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John de Mol wants to buy your TV show idea

Creator of ‘Fear Factor,’ ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Deal or No Deal’ Launches TalpaCreative.com, the Online Community for Non-Scripted TV Series Development

Los Angeles, CA – June 16, 2008 – John de Mol’s Talpa Media Group has launched TalpaCreative.com, an online community offering TV fans the unprecedented opportunity to create and sell their original non-scripted show ideas. The best ideas submitted to the site will be developed by de Mol and his creative team and may be produced and distributed internationally by Talpa Media Group and Endemol. De Mol is widely regarded as one of the most successful non-scripted TV producers in the world, having co-founded Endemol, and created worldwide hits including “Fear Factor,”? “Big Brother”? and “Deal or No Deal,”? among others.

Keying on de Mol’s philosophy that a great idea can come from anyone, TalpaCreative.com provides a forum where innovative television fans have a chance of being recognized and rewarded for their creativity.

I am certain that someone with little connection to the TV industry is sitting on a truly great nonfiction show concept,"? said de Mol. “TalpaCreative.com offers that person a direct line to my development team, which could be all it takes to make their dream into our next reality hit. We are ready to take creative and financial risks, to bring some of these ideas to life.

Members of TalpaCreative.com can submit original format ideas, or respond to more focused creativity assignments posted by de Mol and his creative team. The company will examine each submission’s production feasibility and international distribution potential.

TalpaCreative members have access to the site’s exclusive newsletter and an array of online media resources to help them stay up-to-date on the latest trends that might inspire new ideas for non-scripted programming. Likewise, users are encouraged to post relevant trends to TalpaCreative.com with the most prolific trend spotters eligible for cash prizes.

“The collective creativity of viewers is really an untapped resource when it comes to generating innovative television ideas,”? said Stéfanie Gélinas, managing director of Talpa Content USA. “Unlike almost every other TV production company in the world, we are opening our doors and telling aspiring TV creators that we want to create the next international hit with them.”?

About Talpa Content USA

Talpa Media Group is a multimedia development, production and broadcasting company founded by media entrepreneur and Endemol co-founder John de Mol. The Talpa Media Group encompasses Talpa Content, a creative unit designed to develop television and multimedia formats, and Talpa Productions, the group’s television production company. Talpa Content USA was launched in January 2007 and is headquartered in Los Angeles. For more information: www.talpausa.com.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION FOR TALPA MEDIA John de Mol: “It’s all about content”

In the course of 2009 Talpa, the company of Dutch media entrepreneur John de Mol, will open its own production subsidiaries in six of the world’s leading television countries.

Specifically: the United States and the European TV markets Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. Later, the expansion will continue in China, India and Russia. Each market will be assessed individually to decide whether a new start-up or an acquisition is the best strategy.

Further announcements on acquisitions can be expected in the near future. In the meantime, the search is underway for the top managers that will be needed to reinforce the Talpa organisation. In all markets, Talpa chooses to maintain control over the distribution of formats and readymade products. In countries other than the Netherlands and the markets mentioned above, Talpa is open to exclusive collaborations with other producers or local broadcasters, depending on the local market situation.

Besides the expansion described above, Talpa has begun international discussions with potential strategic partners to investigate different forms of collaboration.

Talpa opted for self-driven expansion after thoroughly considering the other possibilities. Regarding his decision, John de Mol says, “The great flow of strong formats that Talpa Content has developed here in-house over a short period of time was the deciding factor. Our strength is our own creativity. That’s what I’ve always believed and I am convinced of it now more than ever. We will continue to invest in the development of formats. It’s all about content and Talpa has a lot of exceptional content in stock. With this basis, I have complete faith in our international expansion. It’s not my ambition to become the biggest, but I do want to be the best.”

MIP TV this week
Talpa is present with its entire format catalogue at MIP TV, the international media market that will be held this week in Cannes. Talpa will be promoting the following formats especially vigorously:

  • “Dating in the Dark” (Daten in het Donker), coming soon to RTL 5 in the Netherlands and this summer on ABC in the USA.
  • “Pretty Smart” (Lekker Slim), picked up by RTL 5.
  • “Celebrities on Welfare” (De Frogers: effe geen cent te makken), a big hit on RTL 4 last season. 2nd series in production for RTL 5 in the Netherlands.
  • “I love my country!” (Ik hou van Holland), already sold to a lot of countries, most recently to China, Poland and the Middle East; now in the middle of a highly successful third season in the Netherlands.
  • “Divided” (De Gemene Deler), sold to ITV 1 in the United Kingdom.

About Talpa Media Group

Talpa Media, based in Laren, the Netherlands, is the holding firm that comprises John de Mol’s media activities. The company has its focus on several parts of the international media industry. With Talpa Content the group operates its own creative development unit aimed at formats for television and multimedia concepts. Talpa Productions is the group’s own TV production company. Talpa Content creates, develops and distributes TV programming formats and multimedia concepts. The primary focus is on developing content for the TV stations of RTL Nederland.

