Winterclass - Serial Writing and Producing

After completing her M.A. in Communication Studies, Politics, and Literature at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, she worked for several years in marketing on the agency side. From 2012 to 2014, she completed a master's programme in film production at Hamburg Media School. She began her career as a producer at Polyphon Film and Television Company (including "Familie Dr. Kleist" (ARD/Das Erste), "Tempel" (ZDFneo)). After a year as a freelance editor at NDR and two years as a producer at ndF: neue deutsche Filmgesellschaft ("Der Ranger – Paradies Heimat" (ARD/Das Erste)), she worked from 2019 to 2022 for Studio Hamburg Production Group - Letterbox Filmproduktion and Nordfilm as a producer ("Das weiße Schweigen" (RTL+/Vox), "Lehrer kann jeder!" (ZDF)) and executive producer ("Schule am Meer" (ARD/Das Erste)). She is currently working as a freelance producer and writer.

For her work on "Das weiße Schweigen", she was awarded the DAfFNE in 2022 in the category of "Editing, Producing, Dramaturgy". The film was also nominated for the German Television Award and the Bernd Burgemeister Television Award at the Munich Film Festival (Best Television Film).

During her studies in Film and Television Studies at FU Berlin, Ceylan Yildirim already worked as a writer and producer for Askania Media (the Berlin branch of Bavaria Media) in Babelsberg. During this time, she developed "Alone Against Time", the first real-time series for children, for which she served as showrunner. The format was nominated for the International Emmy Award, Banff World Media Award, and the German Television Award, and received various accolades.

After several short films for children (SR/BBC for the European Broadcasting Union) and the YA mystery series "Arman's Secret", which was awarded at the New York Film Festival, she worked for various production companies in different roles as a freelance producer, head writer, dramaturg, or writer on projects such as "Arthur's Law" or the second season of "All You Need".

Since 2020, Ceylan has been with UFA FICTION, where she is responsible for the adaptation of the novel "Maxton Hall – The World Between Us" based on Mona Kasten's bestselling trilogy "Save Me", "Save You", "Save Us". The series reached number one in 120 countries during its launch week and became the most successful international series in the history of Amazon Prime Video.

Prof. Joachim Kosack, born in 1965 in Gunun Sitoli on Nias, began his career in the performing arts. He worked in Wuppertal as a cabaret artist and was part of the founding team of TIC - Theatres in Cronenberg.

Later, he took on productions at the municipal theatre in Pforzheim, Coburg, Hannover, and Zittau, among others. In 1996, Kosack transitioned to the media industry as chief author, director, and producer at Grundy UFA for the successful series formats GZSZ and HINTER GITTERN. He then worked as a producer for teamWorx, where he produced DIE FLUCHT and STAUFFENBERG. Since 2002, he has been teaching leadership at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in the field of series producing.

Nach einer Tätigkeit bei Producers at Work wurde er Leiter des Bereiches Deutsche Fiction bei ProSiebenSat.1 und im April 2011 schließlich Geschäftsführer SAT1. Zu den wichtigsten Projekten dort gehören DER LETZTE BULLE, DANNI LOWINSKI, WIR SIND DAS VOLK, KOKOWÄÄH und GOETHE Im Oktober 2012 kehrte Kosack zu seinen UFA Wurzeln zurück, um dort zusammen mit Nico Hofmann und Markus Brunnemann die neu entstandene UFA Fiction zu leiten. Seit März 2016 fungierte Joachim Kosack außerdem als Geschäftsführer der UFA Serial Drama und seit September 2018 darüber hinaus als Geschäftsführer der UFA GmbH. Seit August 2024 ist er nicht mehr bei der UFA.

Hanno Hackfort, born in 1970 in Paderborn, has been working as a freelance writer for various film and television productions since 1999. In 2002, he made his debut as a screenwriter and director with the feature film "JUNIMOND". From 2004, he wrote various television plays and series as a screenwriter. Since 2012, he has been working as a team with Richard Kropf and Bob Konrad. Together, they developed and wrote, among others, the series SOKO Potsdam (ZDF), KOSKOWSKI UND HAFERKAMP (ARD), 4 BLOCKS 3 seasons (TNT), YOU ARE WANTED (Amazon Prime Video), PARA – WE ARE KING (TNT), FUNERAL OF A DOG (Sky), and KLEO (Netflix). They are also responsible as showrunners and executive producers. The second season of KLEO has been available on Netflix since July 2024. Hanno Hackfort lives and works in Berlin.

