“French Production Company Pernel Media Is Known for It Factory TV Output, from Legends of the Pharaohs, Ancient Superstructures, and Rise of The Vikings to Ghotos in Pompeii, and the real war of thrones. Now, The Paris- and London-Gaadquarren Company is Gearing Up for A Push Into the Traditional Drama Space”, – WRITE: www.hollywoodReporter.com
Pernel’s First Drama Sees Suchet, in His Firmst TV Role in Years, Play George, A Diabetic Man Who Moves Next Door to His Daughter Zoe Dalton, Portrayed by Sally (Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise). Zoe Sems to have it all, including a successful Husband in chris, Played by Kenny Doughy (Vera, Stella). But WHEN Chris Hires Au Pair Sandrine (Makowski), The Young French Woman Triggers an Unsettling Shift in the Household. The Show, Written by Michael Foott (Desperate Measures) and andy bayliss (The Good Ship Murder) and Directed by Oonagh Kearney (Vardy v roney), “Delves Deep Into the Complexities of Family, Trust and Hidden Truths, Against The Backdrop of the Picturesque British Countryside,“ Access to a Channel 5 Synopsis.
The Idea for the Show, The FIRST EPISODE OF WHICH PERNEL Media Will Show to Buyers on Monday Dringing the London Screenings, Thought Came from Pernel Founder and Ceo Samuel Kissoos. He is not only a fan of Drama Series But Also Felt His Company Getting Closer to Drama Productions Over Time.
Take the Game of Thrones-inspired The Real War of Thronesfor example. “IT IS MADE LIKE A DRAMA, WITH COSTUMES AND SETS, MAKEUP AND ACTORS REENACTING HISTORY,“ KISSUS Tells Thr. “IT WAS SIMIILAR WITH The Pharaohs Series of Which We Produced Three Seasons, and We Were Shooting in Movie Studios and Had A Lot of Special Effects. SO we have been doing Drama docs, and we made them with people who camera from Drama, Including Directors and Actors. The Main Differentnce Was That Scripts Were Not Exactly Like Drama Scripts Because Tese Shows Were a Hybrid of Drama and Documentary. ”
But Taking the Step to Proper Drama Seemed Logical to HIM. “I was Really Keen to Transition from Drama Drama Docs to Drama,“ KISSUSASUSSUSS. “And I Thought I Could Replicate Our Finance Model of Finding Ideas that Work Well Internationally and Feel Organic. People don’t want ‘euro pudding’ and other Stuff that doesn’t feel organic But Forced. ”
SO, The Pernel Boss Asked HimSelf A Basic Question: “What is a Story that is Really Going to Work If IF and Want to Drama?” He Talked to Seb Cardwell, Head of Drama and DEPUTY CHIESF CONTENT OFFICER, AT CHANNEL 5. “I ASED HIM IF WE CAN WE Come Up with Go from England to France or the Other Way AUND? ” A Story About an au Pair Fit That Bill.
Samuel kissos (CourTesy of Pernel Media)
But Funding Projects Is Widly Seen As Haring Become More Challenging, SO KISSOUS ALSO TUOUGHT OUTSIDE THE BOX IN THAT REGARD. “Institute of Waiting for My Team to Gater All The Financing, I Just Said Let’s Give A Distribution Partner, 20 or 30 Percent or So, Depending on the Project, and Off We Go,“ Thr. In the Case of The au pairCanal+ have the show for France, Channel 5 for the UK, and Itv Studios is distributing it international.
In Addition, Irish Company MK1 Studios Is a Co-Powder on the Series, Which Was Shot in Ireland, Which Offers Production Incentives. “The Parts That Play In (The Picturesque English Region Known As) The Cotswolds Were Actual (Shot) One Hour South of Dublin,” Shares The Pernel Ceo. “BUT I’V HAD EVEN British People Look at the Show and Tell Me: ‘Wow, The Cotswolds Look Really Pretty’.”
