71 Degrees North Creator Joins NICE Group

OSLO/LONDON: Åse Marie Bendiksen, the creator of such formats as 71 Degrees North and Ugliest Rooms, has been named managing director of Limelight Film & TV, a member of the Nordic independent production alliance NICE Group.

Bendiksen joins Limelight from Mastiff TV. Her recent credits include the reality adventure series No Boundaries for the Norwegian Broadcasting Company, the music talent contest Best Singer for TV2 and the hidden-camera comedy Benidorm Bastards for TV Norge. Bendiksen begins her new role at Limelight on February 1, 2012. 

Morten Aass, the CEO of the NICE Group, said: “Limelight has established itself as a highly original voice in documentary and reality programming. The company’s ambition is to grow its reputation for quality and innovation by focusing on in-house format development—and Åse has exactly the skill and experience needed to help Limelight to achieve this goal.”

Bendiksen commented: “I want to build on Limelight’s current expertise to deliver solid productions, not only in its traditional areas of expertise, but also in new genres. I’m also looking forward to working with [Limelight founder] Morten Skovdahl, who is both innovative and fearless.”