m4e AG announces new group structure

m4e AG - February 2009

 
As a result of the acquisition of the Dutch Telescreen B.V.,
m4e AG is creating new structures within its group of companies in order to be well prepared for the coming challenges and the international market.

Gruenwald’s m4e AG, which took over 100% of Telescreen B.V., Hilversum, Holland, in December 2008, is creating a new corporate structure and thus advancing the integration of its subsidiary companies.

The areas of Production as well as TV and New Media Distribution of the two companies will be bundled together in future in order to make best possible use of the existing know-how.

With immediate effect, Telescreen B.V will assume responsibility for the international distribution of the TV and New Media rights of the m4e Group as well as the area of Home Entertainment outside the German-speaking territories. Sjoerd Raemakers will act as Head of Distribution. Theo van der Schaaf will take up the position of Head of Home Entertainment. Both of them will continue to act as Managing Directors of Telescreen B.V..

The Content & Production Management Division, which is being newly-created, will be managed as of now by Lisette Looman. Previously, Lisette Looman was responsible for the development and production of Dutch company Telescreen’s own productions. In the newly-created function as Manager Group Content & Production, Lisette Looman will be responsible for the selection of content for development, production / co-production and acquisition. In addition, she will be responsible for the productions of both m4e and Telescreen. As a consequence, Lisette Looman will assume responsibility for the m4e project “Yoko, Mo & Me”, which is already in development - a cartoon series being produced in cooperation with Berlin’s Hahn Film AG.

Telescreen Licensing & Merchandizing will be renamed Telescreen Consumer Products and since 14 January this area of business is managed by Hanny Brands, long-standing director of Benelux Licensing. Director of Consumer Products Germany will continue to be m4e’s Peter Beermann. Both will cooperate closely in future in order to make optimal use of their respective contacts to licensors and licensees in the interests of the group of companies.

Peter Beermann and Hanny Brands will jointly be reponsible for the acquisition of licensing & merchandizing rights, both for the German-speaking territories and Benelux as well as for new markets, in order to strengthen the licence portfolio of the m4e group as a whole.

For Marketing & PR, the existing marketing managers in the respective companies will continue to be responsible at company level. Joe Hofer (m4e AG) and Linde Steverink (Telescreen) will work closely together, however, in the areas of media, PR and marketing, in order to make the best possible use of all synergy effects.