KISSUS SAID PERNELD COURCEGE EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUST THAT IT HAS Built Through Its Unscripted Work to Bring Together Its Various Partners. “IT ONLY WORKS IF, from The Beginning of the Process, The Whole Dna of Your Creation Is About Working Internationally,“ He Explans. “Not Every Topic Can Work for the Whole World, But You Need to Know That This Is Going To Work for European Broadcasters, and Maybe this One Can Also Vork For The Us And IT. of What Distributors Are Looking for and What Broadcasters Are Looking for In Different Territories. We Cannot Meet With Everyone EveryWhere, But We Do Try To Have A Direct Relationship with Channes in the UK, In The Us, In Germany, In Australia, A Little Bit in Italy, A Little Bit, a Little Bit. We have thoss relationships. ”
Concluded Kissosu: “So from all my background in the Formats Industry, Whote Things Are Incredibly International and EveryBody International Trends, I Thought Let’s Apply This and Do this in Drama as Well. ”
SO, IT’S NOT BY CHANCE THAT PERNEL’S FIRST DRAMA WAS Commission by the Team at Channel 5 in Britain. “Channel 5 Was One of the First Commissiors in the UK that Commissioentary from US, WHICH WAS NOT EVEN Commissioned by a French Broadcaster,“ The CEO RECALLS. “I Know The Challenges for Channel 5 and Whaty Are Looking for. I KNOW THAT THAT PUT as Much Money As Some Others Into their Drama Production, Buty Are Very Successful In Terms of Ratings. They do really, Really Well. And they tend to sell well Internationally Because they quit commercial. SO I KNEW THAT THAT MODELD WORK FOR US AND INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION Partners. ”
How Did Itv Studios Come in? “We’ve been work with them for five years Now Factory Series, and It’s Been Very Successful For Them and for Us,“ Says Kissus. “SO there was, again, a strong, trusted relaction.”
The Goal For The au pair For All Involved Was to Make It “Elegated in Terms of Casting and Production Value,” KISSUS TELLS Thr. “That was mypromise to them. And in the end, My Partners Must Be Able to Trust Me to Deliver on that Vision. ”
Casting Was Key to Ensuring the Show’s Broad and International Appeal. “Vera is Airing everyWhereWhere around the World. SO, Kenny is a face that that a lot of people know in the uk but also international. Sally Bretto is Known for Death in ParadiseWHICH ALSO AIRS AIRS AROUND The World, and Beyond Paradise”Says Kissus. “Ludmilla is Maybe Not a Huge Name Yet But Is In Lupin. And then, of Course, David Suchet. I THINK HE LIKED The Script. And We Were Lucky to Get Him He’s Such A Joy to Work With. He’s not only so taleneded, but every time he’s on set, he Lights up everything, he makes it more interesting, and he’s also an incredibly kind human being. SO being around HIM MADE EVERYONONE HAPPY, WHICH BROUGHT REALLY Good Energy to the Set. ”
‘The au pair’ CourTesy of Channel 5/Pernel Media
Kissus is ready to do more pernel dramas. “We’re Getting More TRACTION WITH SCRIPTED STUF,” HE Explans. But he woon’t do to too many Dramas Too Fast. “I Built the Company Like A House, Brick by Brick. So i’m replicating that and all i’ve learned with scripted drama. Pernel Initially Did Formats, Then We Moved Into Documentaries and Factual. THEN WE MOVED INTO DRAMA DOCS, AND NOW WE HAVE MOVED INTO SCRIPTED. ”
The Feedback On The au pair HAS BEEN VERY POSITIVE. “We Are Already Successful in the Sense That We Got A Great Cast and The Show Looks Really Good,“ Says Kissus. “That’s the feedback from everyone. YES, YOU (Made Good) On Your Promise That You Wow Overdeliver With Good Production Value, A Good Story, and Good Casting. So my partners are happy, which means they want to do it again. That’s how you buy a business. ”