Die Speaker der Staffel 02

Born in Vientiane, Laos, and raised in Texas, Be Inthavong entered fashion early—taking over his mother’s accessories factory in Providence and, in 1998, launching Rhyme/Buzz Accessories with global distribution. A formative year in Laos (2002) at his aunt’s textile mill grounded him in traditional silk weaving. Back in New York, he co-founded Be & D (2003), built a Garment District factory, learned shoemaking in Italy, and grew sales past $5M; the brand licensed handbags for Diane von Furstenberg and collaborated with leading labels. After departing in 2009, he patented a hand-woven leather-and-silk textile (2010) and launched his namesake handbag line—stocked at Saks, Takashimaya, and Harvey Nichols, and praised by Fast Company, ELLE, and Forbes—before pivoting in 2013 to focus on textiles (including work for Calvin Klein), now represented by Jebara & Co (NYC) and Fameed Khalique (London). He later advised brands (Alice + Olivia; VB Designs by Vera Bradley). In 2019 he became Fashion Creative Director of Jim Thompson, leading its “beyond silk” expansion across apparel, accessories, and home. Based in Bangkok.

Can is a genre filmmaker best known for his debut feature Baskin premiered at Toronto IFF Midnight Madness, and winning Best New Director at Fantastic Fest. After award-winning shorts at Sitges IFF (2010), he directed Housewife (2017), contributed to The Field Guide to Evil (2018), and made the post-apocalyptic Girl With No Mouth (2019). He helmed S1 of Netflix’s first Turkish original, The Protector (2018), and co-wrote/directed the hit mini-series Çıplak (2020–21). He returned to midnight cinema with Sayara (2024). He is based in Istanbul.

Darina is a director, model and content creator whose work bridges acting, film, and digital media. Her directing journey began in Kyiv with a $250 mood video for an American band, which led to their official music video and marked the start of her filmmaking path. Now based in Paris, she has built an audience of over 700,000 on TikTok in just five months, where she creates cinematic-acting videos, working both behind and in front of the camera to explore new forms of visual storytelling.

Dr Diana Weis is a professor of fashion journalism at the BSP Business and Law School. Her research focuses on fashion narratives on social media, among other topics. She is also a member of the board of PLATTE Berlin, which promotes young designers. Her most recent publication is the book „Modebilder“, part of the „Digitale Bildkulturen“ (Digital Image Cultures) series published by Wagenbach Verlag.

Elena is a creator and writer of the coming-of-age genre series Pauline, which premiered on Disney Plus Germany in May 2023. Her next series "The City of Blood" is currently in production by Amusement Park for Disney Plus Germany. Elena is a graduate of Serial Eyes programme. In addition to writing and creative producing, Elena is also a script consultant and has completed the Midpoint Institute Script Consulting Training scheme.

Florence studied dance, singing, and acting at the Fontys Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Tilburg, the Netherlands, where she successfully graduated with a diploma. She went on to perform in numerous musical productions, including The Lion King, Aida, Chicago, Cats, and most recently the hit musical Mamma Mia! in Hamburg.
Beyond the stage, she established herself in film and television. She appeared in Deutschland 86 & 89, Criminal, Kitz, Cold Case History, and Hameln. In 2018, she took on the role of Inspector Anaïs Schmitz in the Tatort Göttingen series, a character she reprised in 2025 alongside Wotan Wilke Möhring.
Kasumba also gained international recognition through roles in productions such as Wonder Woman, Disney’s The Lion King, Ik ook van Jou, Emerald City, Spides, and Kizazi Moto. Since 2015, she has been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying the Dora Milaje warrior Ayo in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke graduated as a lawyer in La Sorbonne – Paris University and immediately started his career in the TV Industry. Following several positions at The European Commission, come production companies and The Canal + Group (StudioCanal), he launched Baradal in 2005 to bring support to animation, documentary and drama producers in the search of closing better financings and partnerships.
Following the industry massive shifts, Baradal specialised and is now eminently renowned in the development of the international strategy of production companies.
On a project by project basis or more globally for the company development, Baradal brings an invaluable expertise on what the international market is, how to position a project or a company, how to build meaningful partnerships. This appears crucial for the industry and Baradal is the most reliable partner to bring companies to this next level.
Since 2005, Baradal teamed up with Gaumont, All3Media, Makever, Mediawan, All3Media, NetworkMovie, Attraction Canada, Pulse Films and many more.
Baradal is also involved in various workshops for talents or producers at INA, Doha Film Institute, Athens Film Office, Royal Jordan Film Commission and holds collaboration with global events such as Banff World Media Festival in Canada to name a few.
In 2011, Frédéric Pittoors d’Haveskercke co-created the SeriesMania Coproduction Forum which is now known as one of the best industry event.

