François de Brugada

This interview originally appeared in the MIPCOM 2010 issue of TV Formats.

 

Fostering a Creative Network

 

Formed just two years ago in France, Banijay Entertainment has firmly established itself as one of the powerhouses of the global format business. Led by former Endemol France chief Stéphane Courbit, together with vice chairman Guillaume de Vergès and executive VP, François de Brugada, Banijay now spans 14 companies in ten territories. TV Formats spoke with de Brugada, who oversees creative and commercial affairs, about the company’s rapid growth path and its plans for the future.

 

TV FORMATS: Banijay has very quickly become a major player in the format business. How did you achieve this?

DE BRUGADA: We started with Stéphane [Courbit, Banijay’s chairman] very early in 2008. We had the checkbook that our shareholders gave us and a PowerPoint presentation. Two years later we are already a pretty big company with 14 companies in ten different territories. The financial backing of the company was strong in the sense that we had no bank, only private investment from four different parties. So even though the period was not the easiest, we could actually carry out our plans without any problems. The second thing is, Stéphane himself had been a producer for a long time. He sold his company [ASP/Case Production] to Endemol, and he became chairman of Endemol France and grew the company substantially. Stéphane’s experience is crucial because as a producer he has been an independent as well as part of a large organization, so he knows what’s great about being part of a global organization and sometimes what’s not so good. When we started, lots of creative local companies everywhere in the world were thinking, maybe one day I should be part of an international group. The way we were building the company was a very convincing story for the people who ended up deciding to sell their company to Banijay.

 

TV FORMATS: What is the next phase of your growth strategy?

DE BRUGADA: The real second phase should start next year, when we will move into two key regions for us, South America and Asia. It might be an acquisition, it might not be. We are taking our time, we are understanding the market and assessing what would be the smartest way to move into those territories.

 

TV FORMATS: What is it you look for when you are thinking about acquiring or investing in a company?

DE BRUGADA: First, creativity. The most powerful companies on the market—Endemol and FremantleMedia—have achieved leadership by coming up with four or five great blockbusters that are on TV everywhere in the world, sometimes 40 or 50 territories, and those formats are repeated and repeated. Once you’ve got a portfolio like that, you don’t have to come up with one idea of that kind every year because [you have] a long-lasting reservoir. We’ve got a great catalogue already, but we don’t have one of those big, big [formats]. Anytime we consider a partnership or an acquisition, we first think, Could they come up with one of the big ones? Our second criterion is entrepreneurship. We often call ourselves a “confederation of entrepreneurs.” As an organization, we’ll never be huge at the center. Even though we are in ten territories with a turnover of around €300 million ($380 million), we are only 25 people at the holding level and more than half of those are working on the program side helping the creative process for our local affiliates. We really trust our local companies to do the job. The central office should remain big enough to give all the support that each of the local companies can expect from an international group, but should also remain relatively light and small. We like our companies to take initiative. If they are wrong, they correct it. If they are right, we let everyone know in the company. We make sure everybody has access to any piece of creativity—a new idea for a show, a new way of producing a show, a new way of dealing with talent, anything that we believe is smart and is a local proven success—right away.

TV FORMATS: What are your greatest challenges over the next one to two years, and your greatest opportunities?

DE BRUGADA: Well, I think for both challenges and opportunities, it’s almost the same answer. We can keep on growing but the big difference will be, [can we] come up with one, two, or three worldwide blockbusters? That’s our key challenge, to make sure we gather more creative people, put them in the best conditions to work in—planting as many seeds as possible, taking care of each of those seeds, looking for the better-looking sprouts and making sure we find the best ground for [that] little sprout to become a success.