When it comes to the free to air platforms radio and TV, Talpa Media Group is a shareholder in RTL Nederland (www.rtl.nl). Besides this, Talpa Media operates its own radio branch and the music division Talpa Music (www.talpamusic.com). In Autumn 2007 Talpa took a substantial stake in the French company Brainbox, which creates formats for television and other platforms (www.brainboxtv.net). In the United States Talpa Media operates a hundred percent American creative department called Talpa Content USA (www.talpausa.com).

The National Lottery: Guesstimation, New series launching summer 2009 for BBC One

15, May 2009

Initial, an Endemol company has been commissioned to produce a brand new Saturday night entertainment series. Guesstimation, a National Lottery format for BBC One, is a fast paced, funny game show that allows the whole family to get involved and play along.

In order to win Guesstimation, you don’t have to know the answers to all the questions- you just have to use your judgement, cunning and knowledge to make an informed guess. Each episode sees two families of five compete against each other to win a fantastic prize.

The Executive Producer for Initial is Richard Hague and the Series Producer is Warren Prentice. It was commissioned by the BBC’s Executive Editor of Entertainment Commissioning Alan Tyler.

The format was originally devised by the Dutch entertainment company Talpa Content, part of John de Mol’s media company. Guesstimation first launched in The Netherlands where it was a ratings winner for leading family station RTL4.

Tom Shelly goes ‘Dark’ at Endemol

Variety – 14, May 2009
By Michael Schneider

Alternative-series giant Endemol USA has sealed an overall deal with former “Survivor” executive producer Tom Shelly.

As part of the pact, Shelly has joined Endemol’s upcoming ABC reality series “Dating in the Dark” as an exec producer. Shelly will also start developing format ideas for the shingle.

Endemol North America chairman David Goldberg announced the deal, the latest in a series of pacts the company has recently sealed, including ones with Matt Kunitz (“Wipeout”), Anthony Dominici (“America’s Next Top Model”) and Charlie Walk.

Shelly’s credits include exec producing NBC’s “The Baby Borrowers.” He spent nine years at Mark Burnett Prods. as one of the original producers of “Survivor.”

“Dating in the Dark,” which Endemol is producing with Talpa Content USA, centers on contestants who go out on dates — but in a pitch-black environment, so they don’t actually get to see each other until the end. Show bows Monday, July 20, at 10 p.m.

Endemol skeins also include CBS’ “Big Brother” and “The Whole 19 Yards,” as well as ABC’s “Wipeout” and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

De Mol to launch six Talpa production outposts

C21Media.net – 28, Mar 2009
By Ed Waller

MIP NEWS: John de Mol, the man who built Endemol into a global production giant, is to launch his follow-up firm Talpa Media as a production company in six major territories by the end of the year, he has told C21.

“By the end of this year, I want to have established Talpa as a production company in the US, the UK, Spain, Italy, France and Germany,” he said, “either via acquisition of companies or through greenfield start-ups.”

De Mol (left) added that he is currently in talks with potential acquisition targets and local production talent who could run any start-ups in these six markets. However, there are no current plans to grow Talpa’s production base further in Europe, he said.

The move comes after the termination of Talpa’s short-lived international production and distribution deal with Endemol last September. Outside the six territories mentioned, Talpa will sell its own formats to networks and other producers.

De Mol’s international assets already include stakes in French production house Brainbox and – via the Cyrte investment fund – stakes in RDF Media in the UK and Endemol. Talpa also owns 26% of commercial broadcaster RTL Holland and has a development arm in Los Angeles, Talpa Content, which will coproduce new format Dating in the Dark with Endemol USA for ABC.

Talpa will be kicking off its international moves at MipTV this week, where director of sales Maarten Meijs will be pitching formats including Dating in the Dark (ABC, RTL5), Divided (ITV1), Guesstimation, I Love My Country, M/F and Let’s Go Shopping, plus new property Pretty Smart (RTL5).

For the full story of de Mol’s plans for Talpa and his views on the global format market, check out the exclusive interview in the MipTV issue of C21 International magazine.

ABC sweet on new de Mol format

C21Media.net – 28, Jan 2009
By Jonathan Webdale

US network ABC has given the green light to a new series from John de Mol’s Talpa Content, called Dating in the Dark, which the Dutch company will produce together with Endemol USA.

The format, which is based on the concept of couples trying to find true love while not able to actually see one another, recently started airing on RTL5 in the Netherlands. ABC has ordered six episodes including the pilot, making the US the first overseas territory to take the show.

“I’ve been in business for many years now, but it’s always special for a European producer to strike a deal with an American network,” said de Mol.

Talpa Content, part of his Talpa Media group, will produce Dating in the Dark together with Endemol USA despite the pair recently ending their international production and distribution agreement.

Dating in the Dark is one among a number of titles in production that were still subject to the agreement the two parties signed in 2007 and called time on last month.

These included Divided, which was sold in 10 countries; I Love My Country, which went into six territories; and Vipers Nest, which has sold as a completed series in eight markets and as a format in Russia.

Other Talpa formats Endemol was representing included Guesstimation and Celebrities on Welfare, but Talpa has now taken full control of all these titles, with sales director Maarten Meijs overseeing distribution rights.

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