Uta Cappel has been working as a commissioning editor for the European Cultural Channel ARTE in Strasbourg since 1999. After a debut in the drama department, Cinéma-Fiction, she worked for ten years in the documentary department, Documentaries and Magazines. From 2013 onwards, she was in charge of the Drama Series slot on Thursday nights for ARTE G.e.i.e. Some of the series she has been involved in more recently are HELSINKI SYNDROME (with Yle, Ndr), HAUS AUS GLAS (with Wdr, Degeto), CHARITE IV (with Mdr, Degeto), THE INFORMANT (with Ndr, Nrk, Degeto), REYKJAVIK 112 (with Simmin), ETTY (ARTE, SWR) and LA LINEA DELLA PALMA (with RSI).

Henning Kamm is a Peabody Award-winning producer who has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy and BAFTA, who co-founded DETAiLFILM in 2007 and Zentropa Hamburg in collaboration with the Danish powerhouse Zentropa in 2014.

In December 2016, Henning became Managing Director at REAL FILM Berlin, where he produced, among others, Netflix's Anna Winger's "Unorthodox" and "Sleeping Dogs", the ARD event feature "Dreieinhalb Stunden" directed by Ed Herzog, and most recently Luzie Looses/John Karstens' "Everyone is f*cking crazy" for ARD, "Viktor brings it" for Prime Video, "Hameln" for ZDFneo, and "KRANK Berlin" for ZDFneo/Apple TV+.

Since January 2020, Henning has also served as Managing Director of the REAL FILM subsidiary Friday Film, whose first production "Call my Agent Berlin" will be available on Disney+ from 12 September.

Henning was Germany's "Producer on the Move" in 2014 and in 2017 one of Variety's "10 Producers to Watch". He is a graduate of EAVE and Inside Pictures and was on the board of the European Film Academy from 2016 to 2020.

Bob Konrad was born in 1968 in Heidelberg and studied at the UdK Berlin. Since 1993, he has been writing and producing radio plays and radio comedies - such as the 'Show Royale' with the German-Austrian comedy duo Stermann & Grissemann. He found his way to television in 2000 through an animated series, followed by his first feature film 'Besser als Schule'. Since 2012, he has been working in a team with Hanno Hackfort and Richard Kropf, and together they are responsible for the series 4 BLOCKS, YOU ARE WANTED, PARA – WE ARE KING, and KLEO.

©Sammy Hart

Richard Kropf was born in West Berlin in 1979. He began his career as an actor and trained at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York before writing the short film BUM BUM in 2005. He then focused on screenwriting and was a co-head writer of the SAT1 series DER LETZTE BULLE (2011). He created the shows THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE (VOX) and LAST X-MAS (RTL+). His feature film debut WOCHENENDREBELLEN was released in September 2023.

Richard also works in a team with the screenwriters Hanno Hackfort and Bob Konrad. Together they are responsible for the shows KOSLOWSKI & HAFERKAMP (ARD), SOKO Potsdam (ZDF), YOU ARE WANTED (Amazon Prime Video), 4 BLOCKS (TNT Series), LABAULE & ERBEN (SWR), PARA – WE ARE KING (TNT Series) and KLEO (Netflix). 4 BLOCKS received six awards from the German Television Academy and three German Television Awards. The series also received the Golden Camera, the Grimme Prize, and the Jupiter Award. KLEO was nominated for the Critic’s Choice Award, and won the Grimme Prize as well as two German Television Awards. Richard Kropf has been a mentor for the DFFB’s Serial Eyes program for ten years. He lives and works in Berlin.

©Detlev Schneider

Katrin Merkel completed her studies in German Studies with a focus on Theatre and Media at the University of Hamburg. Between 1999 and 2004, she worked freelance as a TV writer, and from 2001 as an editor, among others for the Fiction Department of RTL in Cologne, where she took over the management of the editorial team in 2005. From 2010 to 2022, she worked freelance as a dramaturg and development producer, primarily for German series productions, and as a lecturer in serial writing. In September 2021, she published the specialist book "THE GERMAN ROOM – The US Writers' Room in German Series Development" together with Timo Gößler. Since July 2022, she has been leading the international development and training programme SERIAL EYES at the dffb in Berlin as Head of Studies, teaching at national and international institutions (including Filmuni Babelsberg, focal, Filmuni Lodz, midpoint institute) and working as a Writers' Room Coach.

