Keke Palmer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, John Cusack, Steve Zaillian, Gillian Flynn, and more.

    During her tenure with Endemol Shine North America, Levy has launched and overseen numerous hits including FOX’s wildly-successful and Emmy Award-nominated LEGO Masters (hosted by Will Arnett), TBS’ revamped Wipeout (with John Cena and Nicole Byer), Foodtastic (Disney+), The Courtship (USA/Peacock), a new version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for HGTV, and the highly-anticipated Showtime original series, Ripley. Levy also leads Endemol Shine’s top-rated food competition franchises, MasterChef and MasterChef Junior.

    Prior to joining Endemol Shine, Levy served as Executive Vice President of Original Series for Spike TV where she oversaw the acquisition, creation, and production of unscripted series, scripted series, and documentaries, successfully transforming the network’s brand identity with hits such as Ink Master, Bar Rescue, Auction Hunters, and Deadliest Warrior.

    Last year, Levy helped orchestrate a new partnership between Endemol Shine North America and EveryWoman Studios to expand the Propelle Program, an initiative designed to give up-and- coming female creators more opportunities in unscripted TV. As part of this initiative, Endemol Shine North America underwrote a new format category within the Propelle Program, pairing female creators with industry mentors to help develop the next batch of unscripted hit series.

  2. Ben Samek Elevated to Chief Executive Officer, Banijay Americas

    Comments Off on Ben Samek Elevated to Chief Executive Officer, Banijay Americas

    Chairman of the Americas for Banijay, Cris Abrego, announced today that he is stepping down as CEO and elevating Ben Samek into the role of Chief Executive Officer, Banijay Americas. Samek, who has served as President and COO since 2018, will now oversee the company’s award-winning independent production studios across two continents, developing and producing some of the world’s biggest formats and hit series.

    Abrego will stay on as Chairman of the Americas for Banijay, focusing on acquisitions and new business ventures. In line with the personnel changes, the production labels across the Americas will now be housed under the new umbrella, Banijay Americas.

    “When I decided to step down as CEO, I knew Ben was the ideal person to take the reins as chief executive of Banijay Americas. He has been a key partner to me for more than two decades and I know him to be an extraordinary and results-driven leader with the experience and relationships to drive success both domestically and internationally,” said Abrego. “Ben cares deeply about our company, our clients, and our people. His promotion to CEO is a testament to his long list of contributions and achievements.”

    “It is an honor to step into this role, especially at a moment of accelerated evolution for the entertainment industry and Banijay Americas,” said Samek. “There are tremendous opportunities ahead for our business and I am inspired daily by the extraordinary talent and expertise of our team. I am grateful to Cris, who has been a mentor and friend for many years, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

    Samek joined Endemol USA in 2014 as Chief Operating Officer and transitioned to COO of Endemol Shine North America in 2015. Promoted to President and COO for Endemol Shine North America in January 2018, Samek then expanded his areas of oversight to include the Banijay companies in the U.S. and Latin America when Banijay acquired Endemol Shine Group in 2020. Previously he held the role at COO at 51 Minds Entertainment, where he worked closely with Abrego, its co-founder, to help grow the unscripted studio from its boutique beginnings into an industry heavyweight that produced more than $100 million a year in content and eventually sold to Endemol in 2008.

    Banijay Americas multi-genre content portfolio includes highlights like the Emmy Award- winning Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls, LEGO Masters, MasterChef, The Men Who Built America, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of Potomac, Real Housewives of Dubai, Ink Master, Love is Blind Brasil, Vai Que Cola, La Casa de los Famosos, LOL Mexico, the Below Deck franchise, The Challenge franchise, and more.

  3. Banijay Americas Acquires Majority Stake in Brasilian Studio A Fábrica

    Comments Off on Banijay Americas Acquires Majority Stake in Brasilian Studio A Fábrica

    Banijay Americas, a division of Banijay, the world’s largest producer and distributor of international content, has acquired a majority stake in leading Brasilian studio A Fábrica, it was announced today by Ben Samek, President and Chief Operating Officer, Banijay Americas and Laurens Drillich, President, Endemol Shine Latino.

    A Fábrica, which is based in Rio de Janeiro and was founded in January 2016, is behind many of the nation’s top scripted series and films. Its content can currently be found on such networks and platforms as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Turner, HBO Max, Globo, Globoplay, Canal GNT and Multishow.

    A Fábrica was initially launched by partners Luiz Noronha (CEO), Renato Fagundes (Chief Content Officer), Cecilia Grosso and Samanta Moraes (Producers) and Alberto Elias (CFO). A Fábrica’s management team will remain in place, reporting to Drillich

    A Fábrica currently produces Brasil’s highest-rated pay TV sitcom, “Vai Que Cola,” which is in its 10th season for Multishow and Globo and the studio has two highly anticipated scripted series coming to streaming platforms in the coming months, including “Sem Filtro,” a comedy developed in partnership with Netflix, which is set to debut early next year.

    With the addition of A Fábrica, Banijay Americas is now comprised of 10 leading production companies across North America and South America. Banijay Americas studios in the U.S. include Endemol Shine North America, Bunim/Murray Productions, Truly Original, 51 Minds Entertainment, Authentic Entertainment and Stephen David Entertainment.

    In Latin America, Banijay Americas studios include Endemol Shine Brasil (based in São Paulo) and Mexico City-based Endemol Shine Boomdog and the recently opened Banijay Mexico & U.S. Hispanic. Last month, the company announced it was opening Banijay Studios Brasil, a 750,000 square-foot production studio facility in Guarulhos, Brasil, which will be managed by the team at Endemol Shine Brasil.