Frederike Dellert studied at the FU and HdK in Berlin. She chose her student job at the Astor Film Lounge cinema because of her passion for film, which has shaped her since childhood. There, she became acquainted with the Fantasy Filmfest and its organizers. After completing her state examination, she began working for the film festival in programming and organization. Later, she also worked in Sales & Acquisition at the US world sales company MPI and Swiss-German distributor Falcom Media AG and she is a member of the programming team at the Swiss NIFFF (Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival). She has curated the Fantasy Filmfest for three decades, now as co-director and partner, and still enjoys getting scared.

Gal Rosenbluth is an Israeli filmmaker. Awarded Best Series at MIA by Paramount+. Currently filming her first feature documentary, It Is What It Is winner of the pitching forum in Docaviv Film Festival and COPRO Market.
 Gal has written and directed four short films - Shmita, Vivid Ruthie, and Arabic Friday, with the later two also screened commercially. Gal’s works as an editor: Nafas (Sundance TV), Tiberias (BEST SERIES, Israeli Documentary Awards) and more.

Gal and Nayef Hammoud are an Israeli-Palestinian duo of filmmakers and life partners for the past 9 years, since graduating from the Sam Spiegel Film School in Jerusalem. They currently live in Haifa. Their joint project, Non-Issue, an eight-episode dramedy based on their experiences as an Israeli-Palestinian couple, has garnered significant recognition. It won the Paramount+ Award at the MIA Roma Film Market (2023) and participated in the Sam Spiegel Series Lab supported by Netflix (2022).

Igor Simic (born 1988) graduated from Columbia University in New York with a double-major in Film Studies and Philosophy. His short films were screened and awarded at film festivals, but also at art institutions, such as Kunsthalle Mainz, Ulm Museum, Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, The Art Institute of Chicago, Hygiene Museum Dresden, etc. The short film Melancholic Drone received the First Prize at Loop Barcelona in 2016. Simic is represented by Gallery Anita Beckers in Frankfurt. Simic is a tutor at Berlinale Talents and a host at Sarajevo Film Festival in the Innovation Forum. As the creative director and CEO, Simic co-founded the gaming company Demagog Studio, which created Golf Club: Wasteland (Golf Club: Nostalgia) that was featured by Apple in 2018 and shown at Manifesta 14. The studio created two more games in the same world: The Cub, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2022 and Highwater in 2023 for Netflix. Demagog Studio is currently working on their fourth game.

Before launching Chosen Family Media, Imran was responsible for the development slate at Big Window Productions, a new label at UFA Fiction GmbH in Germany. He has worked at CBS Television, Warner Bros., and Turner Broadcasting in various roles including scripted series development and sponsorship marketing. After successfully selling his startup, Imran was recruited by Google where he spent the next eight years working across three continents. He has been recognized for his
efforts with prestigious Cannes Lion awards for his work on P&G Secret’s Mean Stinks anti-bullying campaign and for P&G Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign. Imran has two diametrically opposite degrees in Biochemical Engineering and Musical Theatre from Northwestern University in Chicago and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Born in 1982, Ina moved from teen acting to producing at 18, learning the craft from the ground up—Bavaria Film (16mm assistant), Endemol (editor), then across TV. She developed creator-led formats—early work with Phil Laude; Prime Video’s The Way Out (with Julien Bam & Joon Kim); and a long-running collaboration with Freshtorge for ZDF’s streaming platform—while still producing for linear TV. Her throughline: new faces, new storytelling—never stand still, always move with the audience.

Irina Ignatiew-Lemke is a media executive and creative producer with over 25 years of experience in the international film and television industry. She is the founder of Boxworks Media, a boutique company focused on developing and producing smart, commercial scripted content for global audiences—true to its editorial mission of delivering popcorn with relevance.
Through Boxworks, Irina works across international co-productions, content strategy, and creative consulting. The company is also home to her podcast Unwritten+, which explores how creative careers unfold across cultures and borders, as well as Pitchcraft, a coaching format helping storytellers and executives sharpen how they shape and present ideas. She contributes a regular column on the German media market for C21Media and teaches International Co-Productions at film schools and workshops.
Before launching Boxworks, Irina held senior leadership roles at companies including All3Media Fiction and Red Arrow International, and has worked for and with brands such as Lionsgate, Magenta TV, Discovery Communications Germany, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. She is based in Munich and works internationally.

Jakob D. Weydemann was born in Hamburg, Germany, and lived in Milan, Italy, where he carried out his civilian service. He studied political sciences in Germany and film directing at the CECC in Barcelona, Spain. He is alumni of: Ateliers du Cinéma Européen (ACE), Sarajevo Young Producers Programme, Documentary Campus Masterschool, Entertainment Masterclass and the 'International Producing Class' at the International Film School Cologne (ifs). He is a board member of the German Producer’s Association (Produzent*innenverband), member of the board of directors of the German Federal Film Board (FFA), a member of the ACE network and the German Film Academy as well as the European Film Academy.
Together with his brother Jakob he founded the production company Weydemann Bros. in 2012.