After studying at the HFF KONRAD WOLF (Screenwriting/Dramaturgy), Timo Gößler was part of the development team for the crime series UNSCHULDIG (Pro7/Teamworx) and co-wrote several episodes in Germany's first Writers' Room, consistently modelled after the US. As a dramaturg, he worked on feature films and documentaries as well as numerous serial formats such as ALARM FÜR COBRA 11 (RTL/action concept), LÖWENZAHN (ZDF/Studio.TV.Film), BEUTOLOMÄUS UND DER WAHRE WEIHNACHTSMANN (KiKA/Wunderwerk) or TRANSITNIKI (Rohfilm Factory). Since April 2022, he has been a permanent dramaturg and Development Producer at UFA Fiction, involved in the development of numerous series such as DISKO 76 (RTL+) or CHARITÉ (MDR/Arte/Degeto). Timo Gößler is a visiting professor at the Film University and teaches screenwriting, practical dramaturgy, serial storytelling, and Writers’ Room methodology; he is also the Dean of the BA Screenwriting/Dramaturgy programme. For years, Timo has led panels, workshops, and training for the international and national industry (e.g. German Film Academy, Bavarian Film Centre, Netflix, Studiocanal, ZDF, SRF, Focal, EAVE, Midpoint, WEMW, Rwanda Media Project, Goethe-Institut Nairobi). Together with Katrin Merkel, he wrote the industry handbook "Der German Room - the US Writers' Room in German series development", which was published in September 2021. Along with his colleagues from EPI, Timo Gößler developed the training "Winterclass Serial Writing and Producing", which he led until 2024, collaborating with numerous national and international series professionals such as Alex Gansa (HOMELAND), Kelly Souders (911 LONE STAR), Annette Hess (DEUTSCHES HAUS), or Jantje Friese (1899).

Oliver Ossege studied at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn. After obtaining his Magister Artium, he worked in various positions at the municipal Cologne Theatre. He transitioned to the TV industry with teamWorx and Grundy UFA and completed a postgraduate course in series production at the Drama Centre of the University of the Arts in London. Since then, Oliver has worked as a producer and (executive) producer for production companies such as Studio Hamburg, UFA, and Wiedemann & Berg TV (including for the first season of the award-winning series DER PASS). In the meantime, he paused his production activities and served as a funding consultant for serial formats in the area of film funding and new media at the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. In 2021, Oliver returned to UFA Fiction. He co-produced the series HELGOLAND 513 for SKY Deutschland and won the Audience Award at the International Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo 2024. As an executive producer, his focus in recent months has been on the first German-language series from Apple TV+, WHERE'S WANDA, which is currently being successfully broadcast.

UFA consolidates its activities in the programme genres of fiction and serial drama, as well as show, factual, and documentary under one roof. UFA Fiction represents the production activities in the areas of series, TV movies, events, and feature films, and has a remarkable portfolio that has significantly shaped the German television landscape.

Katharina Domnick is a partner at the law firm Brehm & v. Moers in Berlin and specialises in copyright, media, and entertainment law. She advises national and international companies in the film and media industry, particularly on film and streaming projects, with a focus on rights clearance, financing, production, and exploitation, as well as in complex copyright disputes.

As an experienced lecturer and speaker, Katharina Domnick is the Head of Studies for the Master's programmes "European Film Business and Law" and "Digital Media Law and Management" at the Erich Pommer Institute, as well as the international EPI programme "International Rights Clearance". Additionally, she has been working for many years as a legal expert in film and entertainment law at the Berlinale.

Oliver Schütte is a specialist in storytelling. He studied film and theatre studies at the Free University of Berlin. He has been working as a writer for film and television since 1986 and as a dramaturg since 1990. For his first screenplay "Koan", he received the German Screenplay Award in 1988. In 1995, he founded the continuing education institution Master School Screenplay, which he led until the end of 2008. In 1995, he also began his extensive teaching activities both in Germany and abroad. In 2000, he initiated the Scriptforum, the first German conference and fair for screenwriting and material development, of which he was the artistic director until 2006. For the past seven years, he has been the head of SerienLab, a nine-month writers' workshop for high-quality fictional series. Since 2022, he has been intensively engaged with AI and its applications for writers. In 2023, he published the book "Writing the Future – AI for Writers" and has since been giving regular international lectures and workshops on this topic.

