Keshet International Taps Former Banijay Exec Sebastian Burkhardt

TEL AVIV: Keshet International has appointed Sebastian Burkhardt, most recently the senior VP of international distribution at Banijay International, as head of business development and acquisitions.

Burkhardt will be tasked with identifying and executing new business opportunities for the company, including co-productions and deficit financing as well as acquiring third-party formats and finished programming for distribution. He will also lead the company’s push into finished programming and maximize its sales potential across all platforms. Burkhardt will report to Keren Shahar, the company's managing director of distribution.

Previously, Burkhardt had been with Banijay International since early 2009. He played a key role in its expansion.

Shahar said, “We’re delighted to have someone of Sebastian’s talent—whose entrepreneurial skills have played a key role in the launch and expansion of a multi-genre international distribution company—on board. I’m confident that he is just the person we need to support Keshet International as it ventures into new territory and exploits new business opportunities.”
 
Burkhardt added, “I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Keshet International at such an exciting time. The prospect of working with one of the most envied program slates in the industry and a great management team with very ambitious plans for growth, was an attractive one.”

Banijay International's managing director, Emmanuelle Namiech, commented, “We will be announcing Banijay International’s appointments shortly as we continue the broadening of our activities beyond formats into the reality, factual and entertainment genres, which we began a year ago.”