Jarmo has been Head of Drama at YLE since 2015. His background includes working as Professor of Film Directing and Head of the Department of Film, Television and Scenography at Aalto University, Helsinki.
Since 1992 has worked  as director, scriptwriter and producer with numerous productions for cinema, television and theatre.
In recent years he has worked on several international co-productions such as Cargo, Paradise, Peacemaker, Last to Brake, Second and Helsinki Syndrome.

International TV Co-Editor Deadline Jesse is the International TV Co-Editor at Deadline, overseeing breaking news and features coverage out of Europe and Asia. He joined the site in 2022 from UK TV trade Broadcast, where he was Insight Editor, overseeing features and long-form reporting, for four years. A veteran entertainment industry journalist, he has also worked at Television Business International, where he was Editor, and at C21Media. He has moderated panels around the world and appears on radio and podcasts talking about the TV business. Jesse is based in London.

Nunnu is the COO & Head of International at Post Control Helsinki, Finland’s largest post-production company.
With 17 years of experience in the industry, she has held a range of leadership roles, including running a boutique financing and consulting firm, heading an industry organization that promoted Finnish film and TV internationally while advocating for stronger film policies, and founding and leading the Finnish Lapland Film Commission (2008–2013). Before her career in film and TV, Nunnu worked in export consultancy for Finnish SMEs in Italy.

Johannes Kagerer, M.A. LL.M. is head of politics and sections of the German Producers Alliance. In his role he is responsible for political communication and the coordination of the animation, documentary, cinema, television and entertainment divisions. He is the editor of the edition Peter Lilienthal Archiv 1 and author of the documentary Eine Sprache für Freunde – Leben und Werk von Peter Lilienthal (A Language for Friends – The Life and Work of Peter Lilienthal). The edition was awarded the 2020 Willy Haas Prize as the most significant publication on German film heritage.

Kaan is many things – but anything but one-dimensional. As an actor, he has already starred in a leading role for Disney, yet he has been captivating his community on TikTok for several years and is now among the most influential German creators. With his high-quality videos and infectious personality, he is a true asset to any campaign.

Kai is self-taught and began with Super 8 films. In Hanover, he was a founding member of the first Super 8 cinema in West Germany. First professional jobs in the film industry followed. Since the early 1990s, he has worked as a director and writer. His feature films Ein Leben lang kurz Hosen tragen (The Child I Never Was) and Ricky – Normal war gestern (Ricky – Three Is A Crowd) have screened at numerous festivals worldwide and received various nominations and awards. He is the head writer, co-writer, and co-director of the ZDFneo series House of Bellevue, which he created. In 2018, he founded the Queer Media Society, an initiative of queer media professionals to raise the visibility of queer people and content in the media, from which the QMS Awards e.V. emerged.

Kateryna Vyshnevska is a UK-based independent producer and international consultant, originally from Ukraine, with a passion for co-productions. She is the recipient of the first Honorary TV Beats Producer Award at TV Beats Forum, the drama series strand of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event (Tallinn, Estonia), spotlighting a prominent and inspiring figure from the region of the Nordics, Baltics and CEE, who has made a significant impact in the field of TV drama production.
Kateryna most recently served as the Head of Development and Co-productions and a Producer at Ukraine’s largest studio FILM.UA Group and was responsible for the company's strategic direction and development slate. She executive produced scripted and non-scripted content across all genres (TV series, feature film, factual) and oversaw international development and co-production partnerships.
Kateryna’s recent credits include Moloch Files, a political thriller, Czech Republic - Slovakia - Ukraine co-production and Canal+ original in CZ; Those Who Stayed, an anthology series, co-developed with Red Arrow Studios and co-produced with NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden) and YLE (Finland), that went on to air in over 30 countries; factual series Citizens At War (Australia – UK – Ukraine co-pro for ZDF channel in Germany); factual feature film Meeting Zelenskyy, directed by Liev Schreiber and André Singer and distributed by Boatrocker; KOZA NOSTRA feature film (Ukraine-Italy co-pro for RAI Cinema) and Hide and Seek (the break-out Ukrainian TV series selected by MIPTV Drama Buyers’ Summit, Serie Series, MIA, Black Nights FF, Götteborg FF, etc.).
Kateryna is a regular speaker at all major film and television events. She sits on the Advisory Board of TV Drama Vision at Gothenburg Film Festival, served on MIA Rome Drama Selection Committee, was a series mentor for European Women's Audiovisual Network’s EWA x Netflix Series Accelerator, a co-production tutor for MIDPOINT Cold Open and was a juror for Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize 2024, Rockie Awards, International Emmys and more.