Today, he works as a dramaturg, lecturer at international film schools, publicist, and author.

He is a founding member of the German Film Academy.

Kelly Souders graduated with an MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California. Since then, she has worked in the television industry for over fifteen years.

Starting as a staff writer, she worked her way up the ladder with her writing/producing partner to become an Executive Producer on SMALLVILLE. She showran SMALLVILLE and the new BEAUTY AND THE BEAST before jumping on another CBS show as a consulting Producer on UNDER THE DOME.

She was Executive Producer on the cable drama SALEM for several seasons and was working on the Emmy-nominated series GENIUS, starring Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson and Antonio Banderas.

Most recently she created, wrote and produced the series THE HOT ZONE, starring Julianna Margulies, Noah Emmerich and Liam Cunningham. Season two is already finished, which stars Tony Goldwyn and Daniel Dae Kim. Kelly Souders is currently an Executive Producer on 911 LONESTAR with Rob Lowe. She is currently working on a pilot for Amazon.

Maggie Murphy has over 25 years of experience in television development and production, most recently as the EP of HOUDINI & DOYLE. She has been the development executive for David Kelley, SVP of Drama Development for CW, SVP at Regency TV, and consulting producer at Universal with Vin Diesel’s One Race Productions. She has developed with top talent including Darren Star (SEX AND THE CITY), Howard Gordon (HOMELAND), Diablo Cody (JUNO), and Ron Moore (OUTLANDER), and developed ALLY MCBEAL, THE PRACTICE, VERONICA MARS, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, THE X-FILES, BUFFY, BERNIE MAC and CHICAGO HOPE.

Maggie teaches at UCLA and various universities around the world and is a Professor and Head of the Creative Producing Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

She is currently a Consultant for NETFLIX both domestically and internationally. She has been a keynote speaker at The Sorbonne, METI Japan University, Shanghai University and Nottingham Microfilm Festival. She is a member of the PGA, the Television Academy, SAG/AFTRA and AF.

Eva van Leeuwen has been working at Netflix since 2018 and became the Head of Series DACH, Content Acquisition in 2023. In this role, she is responsible for the development and creative design of all series productions for the streamer in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Under her leadership, multiple award-winning audience favourites have conquered the international top 10 lists – including the two International Emmy-winning series The Empress and Dear Child, as well as Achtsam Morden, Cassandra, KLEO, and the cult series How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast).

Before her role at Netflix, the native of Düsseldorf led the film production department of Sony, Deutsche Columbia Pictures, for six years and produced films such as Who Am I, 25KmH, and Help, I've Shrunk My Teacher.

He is a founding member of the German Film Academy.

Remmers grew up in Groß-Gerau and Mainz before moving to Berlin to become a screenwriter. There, he produced short films, music videos, and commercials with friends and taught himself the craft of screenwriting. His first realised feature film screenplay was the self-made no-budget film Schneeflöckchen, which won multiple awards at international festivals. Since then, he has written screenplays for feature films and series such as Our Time is Now, Ronny & Klaid, Dream Factory, Dogs of Berlin, Sløborn, Ze Network, and the American feature film Boy Kills World, produced by Sam Raimi and starring Bill Skarsgård. He is the creator and head writer of the thriller series Oderbruch, whose second season will be released in early 2026.

©Lars Nitsch

Kim Rosenberg is a content and media specialist with a focus on storytelling across print, digital, and audio formats. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Nordakademie and a Master's in Digital Innovation and Business Transformation from Steinbeis University. She began her career in print publishing at Nordkurier Mediengruppe and later transitioned into cinema marketing at Greater Union First Cinema. From there, she moved into digital publishing and content strategy at Random House, followed by several years at Apple, where she led editorial efforts for digital books and audiobooks across multiple European markets. Since 2025, she has been a Senior Producer at Audible, focusing on the development of original fiction audio content.

Torsten Zarges is Managing Partner of Zarges creative talent connection, an agency for Content Production, Talent & Literary Management, which he founded in 2004 in Cologne.

Since 2013, he has also been the Chief Reporter for the media magazine DWDL.de.

