Latest news with #PhilippKäßbohrer
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Philipp Käßbohrer Accepts Deadline's German TV Disruptor Award: 'You Cannot Be A Disruptor Alone, You Have To Find Other People And Take Fear Away From Them'
Philipp Käßbohrer is a writer, director, creator, producer and indie boss and in a sit-down with Deadline before accepting his German TV Disruptor Award said his aim is to keep shaking up the business. More from Deadline 'Ginny & Georgia' Creator Unpacks Season 3 Ending And Teases Season 4 Theme 'Ginny & Georgia' Stars Brianne Howey And Antonia Gentry Discuss Season 3's Big "Heartwarming" And "Heartbreaking" Moments It Starts On The Page: Read 'The Diplomat' Season 2 Finale Script "Dreadnought" With Foreword By Debora Cahn 'We see change everywhere in the world right now and I think that the most comfortable way to adapt to this is to follow the stream and go where that change leads you,' Käßbohrer said during the award presentation at the Seriencamp drama confab. He continued' 'You need to take some energy… to get to the places where it's uncomfortable and where you try to figure out how to adapt, because that's something the young generation already does. Creators on the internet don't wait for a commissioner.' Käßbohrer runs the Cologne-based indie bildundtonfabrik with Matthias Murmann, with whom he created Netflix hit How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast). It now has its own studios in Cologne as well as a games division, out of Berlin. Having started out in music videos btf came to everyone's attention with the anarchic talkshow Roche and Böhmermann. 'It was a talk show for everybody who hates talk shows,' Käßbohrer said. The show was for what was then a newbie channel and market disruptor ZDFkultur. 'It was a cultural digital channel with not a lot of money, but a lot of freedom. They also kind of had the idea of disrupting the system.' Determined not to stay in one lane, Käßbohrer and btf then buddied up with another outfit looking to come into the German market and shake things up – Netflix. The streamer greenlit How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast), about a nerdy high schooler starting a drugs empire on the dark net. 'All the doors we knocked on, they stayed closed. And then suddenly there came this new player on the market, which was Netflix. And they also had this pretty similar idea of 'we have to enter the market, to show that we are here, to do something different'. And they were looking for people who also thought like that.' Speaking about the show he said: 'The pitch always was 'Breaking Bad in Silicon Valley'. We really wanted to make the show feel like a day in the life of a Gen Z person. And then we ended up with our tagline; 'entertaining the kids and frightening the parents.'' Whether it's a new digital, channel, or a new streamer, the plan is always to find other disruptors, Käßbohrer explained. 'I thought about the word 'disruption' and what it means to be a disrupter and a lot of it is about getting people together. You cannot be a disruptor alone or you are just the annoying kid in the class. You have to find other people, and then you have to take fear away from them, to take risks, to go somewhere you don't know.' Check out the full interview of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Euro Networks Talk Streamer Levies & 'Talk Of The Town' Scripted Co-Productions
Seriencamp kicked off here in Germany today with familiar themes dominating chatter – money, streaming levies and co-productions. The first morning of the German TV industry event in Cologne saw 14 European networks such as ZDF, France Télévisions and NRK outlining their international co-production strategies. More from Deadline Screenwriter Discusses Rush To Bring Prime Video's The Elevator Boys Movie to Life - Seriencamp Indie Boss & 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' Co-Creator Philipp Käßbohrer To Receive The Deadline German TV Disruptor Award At Seriencamp Medical Drama 'Doc' Set For Mexican Adaptation With Juan Pablo Medina: Sony Unveiling Series At LA Screenings Unsurprisingly, given the challenged state of the market, talk around financing took up as much time as content strategies, wish lists and why most networks have pivoted to streaming-first commissioning. Smart collaborations, making money stretch and partnering with both European partners and global streamers were keys for most of those on stage. During one section of the talk, commissioning execs from Belgium's VRT and Switzerland's SRF addressed how global streamer levies in their territories had been received. Elly Vervloet, Commissioning Editor and International Drama Expert of VRT, outlined how a levy in the French-speaking Wallonia area of Belgium, which orders broadcasters and streamers with sales over €150M ($170M) up to 9.5% of their local revenues on local production, had highlighted that local networks needed to supercharge development. 'We have to produce in a smart way – we don't have a lot of money, as we are a small broadcaster,' she said. 'Luckily, we have a funding system in Belgium that really helps with funds the tax shelter. With the investment obligations for telcos and streamers, it's really important to get the ball rolling.' Netflix made a legal challenge against the levy in August and was joined by Disney, which declared itself an interested party. Given Donald Trump's tallying cries against international streaming levies and his well-publicized spats with the European Union over trade, the case is being categorized by some commentators as the test case for similar cases elsewhere. For now, however, it remains in place, sitting alongside Belgium's favorable funding systems. Similarly in Switzerland, the implementation of the streaming tax, dubbed locally as the 'Lex Netflix' is being keenly felt. With local streaming services become increasingly popular with audiences and searching for ambitious projects, the idea of collaboration between them and the likes of Netflix is being studied as a business model. Bettina Albert from SFR said: 'The difference to Belgium is we don't have a funding system and it is a problem. Now we have the 'Lex Netflix,' and we can see the number of projects that are coming to us as interesting co-productions are increasing.' However, after the session we spoke with a well-connected source in the Swiss scripted market, who told us that while there had been in boom in development following the levy's introduction, primarily for Netflix, this had not yet resulted in a significant number of commissions. 'We all want them to get started,' they added. Elsewhere in the Seriencamp kickoff session, Mourad Koufane from France Télévisions' international co-production team summed up what international co-productions needed to achieve for the French pubcaster. At present, France Télévisions only makes three international co-productions a year, through European commissioning club The Alliance. 'When we choose these three projects, it is important they are super-impactful and organically internationally,' he said. 'Even though we are doing very few, we hope they will be the talk of the town in France.' Seriencamp, which brings together German's local scripted community with international players, began today at the Cinenova in Cologne. It runs until Thursday (June 6). Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Nobody Wants This' Season 2 So Far List Of Hollywood & Media Layoffs From Paramount To Warner Bros Discovery To CNN & More Everything We Know About 'Happy Gilmore 2' So Far