Katrin studied German literature and French Language at the University of Hamburg. First working as a freelancer and Video-Journalist in Hamburg, she entered into film production in 1996. Starting her career as a screenwriter she worked from 2001 to 2009 as a Script Reader and Dramaturge for the fiction department of RTL Television in Cologne. Since 2010 Katrin is working as a freelance dramaturge, script consultant and teacher for serial storytelling. She teached at ifs filmschool (Cologne), masterschool drehbuch (Berlin), HFF Konrad Wolf (Munic), midpoint (Prague), Filmschool Lodz and focal (Switzerland) and Filmschool Lodz (Poland). In 2021 she published Der German Room together with her Co-Writer Timo Gößler – about the US Writers’ Room System in German Serial Development. Since 2022 she is Head of Studies of Serial Eyes at dffb in Berlin and focused on creative growth of European TV writing as a teacher, speaker and Writers' Room-Coach.

Director of Shared Society on the Small Screen - Albi Fund, New York
Keren Michael is a producer with over a decade of experience in production and development as the head of Original Content at Dori Media Studio Israel and creative executive at Movie Plus Productions. In this world of ever-evolving complexities, Michael's work has shaped a diverse portfolio of deeply Israeli storytelling that complicates perspectives, humanizes groups and individuals, and challenges stereotypes. Her notable TV shows include "The New Black" (HOT/Netflix Israel), "Indal" (HOT). Her notable feature films include Israel's entry for the 2022 Academy Awards, "Let It Be Morning" based on Sayed Kashua's novel, written and directed by Eran Kolirin, and "Self-Made" written and directed by Shira Geffen, which won the AFI New Auteurs Jury Prize.

Klaus Zimmermann holds a DEA in General Private Law (Sorbonne) and a Master’s in Management Science with a focus on International Business (Paris Dauphine). He began his career in 1993 at KirchGruppe in Munich, working on international co-productions such as Les Misérables and Balzac. After returning to France, he led Zimt Média and held senior roles at GMT Productions and Capital Image, producing notable TV films like Salieri and Brasier.
In 2006, he co-founded Zen Productions, overseeing international co-productions including Laconia (ARD, BBC, Canal+) and The Bible Code (ProSieben, M6). He was nominated four times for Germany’s Best Producer award between 2008 and 2012.
From 2009, as Managing Director of Atlantique Productions (Lagardère), he spearheaded major international series such as Borgia, Transporter, Death in Paradise, and Jo. In 2012, he co-initiated the Serial Eyes postgraduate program at DFFB, where he remains active as a mentor and consultant.
In 2014, Klaus co-founded Dynamic Television, a global production and distribution company based in Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. The company has delivered several hundred hours of premium drama, including Sommerdahl Murders, Van Helsing, Trapped, Harry Wild, Ginny & Georgia and Drops of God (winner of the 2024 International Emmy for Best Series). DT continues to develop and produce high-end drama with leading partners worldwide.

Lada began her professional career in the television industry in 2006, when she established her own company providing consultancy services for two of the leading players in global TV entertainment – The Walt Disney Company and Fox Channels International. Her work focused on the Czech and Slovak markets and encompassed distribution, acquisitions, marketing, EPG management, and public relations. She later became involved in production, contributing to National Geographic’s acclaimed series Genius: Einstein.
In 2020, Lada embraced a new challenge by joining CANAL+ Group, working with the Czech and Slovak offices, where she took on responsibilities in local content production. In 2021, she led the co-production of a six-episode series in collaboration with CANAL+ Polska. In 2024, she completed the production of the miniseries Daughter of the Nation and most recently launched the political thriller MOLOCH. Beyond overseeing local productions, Lada also coordinates international CANAL+ content, fostering collaboration with CANAL+ offices worldwide.
Lada launched her career in television in 2006, consulting for global leaders The Walt Disney Company and Fox Channels International in the Czech and Slovak markets. Her expertise covered distribution, acquisitions, marketing, and PR, later expanding into production with National Geographic’s Genius: Einstein.
Since 2020, she has been part of CANAL+ Group, driving local productions and international collaborations. She co-produced a six-episode series Planet Single with CANAL+ Polska (2021), completed the miniseries Daughter of the Nation (2024), and recently launched the political thriller Moloch Files (2025). Alongside her focus on Czech and Slovak content, she also coordinates CANAL+ productions across global offices.

Lasse Scharpen was born in Buxtehude in the 1980s. Instead of using his confirmation money to get a driver's license, he bought a plane ticket to Los Angeles where he assisted the producers of films such as “The Hangover” and “The Ring.” Back in Germany, he first completed an apprenticeship at the ZDF, graduated from the Film University in Babelsberg and has been working as a producer ever since. He started out at Bantry Bay where he created formats such as "Druck" and "Deutscher". He now produces series such as "Love Sucks" and "Echt" and films such as "Ein fast perfekter Antrag" and "In die Sonne schauen" under his own banner Studio Zentral.

