Fremantle today announces the promotion of Christian Vesper to CEO Global Drama, reporting to Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe.
In this newly created role, Vesper will continue to build on Fremantle’s impressive portfolio of scripted drama, films and dailies throughout the world and in addition will have direct oversight of some of Fremantle’s scripted labels, including Miso Film (Face to Face, The Investigation), Wildside (My Brilliant Friend, Cannes Jury Prize winner Eight Mountains, L’Immensità), The Apartment (Venice winner Bones and All, We Are Who We Are and Academy-Award nominee The Hand of God), Element Pictures (Academy Award winning film The Favourite, Normal People, Conversations With Friends), Lux Vide (Medici, Devils), Dancing Ledge Productions (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Responder) and the group’s most recent acquisition, Passenger (This England, Catch-22).
He will also oversee Fremantle’s impressive roster of talent partnerships and deals, which includes Chernobyl director Johan Renck and Michael Paret’s newly launched production company Sinestra, Michael Winterbottom’s Revolution Films, Afua Hirsch’s Born In Me and The Creatives, Fremantle’s three-year partnership agreement with a creative alliance of nine leading independent production companies.
Based in London, Vesper and his team will continue to support Fremantle’s broader drama initiatives, working in close partnership with its regional drama heads across all territories in which Fremantle operates including UFA in Germany, Fremantle Australia, Abot Hameiri in Israel and Fremantle Mexico.
Vesper will also play a strategic role in Fremantle’s growing film strategy, working with its producers on projects including Element Pictures’ On Becoming a Guinea Fowl directed by Rungano Nyoni and projects soon to be announced by Wildside.
Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO Continental Europe, commented: “Following the acquisitions of Element Pictures and Lux Vide, our scripted eco-system has become even stronger. This new role is part of the new organisational structure we are putting in place to best support our family of great producers. Under Christian’s leadership, Fremantle has delivered beautifully made, provocative and taste-making series. He has also made connections and partnerships with some of the best creatives in the world. He has impeccable taste and a unique creative instinct, which makes him an exceptionally-valued point of reference for our producers and talents across the world.”
Christian Vesper, CEO, Global Drama added: “The opportunity to oversee the Drama Group, and to help support and guide our producers to continue to make the best TV and films in the global marketplace, is a privilege. Over the last seven years, I have been lucky enough to be a part of Fremantle’s growth in the scripted business and am proud to be part of us having increased the number of Dramas we have delivered from around 30 projects in 2016, to over 100 projects in 2022. I can’t wait to continue the journey of growth and quality.”
Christian joined Fremantle in 2016 as Executive Vice President and Creative Director, Global Drama, and was promoted in 2020 to President, Global Drama. He was previously drama chief at Sundance TV where he oversaw critically-acclaimed international productions including Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake and Hugo Blick’s The Honourable Woman, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Deutschland 83, and domestic series Hap And Leonard, created by novelist Joe R. Lansdale, and Ray MacKinnon’s Rectify, a huge critical success made with Breaking Bad producer Gran Via and ran for 4 seasons. Vesper previously held roles at HBO; entertainment industry start-up iFilm; October Films and USA Film.