After starting his career at the 'Westfälische Rundschau' in Dortmund, he studied journalism and political science, completed an internship at Westdeutscher Rundfunk, and then worked for various television and radio editorial teams at WDR.

From 1998 to 2013, he reported as a correspondent for the media trade service Kress from Cologne.

Since 2004, he has regularly participated in the juries and nomination committees of the Grimme Award. From 2012 to 2018, he was the chair of the jury for the German Radio Award and took on this role again in 2023.

Alexandra Staib studied Media Management in Stuttgart and Creative Producing at the Hamburg Media School. With her graduation film "Sadakat", she and her team won numerous awards, including the Student Academy Award in Gold 2015 for Best Foreign Short Film.

Since 2015, she has been an editor in the ZDF main editorial office for television film I, overseeing the development of successful film and series productions such as "Bad Banks", "The Swarm", and the award-winning feature film "The Teacher's Room". In addition, she is committed to supporting emerging filmmakers, giving lectures at film schools, and representing ZDF in various funding committees.

Christian Honeck studied Theatre, Film and Television Studies as well as German Philology and Education at the University of Cologne. During his studies, he worked as a freelance editor for various editorial teams at WDR in Cologne. From November 2011, he worked in Munich as a Junior Producer for Original Productions at WarnerBros. Discovery (formerly Turner Broadcasting System / Warner Media). Initially focusing on children's and family programming as well as non-fictional general entertainment, from 2014 he worked as a Producer and later as a Senior Producer almost exclusively in the area of fictional series for the pay-TV channels TNT Serie and TNT Comedy (including 4 BLOCKS, ARTHUR'S LAW, OTHER PARENTS, PARA - WE ARE KING). Since October 2021, he has been working as Director of Original Productions (GSA) for The Walt Disney Company. The first project he implemented in this position as Executive Producer is the series GERMAN HOUSE, which premiered exclusively on Disney+ in November 2023.

Charles Harrison is the International Scripted Format Producer for BBCS. Charles is responsible for delivering consultancy on all the international re-versions of BBCS’ scripted formats globally (excluding the USA). Charles has a diverse background in the scripted genre, having worked at the BBC, as an Exec at The Walt Disney Company, and for a host of independent production companies including Element Pictures and Buccaneer Media – where he developed ITV/Netflix hit drama MARCELLA from pitch to screen. Charles has a wealth of experience in script development and production: from producing and script editing (both prime-time and continuing drama series) to consultancy in South Africa and Nigeria.

Nico Hofmann is one of the most renowned film and television producers in Germany. Since 2024, he has been working independently with his own production company, Nico Hofmann Film, after having led the UFA Group as CEO for many years. His most well-known productions includeOur Mothers, Our Fathers, Deutschland83, Charité, The PhysicianandThe Boy Must Go Outside. In addition to his work as a producer, he is a professor at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy and has been committed to promoting emerging filmmakers for many years. He has received numerous national and international awards for his work.

Swantje Oppermann is a development executive, writer and story editor with over ten years of experience in television broadcasting and production. In 2016, she was selected for UCLA’s Summer Sessions in TV Writing and has since developed numerous TV series projects. She co-authored the German-Chilean drama seriesDignityand has published four novels, with her debut nominated for the SERAPH literary award.

Story House Pictures is part of Bavaria Film Group, one of Europe’s leading film and television studios. Founded in 1999, the Emmy®-nominated company has produced internationally successful series includingSisi, distributed in over 120 territories and awarded multiple prizes. Other acclaimed productions includeDignityand the upcoming ARD/ORF seriesMozart/Mozart, currently in production.

Andreas Gutzeit is co-founder of Story House Pictures and an award-winning writer, producer and director. He serves as head writer and showrunner of the critically acclaimed drama seriesDignity, executive producer ofSprite Sistersfor Walt Disney Studios, and showrunner of the hit seriesSisi(RTL/Beta Film) as well as the upcoming dramaMozart/Mozart(ARD/ORF/Bavaria Media), set to go into production in 2025.

Story House Pictures is part of Bavaria Film Group, one of Europe’s leading film and television studios. Founded in 1999, the Emmy®-nominated company produces internationally successful series such asSisi, distributed in over 120 territories worldwide, andDignity, a critically acclaimed co-production that received multiple awards and a Grimme Award nomination. The company is currently producingMozart/Mozart, a six-part drama about Maria Anna Mozart.