Libby Lenkinski (she/her) is the founding President of Albi and serves as Vice President for Public Engagement at the New Israel Fund, where she has led all aspects of NIF’s public efforts in the United States for the last decade – including communications, digital, programs, events, leadership, community partnerships and engagement, New Generations and fellowships. Prior to joining NIF, Libby lived and worked in the Israeli non-profit field for almost a decade. Libby currently serves on the board of American Friends of the Batsheva Dance Company and Heeb Magazine, and is on the Advisory Committee for the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, Ayin Press, Schlepp Labs, and Diaspora Alliance. Libby is based in NYC and travels to Israel-Palestine frequently.

Lisa Kreimeyer is Director of German-language Series at Netflix in Germany, Austria and
Switzerland. Before joining Netflix in Berlin in 2019, she gained experience in Cologne,
Los Angeles and Munich – including at i+u TV, Sonar Entertainment and Sky.
As Creative Lead at Netflix, her projects include series such as Cassandra, How to Sell
Drugs Online (Fast), the bestselling adaptation Liebes Kind and KLEO. In addition to
awards such as the International Emmy for Liebes Kind and the Deutscher Fernsehpreis
(German Television Award) for KLEO, many of the productions she has overseen reached
the Netflix Top 10 and resonated with audiences internationally.
Lisa is also active in industry initiatives that support emerging talent and foster the next
generation in the German-speaking series landscape – among others as a member of the board of trustees of the First Steps Awards.

Multiple series premiered in 2024-25 with Marc's EP credit, including Mixtape (Foxtel Binge/BBC from Subotica & Aquarius), Ireland's Northern Lights, with 4 IFTA nominations, Video Nasty (BBC/Deadpan with Boatrocker), and The Boy That Never Was (RTE/Subotica with FIFF). Upcoming from around the globe are series he's put together finance and/or coproduction on including: The Ridge (BBC-SKY NZ with Great Southern), Leonard & Hungry Paul (BBC with Subotica/Avalon) and Blue Murder Motel (TVNZ with Great Southern/APC)- showrunning on Million Dollar Listing's first international remake, and now its season 2, in the UAE and London, for ImageNation and Starzplay; and prior to that on Unstoppable, a sportstainment competition format he created for those partners, plus Puma, Pure Health and Series A Italy.

Residing in London as a dual US/UK citizen, Marc works with diverse media enterprises on a mandate to build upon their content creation/development and/or physical productions, acquisitions, and/or co-production opportunities.

As one of the most experienced international multi-genre creative content and programming executives, and an Emmy and International Emmy-nominated and Bafta-Award winning Executive Producer; skilled in conception, acquisition, development, strategic partnerships and co-productions, direct physical production and financial oversight, of both scripted and unscripted projects; formats and originals: In the US, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Brazil, UAE, Egypt, KSA, Oman, Jordan, Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria, the Philippines and extensively across the EMEA, MENA and CEE regions, among the 20+ non-English speaking countries he has worked or lived in to date.

Marina Williams has over 25 years of extensive experience in media, holding senior positions in various corporations across FTA, Pay TV and Content Production including Endemol Shine Group/ now Banijay, Fox Entertainment, Turner Broadcasting and as of recent she co-founded and operated a successful Pan European Production Company Asacha Media Group, now part of Fremantle.

Matija Dragojević is a Serbian screenwriter based in Berlin. With a background in psychology and an MA in Serial Storytelling from ifs Film School in Cologne, Matija is an alumnus of Midpoint, CNC’s Going European program, and the Laureate of the CanneSeries Residency. He co-authored the series “Awake,” a supernatural detective thriller that won the Audience Award at CANNESERIES. On the industry side, Matija has worked with Sundance Labs, Seriencamp, Cinelink Sarajevo, Berlinale Series Market,  and is the Head of Programming at Seriesly Berlin. Matija also offers "quality post-production services" to his 4-year-old son. Representation by Homebase Agency.

Philipp Käßbohrer, born in 1983 in Biberach an der Riß, and Matthias Murmann, born in 1984 in Aachen, met while studying film and television at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. In 2012, they founded the production company btf (bildundtonfabrik) which is based in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. As showrunners, executive producers, writers, and directors, they have realized a wide range of projects with btf, including fictional series, TV shows, documentaries, films, art projects, commercials, and music videos. btf’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including 13 prestigious Grimme Awards and 11 German Television Awards. Recent productions include the fourth season of the Netflix series How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), the fiction series Späti (ZDFneo) and Perfekt Verpasst (Amazon Prime Video), TV shows such as Die Carolin Kebekus Show (ARD), MAITHINK X (ZDFneo), and Neo Ragazzi (ZDFneo), as well as the documentary FC Hollywood (ZDF).

