Andrea Scrosati Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Marco Tombolini is now sole CEO of Fremantle Italy after Gabriele Immirzi moved to Lorenzo Mielio’s drama house The Apartment Pictures.

Fremantle Completes Asacha Deal

Sonia Rovai and Annamaria Morelli have been named as the new bosses of Wildside and The Apartment, respectively.

Following their departures as CEOs of Fremantle‘s Wildside and The Apartment, Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Mieli have struck a co-production deal with their old employer Fremantle on several projects as they unveil their new company.

In the latest major M&A deal to hit Europe, Fremantle has acquired Asacha Media Group, the growing owner of Death in Paradise producer Red Planet, Arrrow Media and Italy’s Stand By Me.

UFA’s long-serving CEO Nico Hofmann is stepping down from his post and becoming Chairman of Fremantle’s German powerhouse, with former RTL and exec Sascha Schwingel replacing him.

Fremantle kicked off its presence at the Venice Film Festival with a bang this year with the announcement of its new €150M ($162.7M) Scripted Fund forged in partnership with Israel-based IBI Investment House. 

Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie, a mystery thriller created by Jim Keeble and Dudi Appleton are the first projects to be backed by Fremantle and IBI Investment House’s €150M ($162.7M) Scripted Fund.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Fremantle-owned Lux Vide production powerhouse is expanding its in-house studio capacity, unveiling a large new soundstage on Monday at its facilities in Formello outside Rome which will become a major new European physical production hub. Plans are underway for a total of seven state-of-the-art stages, plus a new post-production facility to be in place at Formello by year’s end creating a sprawling Lux Video studio area on more than 6,500 square meters of space (2,5 square miles) including the backlot. Lux Vide’s new Teatro 5 measuring more than 1150 square meters (more than 12,000 square feet) was inaugurated with Italy’s deputy culture minister Lucia Bergonzoni and other local authorities on hand alongside Lux CEO Luca Bernabei, Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s group COO and CEO continental Europe, and Lux’s honorary president Matilde Bernabei.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Andrea Scrosati, who is group COO and continental Europe CEO of Fremantle, isn’t too worried about various types of turbulence that are currently creating anxiety in the U.S. media market such as draconian cost cuts being made by juggernaut groups and the impending prospect of a Writers Guild of America strike. Speaking in Italy at a panel titled “Less is More – What to Do When the Streaming Boom is Over” Scrosati noted that the effect of market consolidation in the U.S. and fear due to plunging stock market results that is prompting cost cuts at Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery certainly means that “some of the big buyers are in a conflict.”

Fremantle has launched a premium documentaries label helmed by Mandy Chang.

Naman Ramachandran Fremantle has deepened its relationship with Artists, Writers & Artisans, Inc. (AWA) by making a minority investment in the company. Fremantle had struck a strategic development deal with AWA Studios, the film and television division of AWA, last year. AWA is backed by James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems, SISTER, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. In 2021, the company established AWA Studios, helmed by Hollywood veteran Zach Studin as president. Marvel alum Axel Alonso serves as co-founder and chief creative officer overseeing editorial output. Matthew Anderson, co-chair and president and Jon Miller, co-founder and co-chair, lead AWA’s executive team.

Fremantle has acquired a minority stake in Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA), the U.S.-based indie backed by Lis Murdoch’s Chernobyl producer Sister and James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems.

Fremantle has restructured its European operations by appointing Northern and Southern Europe CEOs, bringing in a Paramount Global exec for the latter.

Fremantle has promoted Christian Vesper to the newly created position of CEO of global drama.

Fremantle has promoted Christian Vesper to CEO of Global Drama, handing him oversight of a number of scripted labels acquired in the past few months.

EXCLUSIVE: Fremantle has acquired True Detective and This England exec Richard Brown’s Passenger, with Brown landing a role within the super-indie’s Global Drama division.

Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Israeli producer Silvio Productions and Fremantle-owned Shtisel indie Abot Hameiri’s Guy Hameiri will become Chair.

Naman Ramachandran Fremantle and Japanese commercial broadcaster Kansai TV have signed a co-development deal to launch a new game show format in Japan.  Details of the show will be revealed imminently, the companies said at the ongoing Mipcom market in Cannes. Kansai TV will produce and broadcast the Japanese original version later this year, and Fremantle will handle production and global distribution for the show. Vasha Wallace, executive VP global acquisitions and development at Fremantle, said: “Japan is such an interesting and creative market, and we’re thrilled to be working with Kansai TV to develop, produce and distribute an exciting new format with their talented production team. This partnership further builds on the work we have done with the Fuji group to create global hit formats which have travelled very successfully around the globe including “Hole in the Wall,” “Total Blackout,” “All Star Athletics” and “The Noise.” We look forward to sharing more about this exciting new format soon.”

Marta Balaga Fremantle bosses Jennifer Mullin and Andrea Scrosati opened up about the company’s three-year deal with Angelina Jolie at Cannes’ Mipcom. “She had plenty of other opportunities,” said Mullin, Group CEO for the super-indie, which produces everything from “Got Talent” and “Idol” to “My Brilliant Friend” and Luca Guadagnino film “Bones and All.” “First of all, [Jolie] is global. We are global. She has impeccable taste, she wants to tell ambitious, impactful stories. All of these notes really align with what we want to do.” “She can tell any story she wants and we can put it anywhere in the world,” continued Mullin. “She felt that Fremantle would offer her the most flexibility and home where she can do her best work.”