David Hadda, born 1984 in Frankfurt/Main, studied law in Heidelberg and Cologne. He completed his legal clerkship in Berlin. Alongside his studies, he began working as a writer for stand-up comedians and TV formats such as Switch Reloaded and Schillerstraße. At Tele5, he was initially responsible for distribution & business affairs, later serving as Creative Director responsible for original productions. Since 2018, he has been self-employed with his own production company Turbokultur. He developed and produced TV formats such as Heroes, Deadlines, and Freitagnacht Jews, for which he won the Grimme Prize and the German Television Award. He is the creator and showrunner of his latest TV series “Die Zweiflers,” which recently won three awards at Cannes: “High School Award,” “Best Music,” and “Best Series.”

©Lottermann and Fuentes

Irina Ignatiew-Lemke is a media executive and creative producer with over 25 years of international TV & film experience.

Irina’s work spans international co-productions, content strategy, and creative consulting. She is the host of Unwritten+, a podcast about the human side of building a career across cultures and borders. Through candid conversations with creatives and executives, the show explores what drives people, what challenges them, and the moments in between that shape everything. On the side, she runs Pitchcraft, a coaching format that helps creatives and leaders pitch with confidence — tackling nerves, sharpening delivery, and learning to speak with clarity and presence.

She writes a regular column on the German media landscape for C21Media and teaches International Co-Productions at film schools and industry workshops. Previously, she held senior roles at All3Media Fiction and Red Arrow International, and has worked with brands including Lionsgate, Discovery, and MagentaTV. Based in Munich, she works internationally.

Fabian Maubach studied International Producing at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy. His graduation filmThe Song Inside Me(2009, directed by Florian Cossen) won numerous international awards, including two Lolas, and marked the beginning of his collaboration with Jochen Laube.

After positions at UFA Fiction, he co-founded Sommerhaus Filmproduktion with Laube. There, he produced, among others,In the Aisles(Berlinale Competition 2018),When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit(2019) as well asBerlin Alexanderplatz(Berlinale Competition 2020).

His recent successes include the Netflix seriesThe Empress, which achieved significant international reach and was awarded the International Emmy® for Best Drama Series. He is a member of the ACE Producers Network as well as the German and European Film Academies.

Sunna Isenberg is a freelance Creative Producer, dramaturg, and editor with over 20 years of experience in the industry. She is passionate about children's and youth topics, focusing on the adaptation of bestsellers and has a particular love for animation. She works closely with the creatives involved in the processes of idea generation, material development, and production, taking into account the interests of the financing and exploiting partners as well as the original authors.

Throughout her career, Sunna has been involved in numerous TV hits and several successful feature films, including the animated series THE WILD BOYS (26 x 24‘) and LIESELOTTE (52 x 7‘), as well as the hybrid series BEUTOLOMÄUS AND THE REAL SANTA CLAUS (24 x 15‘). In summer 2021, the animated feature film THE OLCHIS – WELCOME TO SCHMUDDELFING, for which she was creatively responsible, reached an audience of over 600,000 people. Currently, the second Olchis feature film is in production, and the feature film “The School Ghost” as well as the adaptation of the award-winning graphic novel “Trip with Drip” are in development [sunnaisenberg.de].

Photo © Inga Sommer

Mirja Frehse graduated in Film and TV Production at the Filmuniversity Babelsberg. After working as a Marketing Manager (X Verleih AG) and line producer for Novotny & Novotny Filmproduktion in Vienna, she advised several German and Austrian production companies on national and international financing. In 2007, she became a funding consultant at the Creative Europe Desk Berlin-Brandenburg.

Brigitte Kohnert completed her training as a publishing manager in Düsseldorf after finishing her A-levels. She then studied journalism at KUE, spent a year in Los Angeles, and worked there as an editorial assistant in the office of GONG Verlag. After her studies, she started at RTL in Cologne initially as an editor in the area of communication and programme information. She then established the department for "International Series/Foreign Programmes" and later moved to the newly created area of "German Fiction/Prime Time". Here, she developed and supervised fictional in-house productions such as NICHTTOTZUKRIEGEN, WINNETOU, and DUELL DER BRÜDER – ADIDAS GEGEN PUMA. Since 2020, she has been responsible as Executive Producer for the Schirach projects GLAUBEN and STRAFE as well as the event series FAKING HITLER, GUTE FREUNDE, and DAS HAUS DER TRÄUME. In addition to her work at RTL, Brigitte Kohnert has been a long-time guest lecturer at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in the screenwriting/dramaturgy programme, served on the selection committee for the Goldener Spatz, and is active as a broadcaster representative on the allocation committee of FFF Bayern.