Michael Polle is a production graduate of the HFF Munich. After graduating, Polle worked as a producer at Bavaria Film GmbH from 2005, then in the same position at Hofmann & Voges Entertainment from 2007. Among other things, he was involved in the production of the multi-award-winning series Streets Of Berlin and produced the Grimme Prize and German Television Crime Award-winning Tatort - nie wieder frei sein. In May 2010, Polle moved to the production company X Filme Creative Pool, where he initially headed the TV department and was appointed Managing Director in 2021. His productions there included the Grimme Award-nominated Tatort - die Wahrheit, Wünschkinder and Tatort - unklare Lage as well as the multi-award-winning series Babylon Berlin and Tina Mobil. Internationally, he produced the series Furia with Monster Scripted (NOR), ZDF and Viaplay, which premiered in the competition of the Series Mania Festival 202. Most recently, he produced together with True Content Entertainment (DK), Epo Film (AT) as well as ZDF, DR and New8 the German- Danish series Other Peoples Money, which premiered in Panorama at this year's Berlinale. In 2025, he founded together with Mischa Hofmann Polle & Hofmann Pictures GmbH, an independent production company based in Munich.

Miira Paasilinna has been the MD of the TV and film production company Anagram Sweden since 2018 and she is also as of 2024 the COO of the Anagram group. The Anagram group is a part of Studio TF1. Paasilinna has vast experience in production, international film sales and business. Before joining Anagram, she ran the international film sales agency The Yellow Affair for 9 years. Paasilinna has worked on more than 200 productions as an Executive Producer/Sales Agent/ Producer/ Director and amongst the latest shows are Disney+ 1st Nordic Original “To Cook a Bear”, “Thin Blue Line season 3” for SVT and “8 Months” for TV4 in Sweden. She has also worked as a business advisor in the creative industries and held positions on several company and advisory boards. Paasilinna holds a M.Sc. in Economics and BAs in Audiovisual Production as well as Business Administration. She is an EAVE 2007 graduate.

Nataly Kudiabor is an Executive Producer at UFA Fiction (on the management board since 2022). She began at Mediengruppe RTL, with roles at RTL II, ARD Degeto, Ziegler Film, and Grundy UFA, led ndf’s Berlin office for 11 years, and was MD of good friends (2015–2018), developing the award-winning Arthur’s Law and the German Bonus Family. Recent credits include All You Need (ARD Mediathek), The Mopes (TNT), Netflix’s The Heartbreak Agency, Apple TV+’s Where’s Wanda? (S2 commissioned), Marzahn Mon Amour (2025), and Amazon’s TV movie Die Brautentführung. She is a member of the EFA and the International Academy and champions diverse storytelling.

Nayef Hammoud is a Palestinian-Israeli screenwriter, director, and educator, known for his bilingual and bicultural storytelling that blends dark comedy with personal experiences and emotionally charged narratives. He won Best Series at the MIA Festival (Paramount) and has worked on notable projects like the series Nafas (written by Maysaloun Hamoud for Sundance Now) and co-created Al-Sofa (coming in 2026 on Israeli Arabic TV channel). Nayef has also collaborated with prominent industry showrunners such as Gideon Raff, Maor Zagori, and Shuki Ben Na'im, and has guided scriptwriting workshops in Arabic with Cannes Film Festival award-winning director Maha Haj. His short films, including The Day My Father Dies (يوم وفاة ابي), which won a prize in Paris, Last Days of Summer (أخر أيام الصيفية) (sold to Canal+), and Paradise (Asaf Saban, Ophir Award nominee), have garnered international recognition. Currently, Nayef is working on his fourth short film, Terrorist Number 2, which received funding from the New Cinema Fund. 

Oliver Fuchs grew up in Tschiertschen-Praden, a small village in the Swiss Alps, where he ignored
everyone who said snowboarding had no future. After building Eyeworks Germany into one of the
leading independents in the German-speaking market, the company was sold to Warner.
At ZDF he headed the Show Department, where he developed formats such as Cash or Trash (Bares für Rares) and Die Anstalt.
In 2018 he co-founded Fabiola GmbH, today one of Germany’s independents in entertainment, with projects like The Way Out with Julien Bam and Joon Kim and Lonely Hearts / Einsame Herzen with Freshtorge, bridging classic television and the creator economy. His central belief: audiences don’t just watch stories, they want to be part of them.

Pamela Kretzschmar has been with ITV Studios Germany since 2011, initially working as an Executive Producer overseeing numerous successful formats. In 2022, she was appointed Head of Reality, before taking on the role of Creative Director in 2025 following the merger with Bildergarten. In this position, she continues to play a key role in shaping the company’s reality portfolio and, together with her team, is responsible for formats such as „Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!“, „Ich bin ein Star – Showdown der Dschungel-Legenden“ and the companion show „Die Stunde danach“. She also oversees audience favorites incl. „Love Island“, „Love Island VIP“ and „Make Love Fake Love“. With her extensive experience, Pamela is regarded as one of the leading voices in the German reality TV landscape.