Fremantle bosses Jennifer Mullin and Andrea Scrosati have dissected the Angelina Jolie deal that is seeing the Oscar winner produce films, TV and docs over the next three years, with Scroasti saying “it was a bit of a risk in the initial phase.”

Hollywood no longer holds the same allure for top Italian film and TV talent as a result of Italy’s recent renaissance as a production hub, Fremantle exec Andrea Scrosati told a panel at Rome’s MIA market on Tuesday.

The Son and The Father director Florian Zeller will direct, write and co-produce the upcoming big-budget TV adaptation of Tony Award-winning play The Lehman Trilogy, his debut TV project.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin and Fremantle Group COO and CEO Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati are set to deliver a keynote address at Mipcom. The session comes on the heels of Fremantle Group’s recent high-profile acquisitions, including Element Pictures (“Conversations With Friends”), Lux Vide (“Medici”), Dancing Ledge Productions (“The Salisbury Poisonings”) and Eureka (“Holey Moley”). alongside talent partnerships with globally-renowned creatives including Angelina Jolie, Neil Cross, Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino, Michael Winterbottom, Jimmy Fallon, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Simon Cowell, Penelope Cruz, Pablo and Juan De Dios Larrain and Cara Delevingne.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Last year Andrea Scrosati – who is group COO and continental Europe CEO of Fremantle – was at Venice with two films. This year Fremantle’s got six pics launching from the Lido, three of them in competition, which is a larger contingent than any of the U.S. studios or streamers.  Fremantle’s business model, which involves a cluster of companies mostly across Europe that they either fully own or are majority investors in, has been bearing fruit on their film side. Their output has grown “from 8 to 32 delivered movies in two years,” Scrosati says.  And the multi-pronged company’s Venice lineup – which includes Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All,” Emanuele Crialese’s “L’Immensità,” and Joanna Hogg’s “The Eternal Daughter” – is a reflection of that.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentContent giant Fremantle is making a big push into feature films as it expands its horizons, says group COO Andrea Scrosati who is also the multi-pronged company’s continental Europe chief.At last year’s Venice fest Fremantle, known for talent shows “X-Factor” and “American Idol” and TV series such as “The Mosquito Coast,” was flying the flag with several pics including Paolo Sorrentino’s prizewinning and Oscar-nommed “The Hand of God.” More recently at Cannes, Fremantle-produced film “The Eight Mountains” scored the jury prize. All of which, Scrosati boasts, is pretty good for just the past nine months.

Naman Ramachandran Gabriella Carriere has joined Fremantle as group head of strategy, reporting into Andrea Scrosati, group COO and CEO continental Europe. Carriere joins from Sky Italia where she held the positions of Sky Wifi marketing senior director, media and commercial partnerships director and strategy director since joining in 2016. She replaces Van Truong, who held the position for five years and is now head of special projects, reporting into Scrosati and working closely with CEO Jennifer Mullin and the rest of the leadership team.Scrosati said: “Gabriella is an exceptional talent.

Fremantle has appointed a Group Head of Strategy to support growth after striking a range of partnerships and buying up labels over the past year.

Manori Ravindran International EditorIn another major M&A coup, Fremantle has taken a majority stake in Irish production company Element Pictures, the producers of “Normal People,” “Conversations With Friends” and “The Favourite.”Element Pictures has grown to become one of Europe’s top drama producers, and is managed by co-founders Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe, with offices in Dublin, London and Belfast.The deal was spearheaded by Fremantle group COO and continental Europe CEO Andrea Scrosati and Lorenzo De Maio, of De Maio Entertainment. The deal represents continued investment in European drama from Fremantle, which is owned by Germany’s RTL Group.

In another mega M&A deal, Fremantle has taken a majority stake in Irish The Favourite, Room and Conversations with Friends producer Element Pictures.

Italian cultural icon Raffaella Carrà’s life is to be spotlighted in a documentary from Fremantle.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentFremantle has promoted Andrea Scrosati, expanding his current group COO role with the additional role of CEO for continental Europe, increasing the markets he will be in charge of within the growing RTL-owned production and distribution giant.Scrosati will continue reporting to Jennifer Mullin, who is Fremantle’s group CEO. He will now have the added responsibility for Fremantle’s businesses in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Nordics and Poland.

Fremantle has recruited Mandy Chang, a commissioning editor for the BBC’s Storyville strand, to lead a newly-created global documentary unit.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentWith a newly rejigged global drama unit, Fremantle COO Andrea Scrosati is nurturing a pipeline that features several high-profile projects in advanced stages, such as “Wild Rabbit,” which has attached U.S.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorFremantle has promoted Christian Vesper to president of global drama following the departure of Sarah Doole in August.Vesper, SundanceTV’s former drama chief, will take charge of a slate of shows that includes Luca Guadagnino’s We Are Who We Are, American Gods, and The Salisbury Poisonings.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorFremantle’s global drama chief Sarah Doole is leaving the company behind The New Pope to set up a new talent incubator, meaning group COO Andrea Scrosati will extend his role to oversee global drama.Doole is leaving after more than six years to establish Sow The Seed, which will aim to foster new and diverse talent in the scripted and audio worlds.