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: Workerbee

  1. NBC Revs Up to Launch Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge

    Comments Off on NBC Revs Up to Launch Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge

    NBC gets the show on the road with a series order of “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge,” an epic car makeover competition series based on one of the world’s most popular toys.

    Hosted by Rutledge Wood (“Top Gear US,” “Floor Is Lava”), who will also serve as one of the show’s judges, the 10-episode series will give Hot Wheels® superfans the opportunity of a lifetime – turning a nostalgic car from their past into the life-sized Hot Wheels of their dreams. The season-finale winning creation will spin its wheels by launching as an official Hot Wheels die-cast car.

    “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge” is an original format developed and produced by Endemol Shine North America in association with Workerbee under license from Mattel Inc. Executive producers are showrunner Tim Warren, along with Andy Thomas, Sharon Levy, DJ Nurre and Michael Heyerman from Endemol Shine North America; Rick Murray and Chris Hale from Workerbee (a Banijay UK Company); and Fred Soulie and Phil Breman from Mattel Television.

    “Everyone remembers their first car, the life experiences they had and the friends who came along for the ride. Hot Wheels is a legendary brand that has created a space for imaginations to run free,” said Corie Henson, EVP, Unscripted Programming, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “Our prolific partners at Endemol Shine North America and Mattel have created larger-than-life family viewing with edge and humor all led by car enthusiast Rutledge Wood, whose creativity, credibility and passion for Hot Wheels makes him the perfect person to drive this wild competition.”

    Each episode will invite two passionate car fans and Hot Wheels lovers into the Chrome Zone, where they will each face off in transforming an ordinary vehicle into an extraordinary Hot Wheels showstopper, inspired by personal stories and pop culture touchstones. Working alongside a team of automotive magicians known as “The Car Pool,” the two Superfans will create their designs in high-tech, decked-out garages. Raising the stakes of the competition is the Inspirationator 5000, a larger-than-life vending machine that will rev up in each episode to present the Superfans with a twist in the road.

    Riding shotgun will be a rotating panel of celebrity guest judges joining resident experts Hertrech (“Hert”) Eugene Jr., an influencer in car culture and the drift scene, and Dalal Elsheikh, designer for the Ford Motor Company and Hot Wheels Brand Ambassador. Wood, Eugene and Elsheikh, along with the celebrity guests, will review the transformations and crown a winner. The winner of each episode will take home $25,000 and the chance to get into the finale, where three lucky finalists will transform another car in hopes of winning a legendary prize – an additional $50,000 and the honor of having their design made into an official Hot Wheels die-cast car.

    More than 16 Hot Wheels cars are sold per second across the globe, and this all-new “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge” die-cast car will join the ranks of the 8 billion+ Hot Wheels that have been produced to date.

  2. Human Playground Narrated by Idris Elba Launches on Netflix

    Comments Off on Human Playground Narrated by Idris Elba Launches on Netflix

    Human Playground, the six-part Netflix docu-series about the origins and evolution of the most unique sports around the world, will launch internationally in 193 countries on Friday, September 30, 2022. Dutch label Scenery and Manchester- based company, both Banijay companies, have joined forces to co-produce the high-end series, which is narrated by Idris Elba, who also serves as an Executive Producer. The series also brings together editor of BBC Earth & Our Planet, director Tomas Kaan and photographer and creator Hannelore Vandenbussche.

    The high-end docu-series is about the origin and evolution of exceptional sports around the world. From centuries-old rituals to billion-dollar businesses. In six episodes, narrator Idris Elba takes viewers around the world to discover: Why We Play.  The visual spectacle Human Playground dives into the world of, among others, the unique robot camel races in the United Arab Emirates, Big Wave surfing in Nazaré Portugal and Eagle Hunting in Kyrgyzstan.

    Tomas Kaan, Director of Human Playground says: “I knew we had something to grab when we decided to use play as a lens to examine ourselves – the playing human being. However, I could not have imagined in advance how many sides this story has to it. All those smells and colors, emotions, and cultures. Blood and sweat splashing against the lens. Human Playground was an unforgettable adventure in every way.”

    Isidoor Roebers, Producer Human Playground and founder of Scenery says: “After four years of shooting under all kinds of conditions in 25 countries during a pandemic, we are extremely proud of the end result of this Netflix docu-series. The thought that this series will soon be shown all over the world still feels unreal.”

    Rick Murray, Executive Producer and Managing Director of Workerbee says: “When Scenery introduced us to this project it felt like a perfect fit for Idris as narrator, and for Netflix. We are delighted to have helped get the project off the ground, the team in Amsterdam are world class and we hope to work with them again in the not-too-distant future”

    The idea for the series started originally in the form of a book by creator Hannelore Vandenbussche, who was inspired during her work as the assistant photographer on the highly successful photobook: Before they pass away. She has made it her mission to portray the most special sports in the world. “Human Playground takes a look at the most impressive playing fields in the world and shows how far people are willing to go when it comes to playing a game. Human Playground is not just about sports, it’s about what makes us human,” says Hannelore Vandenbussche.

    Thanks to Scenery’s partner in China, Content Connected, Human Playground will also launch on the largest Chinese streamer Youku later this year, bringing the docu-series to more than 1 billion people. It is the first Dutch-produced documentary series to launch worldwide on Netflix. In line with the series, there will also be an exclusive coffee table photo book (published by TeNeues), various art prints, and several art exhibitions will be organized. Among others during UNSEEN, the international photography fair.

  3. Banijay Rights boards Lifetime and A&E documentary event JANET.

    Comments Off on Banijay Rights boards Lifetime and A&E documentary event JANET.

    Banijay Rights today announces it has acquired global distribution rights to JANET., Lifetime and A&E’s two-night, four-hour documentary event celebrating the 40th anniversary of Janet Jackson’s first album.

     

    With full unprecedented access to the music icon and no subject off limits, JANET. is an intimate, honest and unfiltered look at the singer’s untold story.

     

    Banijay-owned, UK-based Workerbee has been filming the incredible documentary for five years and has been granted exclusive access to archival footage and Janet’s never-before-seen home videos, along with star-studded interviews.

     

    Executive produced by Janet Jackson, Randy Jackson and Academy Award-winner Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland, Whitney), JANET. will air in early 2022 on Lifetime and A&E, two of the flagship channels of the A+E Networks portfolio, with Banijay Rights securing international distribution rights to the series.

     

    Cathy Payne, CEO, Banijay Rights, said: “It’s easy to run out of superlatives to describe Janet Jackson – a truly global superstar with a startling career and fascinating life. This ground-breaking documentary series gives a deep insight into her world, and we are excited to take this project out to the international market.”

     

    JANET. is produced for Lifetime and A&E by Workerbee and AEC (Associated Entertainment Corporation). Executive Producer for Workerbee is Rick Murray, with Ben Hirsch as Director. Brie Miranda Bryant serves as Executive Producer for A+E networks.

     

    With no stone left unturned, JANET. lifts the lid on her private life for the very first time and reveals the most intimate moments of the star ever caught on camera, charting her immense successes but also incredibly tragedies.

     

    The event series joins Janet as her family is going through another extremely difficult time, mourning the loss of her father Joseph, the pivotal figure in the Jackson dynasty. The documentary details Janet’s return to the world stage following a sudden break from music. Speaking like never before, Janet also discusses everything including her Superbowl appearance with Justin Timberlake in 2004, the death of her brother Michael and becoming a mother later in life. And with her own romantic relationship having broken down, she starts to look back at her own life and reflect on her fight to the top.