iWorld
MIPTV & ZDF Studios announce finalists for MIPFormats Pitch 2024
Mumbai: MIPTV revealed the five finalists of the MIPFORMATS PITCH 2024 staged in partnership with ZDF Studios, each of whom will present their original unscripted entertainment formats in front of a renowned industry jury in Cannes on the second day of MIPFORMATS (6-7 April).
Finalists were shortlisted based on a potential universal appeal by an international jury of format experts who will also judge the pitches on the day, comprised of Ilan Astrug, VP, Formats Acquisition and Sales, Warner Bros. Int. TV Production; Siobhan Crawford, Content and Founder, GLOW MEDIA; Julien Degroote EVP, Head of Content Development, TF1 Group; Ella Umansky, VP Format Acquisitions, ITV Studios and Ralf Rückauer, VP Unscripted, ZDF Studios.
With 89 submissions for the 2024 competition received from a record 29 countries, the finalists are:
‘Villa Incognito’, Tuvalu Media (Netherlands)
‘25’, LGH Entertainment (Norway)
‘A.I Of The Beholder’, David Tobiasz (Canada)
‘The Stupid House’, Chulapo Pictures (UK)
‘Unknown Champions’, Phillip Sindermann (Germany)
The popular annual session will be staged in the world-renowned Palais des Festivals on Sunday 7th April at 16:30. One winner will be selected live on stage receiving a financial contribution of €2000 to development, in addition to complementary accreditation to a future MIP Market and access to coaching and mentoring expertise from within the ZDF Studios Group for a year.
ZDF Studios vice president unscripted Ralf Rückauer said: “There is a tendency in the market to revive existing formats that audiences are familiar with. This makes it all the more interesting to look at fresh, unusual and completely new ideas. We were pleasantly surprised by the number of submissions and their diversity and originality. I look forward to meeting the five finalists of this exciting competition in person in Cannes.”
Last year’s competition saw the Turkish talent show format ‘The Show Must Go On’, created by Format Workshop triumphing over concepts from Italy, the UK and Ukraine.
MIPFORMATS will take place within the MIPTV pre-opening weekend (6-7 April), which alongside an extended MIPDOC strand creates ‘the biggest weekend in Unscripted’ in Cannes ahead of the three-day MIPTV exhibition market (8-10 April) set to welcome over 130 exhibitors and delegates from 85 countries.
The MIPTV conference programme will feature returning renowned elements including keynotes from leading industry players, The MIP SDG Award (in partnership with the United Nations), and MIPLAB summits focusing on the future of the industry. International Series Festival CANNESERIES will run alongside MIPTV from 5-10 April.
iWorld
Epic Company launches unified Epic Studio for films and OTT
Vivek Krishnani to head films business; Samar Khan leads OTT & Television.
MUMBAI: Epic just merged its creative superheroes under one cape because when films and OTT need to fight for attention together, you don’t keep them in separate universes. The Epic Company has launched Epic Studio, a next-generation creative and production powerhouse that unites Juggernaut Productions and Movieverse Studio under a single banner. The move creates a streamlined, scalable platform for premium storytelling across theatrical films, OTT originals, television, digital-first formats and branded content.
Vivek Krishnani has been appointed chief executive officer, Epic Studio (Films), overseeing the theatrical and film business with a focus on culturally resonant narratives across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam cinema. Samar Khan continues as chief executive officer, Epic Studio (OTT & Television) and retains his role as chief content officer for Docubay and Epic On.
The Epic Company managing director Aditya Pittie said, “Epic Studio brings together our entire creative ecosystem under one unified studio vision. This is not just an integration of verticals, but the creation of a collaborative environment where writers, filmmakers, creators, and brand partners can seamlessly develop and scale stories across formats and screens.”
Vivek Krishnani added, “We are building an audience-focused mainstream film studio committed to delivering fresh, engaging, and innovative stories for both theatrical and streaming platforms.”
Samar Khan commented, “This alignment allows us to approach storytelling with a unified studio mindset. We are building IP under one creative umbrella, with scale and longevity in mind from inception.”
The unified structure eliminates silos, enabling ideas to flow fluidly from concept to screen while adapting to evolving audience behaviour. Epic Studio positions itself as a creator-led ecosystem championing purposeful, resonant storytelling with commercial strength.
In an entertainment landscape where stories now leap between screens faster than plot twists, Epic isn’t just building a studio, it’s crafting a single launchpad where every tale gets the best shot at soaring across every platform.