Screenwriter, producer, academic, and researcher, since 2007 he has been General Director of Content at SP Televisão and, in 2022, he was chosen for the same role at SPI,  the international brand of the media group.

He received an International Emmy Award for Laços de Sangue (2011) and was nominated by the Portuguese Academy of Cinema for Best Original Screenplay for the feature film Assim Assim (2013). He won a Gold Medal at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards for Coração d'Ouro (2016), and was nominated for Best Screenwriter at the Seoul International Drama Awards (2019).

That same year, he co-wrote Auga Seca, a Portuguese-Spanish co-production that aired on HBO. He is the creator and showrunner of Glória, the first Portuguese original series for Netflix. Glória won the Sophia Award (Portuguese Cinema Academy) for Best Series/TV Film, a Portuguese Golden Globe for Best Fiction Project, and received pre-nominations for the Platino Ibero-American Awards in the categories of Best Series Creator and Best Series.

He is also the creator and executive producer of the Brazilian Globoplay series Codex 632 (2023), which earned a Bronze Medal at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards. He wrote the Prime Video documentary Sr. Presidente (2024) and the coming-of-age drama Os Eleitos (2024), which earned a Bronze Medal Streaming Drama at New York Festivals TV&Film Awards and Best Children & Youth at World Media Festivals. He serves as executive producer of the international co-productions Cold Haven, a coproduction with Iceland, and Algodão a Frio, currently in post-production and slated for release in 2025.

Philipp Käßbohrer, born in 1983 in Biberach an der Riss, was trained as a media designer
for image and sound at SWR before studying Film and Television at the Academy of Media
Arts Cologne.
In 2012, together with Matthias Murmann, he founded the production company btf
(bildundtonfabrik) which is based in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. As a showrunner, executive
producer, writer, and director, he has realized a wide range of projects with btf, including
fictional series, TV shows, documentaries, films, art projects, commercials, and music
videos. btf’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, including 13 prestigious
Grimme Awards and 11 German Television Awards.
Recent productions include the fourth season of the Netflix series How to Sell Drugs Online
(Fast), the fiction series Späti (ZDFneo) and Perfekt Verpasst (Amazon Prime Video), TV
shows such as Die Carolin Kebekus Show (ARD), MAITHINK X (ZDFneo), and Neo Ragazzi
(ZDFneo), as well as the documentary FC Hollywood (ZDF).

Roy Ashton is a Partner at The Gersh Agency, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Prior to joining Gersh, Ashton spent 13 years at CAA. Starting in the mailroom, Ashton now functions in all areas of Television, helping clients sell shows and package projects at all major platforms. Additionally, Ashton has sold premium series in and out of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He is on the Advisory board of Content America and has taught at USC Film School.

Sebastian Krekeler has been commercializing ZDF Studios' drama output for almost two decades. With his experience in both sales and acquisition of fictional content, having built long-standing and trusting partnerships with creatives, producers and broadcasters, Sebastian is currently focussing on developing, financing and coproducing internationally successful series.

Silke Sommer is a Berlin-based costume designer with decades of extensive experience in a broad variety of settings from opera through theater and ballet as well as cinema, television and art. Her family has a history of creating costumes for international opera houses, theaters and circuses since 1864. She has been part of over 50 productions from Germany, Spain, Russia and Iran and worked with renowned German and international film directors such as Stefan Krohmer and Marc Rothemund, and with famous international artists such as Omer Fast and Maleonn. In 1999, she won the prestigious German Television Film Award for Costume Design.

Stijn Van Kerkhoven (1997) is the creator and director of the new fiction series “Oh, Otto!” (Streamz, Eyeworks). With it, he brings his own experiences in the vibrant gay scene of Brussels to the small screen.
Stijn is gradually becoming a well-known name in the audiovisual sector. He has also worked as an assistant director for top international series and films, including Rough Diamonds (Netflix, VRTMAX) and WIL (KFD).

Thomas Münzner is managing director of studio flitz, a production company belonging to Seven.One Studios. studio flitz focuses on the development, production and evaluation of creator formats for streaming providers and social media. In addition, Thomas Münzner is responsible for acquiring creator content for ProSiebenSat.1 and, in particular, the streaming platform Joyn. In his previous role as Head of Content at Joyn, Thomas Münzner was responsible for all in-house programme content, external content partnerships and licences, and the implementation of the content strategy on the streaming platform. Thomas Münzner helped build Joyn as an aggregator since 2018, which now offers over 80 free live TV channels and numerous media library contents, and launched a large number of Joyn original productions and new, innovative creator formats. Before Joyn, Thomas Münzner worked in content acquisition at Maxdome, at a time when ‘jerks.’ was the first German in-house production for a VoD platform. Münzner began his career at Maker Studios Inc., Disney's former content network, where he acquired video content for young audiences and distributed it to various platform partners.