Martin Schreier is a German director working across film and high-profile streaming productions. In 2016, he directedOur Time is Nowfor Warner Bros., a mix of biopic, drama and comedy centred on rapper Cro, starring Til Schweiger. He later directedDream Factory(2019), a romantic drama and homage to film history, marking Studio Babelsberg’s first in-house production in over 25 years.

Since 2021, Schreier has worked closely with Amazon MGM Studios, directingOne Night Off, the first German Amazon Original film, and the hit seriesMaxton Hall, based on Mona Kasten’s bestselling trilogy. Released globally in 2024, the series reached number one in over 120 countries and became one of Prime Video’s most successful non-US launches, with further seasons already in production.

born in 1972, after studying journalism, history and economics, worked in the fields of marketing, press and public relations as well as in children's and youth comics, has been an editor at KiKA, the children's channel of ARD and ZDF, since 2000, responsible for the development and implementation of the comedy programmes "Bernd the Bread" ("Grimme Award" 2004, "Golden Sparrow" 2003) as well as the fictional programmes with "Beutolomäus" ("Robert Geisendörfer Award" 2006), screenplay development and dramaturgy in the areas of sketch/comedy, adventure, fairy tales for series, TV movies, feature films, pilot development for animated formats, development of preschool formats, development of quiz shows, has been working in programme management since 2018 and is responsible for content coordination/program planning there.

Marianne Wendt is a Berlin-based creator, screenwriter and showrunner. She is a professor of screenwriting at Film University Babelsberg and lectures in the “European Showrunning Programme” at ifs Cologne.

She serves as head writer on the historical high-end seriesLUDWIG(ARD/Degeto, SRF, ORF, ServusTV), in production since 2025. She was showrunner ofWER WIR SIND(MDR, NDR, Degeto), presented at Series Mania 2023, and creator/showrunner ofNEUMATT/NEW HEIGHTS, the first Swiss series on Netflix worldwide, screened at Series Mania 2021 and renewed through season 3 (2024). Her seriesEDEN(co-created with Edward Berger) premiered in competition at Series Mania and won the Grimme Prize 2020. Earlier work includesLETZTE SPUR BERLIN(ZDF) as head writer and multiple international TV dramas.

Marianne Wendt works across writers’ rooms and collaborative writing teams and co-founded SchillerWendt GbR with Christian Schiller, developing scripts, audio formats and immersive storytelling projects.

Dr. Jan Wünschmann is a German media executive and producer. He is Managing Director of BetaBerlin Productions and Intaglio Films (a joint venture between Beta Film and ZDF Studios) and EVP Co-Production and Business Affairs at Beta Film. He produced the award-winning seriesThe Swarm(ZDF/RAI/Viaplay/CBS Studios), which premiered at the 2023 Berlinale and won Best Series at the German TV Awards, as well as the AI-driven thrillerConcordia, which launched at MIPCOM Cannes 2023. He began his career as a lawyer at Linklaters after completing a law degree and earning a PhD from Humboldt University of Berlin.

BetaBerlin Productions GmbH, based in Berlin, focuses on the development, financing and production of high-end series, films and formats for national and international markets. Led by Jan Wünschmann in close collaboration with Nico Hofmann, the company is committed to talent development and contemporary, audience-driven storytelling with strong international co-production expertise from Beta Film.

The origin of his professional biography traces back to an exchange year in the United States where he learned the basics of TV production. Upon his return, he started making short films and eventually landed a job as a volunteer for the West German Broadcasting Company (WDR). Afterwards, he enrolled in an apprenticeship at Studiocanal Berlin and -briefly- Studiocanal Paris, which was followed by a job as a marketing coordinator at the same company. Since he wanted to advance his qualifications, he enrolled in the Film and TV Production B.A. Programme at the Filmuniversity Babelsberg. Parallel to his studies, he co-founded a production company for B2B marketing and worked as a script lecturer for various distribution companies and the Medienboard. Upon finishing the Bachelor’s Degree, he followed this up with the consecutive M.A. Programme and graduated with honours. Afterwards, he joined the Medienboard as Film Fund Executive in 2022.