    “When we look at potential new partnerships and or acquisitions, we always start with a search for talented storytellers and strong leadership and the team at A Fábrica was clearly at the top of that list,” said Banijay Americas’ Samek. “They have quickly established A Fábrica as Brasil’s go-to studio for the best in film and scripted content and we are thrilled to have their team join our roster of world-class production studios in the Americas.”

    A Fábrica’s Noronha stated, “With the arrival of Banijay, we are guaranteed to grow with ever-increasing quality, both in terms of management and delivery capacity. We maintain flexibility in our business models and personalized customer service, reaffirming our commitment to originality and the results of our productions.”

    A Fábrica has established itself as a leader in high quality scripted content in Brasil, producing films for both theatrical release and for top streaming platforms, as well as some of the nation’s most watched scripted series.In addition to “Sem Filtro,” it’s upcoming comedy series for Netflix, the studio is preparing to launch “A Divisão,” a co-production with Afroreggae Audiovisual. The Brasilian police procedural is set to launch on Globoplay in 2023.

    On the film side, A Fábrica has produced original titles for theatrical release, as well as for streaming platforms. The studio recently delivered the highest audience for a non-English-language film in Netflix’s history with “Modo Avião.” In 2021, Netflix’s “Lulli,” another A Fábrica original production, was on the top 10-charts in several countries, including Brasil.

    Theatrically, A Fábrica released its first film in theaters in 2018, “Minha Vida em Marte,” selling over five million tickets in Brasil’s theaters and it was honored as the nation’s best comedy of the year. The studio currently has eight feature films in its pipeline, including the comedy “Cansei De Ser Nerd,” in partnership with Hungry Man for Paramount Pictures and “Era Uma Vez Minha Primeira Vez,” based on a book by best-selling Brasilian author Thalita Rebouças, a production for Warner Bros.

    Additionally, A Fábrica is currently producing four docu-series focused on true crime, including “O Caso Henry,” about a child’s murder that shocked Brasil a year ago. And the studio’s first original documentary, “Filho da Mãe,” is set to debut on Amazon Prime Video December 16.

    A Fábrica is also establishing itself on the international front, developing acclaimed TV and film projects, including “Concrete Jungle,” a series loosely based on Edyr Augusto’s book and created by Renato Fagundes and W. Peter lliff and directed by Vicente Amorim; “The Yellow Passport,” a feature film based on the book by Maha Mamo and directed by Bruno Barreto; “Haiti,” a drama series based on real events, and “Brasil Nunca Mais,” a feature film written by Renato Fagundes, to be directed by Vicente Amorim.

    The addition of A Fábrica to Banijay’s portfolio reinforces the wider group’s overarching commitment to and investment in, growing its scripted pipeline globally. Its latest announced/on-air scripted highlights include SAS: Rogue Heroes (Kudos for BBC One), Marie Antoinette (Banijay Studios France, CAPA Drama, Les Gens France for Canal+ and BBC Two), Domina (Tiger Aspect for Sky Atlantic), Riding in Darkness (Jarowskij for CMORE/TV4), Ronja (Filmlance for Viaplay), Fallen (Filmlance for CMORE/TV4/ZDF), Bosé (Shine Iberia, VIS, Elefantec Global, Legacy Rock for Paramount Plus), Ripley (Endemol Shine North America for SHOWTIME), Gypsy Bride (Diaganol TV for Antena3), Dance Brothers (Endemol Shine Finland for Netflix), and Two Tone (Kudos for BBC One).

     

     

  4. Banijay Opening Largest Independent Production Studio Facility in Latin America

    Comments Off on Banijay Opening Largest Independent Production Studio Facility in Latin America

    Banijay, the world’s leading producer and distributor of international content, is set to open the largest independent production studio facility in Latin America, Banijay Studios Brasil, in 2023, it was announced today by Ben Samek, President and Chief Operating Officer, Banijay Americas.

    Based in São Paulo, Banijay Studios Brasil is nearly 250,000 square feet (more than 70,000 m2) and will welcome third-party TV and film clients alike. The studio deal was led by Samek, Endemol Shine Latino President Laurens Drillich and Endemol Shine Brasil CEO Nani Freitas.

    The studio will be managed by the team at Endemol Shine Brasil, the leading independent studio in Brasil, behind many of the nation’s top-rated unscripted series.

    The studio will offer a variety of options for productions of all sizes, with indoor and outdoor facilities, world-class technology, scenography sheds and modern office space for producers and talent. The new facility is being built in Guarulhos, located just miles from São Paulo’s international airport and is expected to open its doors next spring.

    “We are always looking for new opportunities to grow our business and strengthen our local production companies and at the same time, enhance the quality of our shows,” says Drillich. “So, when the team at Endemol Shine Brasil came to us with a plan to build a studio complex in São Paulo, we were immediately interested. There is currently a huge demand for studio space in Brasil, a very important market for us, with one of the most engaged audiences in the world and endless possibilities. Our parent company at Banijay recognized this made a lot of sense and quickly made the necessary investments to make Banijay Studios Brasil a reality.”

    Freitas added, “Here in Brasil, we have seen record growth in original television production over the last few years and with that growth, there has been a tremendous demand for audiovisual facilities for studios like ours to deliver high-quality programming to networks and streaming platforms alike. So, we chose to build this new world-class facility, where we can both produce our own original content and also offer third-party clients the opportunity to produce their series in this beautiful, massive new space, as well.”

    Endemol Shine Brasil, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary, currently produces hits for Globo, Netflix, HBO Max, Band, Discovery Home & Health, Record, MTV, GNT and numerous other outlets. And it’s behind such hit series as Love Is Blind, MasterChef, Survivor, All Together Now, Rio Shore, The Rolling Kitchen, Iron Chef, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, The Wall, Masked Singer, Queen Stars and recently launchedMasterChef+.