Born 1980 in East Berlin. Spent his teenage years drawing comics and making clay animation
films with friends. After graduating high school he did an internship at the Berlin Volksbühne
theater, and from 2004 studied directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin
(dffb). During his studies, he wrote and directed award-winning short films, including Kokon,
which won the Golden Lola in 2009.
In 2014, he graduated with the feature-length horror film Der Samurai, premiering at the
Berlinale and awarded the Méliès d'Argent for Best European Fantastic Film, among others.
Since then, he has primarily worked as a scriptwriter for TV and streaming, including as co-creator and head writer of the Sky series Hausen. Parallel to this, he keeps developing his own feature film projects.

Toomas has been actively involved in the industry of television production since the late 1990s. Filmed, directed, produced newscasts, talk- and gameshows and documentary series as an independent producer, he has now acted as the Head of Content at Elisa Estonia for the past seven years. His responsibilities at Elisa include both the content acquisition for all VOD services, as well the production of Elisa's award-winning original series. Toomas has been the executive producer on Elisa’s side for 19 drama series and TV shows that have won numerous awards both home and abroad, headlined with the spy series „Traitor“ and Elisa’s latest psychological drama „My Dear Mother“.

Vivian Perkovic is a journalist with a keen interest in beats and ideas. Music, culture, and online society politics. She studied in Hamburg. She completed an internship at SWR (Southwest German Broadcasting) in Baden-Baden, Stuttgart, Mannheim, and Mainz. She is an editor, author, reporter, and presenter in Cologne, Berlin, Belgrade, and New York.
She has worked, among other things, as a presenter and reporter for Bavarian Television and the reportage series "jetzt mal ehrlich" (Now Let's Be Honest), for the TV science program "WTF?!" on Einsplus, and is an editor and presenter for Deutschlandradio Kultur for the program "Tonart am Nachmittag" (Tonart in the Afternoon).
Since 2017, Vivian Perkovic has hosted the daily 3sat magazine program Kulturzeit. She and the editorial team were awarded the 2022 German Television Award in the "Best Information" category for this program.
Vivian Perkovic also enjoys moderating congresses, conferences, and panel discussions. She also advises you on their planning and implementation.
She also provides moderation and interview coaching.

D.F.W. “Will” Buckingham is a Berlin-based American screenwriter who has worked in
the international entertainment industry for almost 15 years. Will graduated from NYU-
Tisch Asia in Singapore with an MFA in Dramatic Writing in 2012. He worked as a
Hollywood assistant and script analyst for clients including CAA and Miramax. In 2019,
he relocated to Germany to work as a lead writer for the romantic fiction app Galatea,
writing and overseeing the publication of countless web novels. Will graduated from
Serial Eyes, Europe’s premier postgraduate training program for TV writers, in 2022. He
later joined the Dark Ways Development Camp, developing new series concept with
the creators of Germany’s hit series DARK. Will also participated in the Canal+
CANNESERIES Talent Unlimited residency. Will has written TV movies airing in the US
and worldwide on Lifetime, Hallmark, UPtv, Prime, SkyTV, M6, TF1, Antena3 & more.
His in-development feature film THE VAMPIRE OF SHEUNG SHUI has been selected
for Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, BIFAN Project Market, Sitges FanPitch,
Brussels Genre Film Market, and many other international film festivals. Veteran
producer Michael J. Werner (THE GRANDMASTER, ALL SHALL BE WELL) is set to
produce. Will has also written hit vertical drama series for clients including Candyjar,
Vigloo, and Shorts. In addition to writing and developing TV and film projects, Will is
the president of the Serial Eyes Alumni Network (SEAN) and teaches screenwriting
courses for The Reader Berlin.

Yolanda Sylvana Rother (she/her) is co-founder of The Impact Company. She moderates and speaks on topics related to digital society, politics and open government, diversity and sustainability. The Berlin native is a graduate (Master of Public Policy) of the Hertie School and has lived in Brazil, France and the United States.

Youssef Sweid, an actor with a 25-year career, has appeared on some of the world's most prestigious stages, including the Burg Theater in Vienna, Maxim Gorky in Berlin, Shakespeare's Globe in London and in Israel at the Habima National Theater, the Cameri Theater, and more.
Now performing his one man show called “Between the river and the sea” worldwide .
Also stars in successful series, most recently got a best leading actor award for the successful Israeli series "Night Therapy" , and did prominent roles in international series such as "Game of Thrones", "Homeland", “Munich Games”, "The Spy" “woman of the dead” and more.