Maren Schmitt completed her Master's degree in European Ethnology, Spanish Philology, and Political Science in Marburg in 2008. After internships in television and a guest stay at the EICTV film school in Cuba, she began a second degree in film production at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2010. Together with her sister Kirstin Schmitt, she founded the production company Sailor's Yarn GbR (until 2020) in 2016, where she produced the feature documentary ADELHEID, KORNELIUS & DIE TÖDE (nominated for the Hessian Film Award 2019) and released it in cinemas through self-distribution. While working, she completed her Master's in Film and Television Production at the Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Film University. Since 2013, she has been producing short films, documentaries, series, and feature films that have been shown on television, in cinemas, and at international festivals such as Berlinale, Cannes, Busan, Karlovy Vary, and New York. Since 2020, she has been working at Studio Zentral, where she has developed and produced feature films such as ALLE DIE DU BIST (Berlinale Panorama 2024) and IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN. IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN/SOUND OF FALLING won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was selected as the German entry for the Oscars. The award-winning film is currently screening at major international festivals.

Tobias Gerginov is a producer at BetaBerlin Productions and Intaglio Films (a joint venture between Beta Film and ZDF Studios). At Intaglio Films, Tobias served as a producer on The Swarm and Concordia. Within BetaBerlin Productions, he is developing and producing various German-language series and feature films. Tobias studied film production at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ryerson University and UCLA and was a scholarship holder of the Verwertungsgesellschaft der Film- und Fernsehproduzenten and the Baden-Württemberg foundation.

Christine Hartmann is a producer at the Berlin production company Studio Zentral. She completed her Master's degree at the Babelsberg Film University. Alongside her studies, she worked for ZDF in production management as well as an editor for various film funding bodies. From 2018 to 2020, she was part of the producing team at Bantry Bay that realised the first four seasons of the youth series DRUCK. Since 2020, she has been working for Studio Zentral and has been part of the management team there since 2022. The focus of her work is on discovering and promoting new creative talents, particularly in developing programmes for a younger audience. She has been responsible for successful formats such as KALINKA08 (Children's Media Award The White Elephant, Prix Jeunesse), ECHT (Robert-Geisendorfer Award) and FEELINGS. She is currently producing, among other things, the series THE COMEBACK.

Jeppe Gjervig Gram is a Danish screenwriter and showrunner, born in Odense in 1976. After working as a drama series consultant for TV 2, he graduated from the National Danish Film School in 2007 and soon joined DR, where he became part of the writers’ room that created the groundbreaking political dramaBORGENtogether with Adam Price and Tobias Lindholm. He contributed to all three seasons, writing 14 episodes.

The series became an international success, sold to more than 75 countries and awarded the BAFTA for Best International Series as well as the Prix Italia and Peabody Award. Gram later created and showranFOLLOW THE MONEY, a corporate crime drama that ran for three seasons and was selected for Berlinale Series 2015 and 2019, winning multiple national and international awards.

He is co-founder and Head of Programme of the European Showrunner Programme (ifs Cologne) and regularly teaches and speaks on writers’ rooms and serial storytelling across Europe and internationally.

Eva Holtmann studied production at the University of Television and Film Munich. She then worked as an editor at RTL in Cologne. From 2005, she was at Universum Film in acquisitions and joined Dor Film in 2007, initially in Vienna and from 2009 as a producer and managing director in Cologne. From 2016 to 2023, she was a producer at the production company Bantry Bay in Cologne and has been leading the scripted division of BBC Studios in Germany as Head of Fiction since the end of 2023.

BBC Studios is responsible for local productions in Germany and the distribution of programmes, formats, and all other content from the BBC Studio catalogue. Our main focus is on adapting British format templates for German broadcasters and streaming providers in the entertainment and series sector. Additionally, we also develop local content, international co-productions, and formats for our German partners.

Since 2013, editor at ARD Degeto Film. Currently responsible for the development of series projects for the ARD Mediathek, including “Babylon Berlin”, “The Doubters”, “Black Fruits”, “Asbestos”, “Shadow Side”.