Banijay’s Yellow Bird Sets Up in the U.K.

Banijay Group has unveiled Yellow Bird Productions UK, which will focus on developing and creating original ideas with international appeal and a Scandi edge for the U.K. market.

Yellow Bird’s current chief creative officer, Berna Levin, will head up the U.K. business. Based in central London alongside fellow Banijay scripted production companies BlackLight TV and Fearless Minds, the new company will have close ties to the Stockholm-based Yellow Bird, which has produced such hit dramas as Wallander and Occupied.

The new entity will also be a part of Banijay Studios International, which coordinates all of Banijay’s scripted activity.

Levin, creative director of Yellow Bird UK, said: “Yellow Bird has always had the ambition of creating high-end drama for an international market and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished so far. Having already worked closely with talent and broadcasters in the U.K., this feels like the natural next step and I’m very excited to be joining such an impressive and talented creative community. I look forward to many fruitful collaborations as we continue our quest to find great stories, and bring fantastic characters to life.“

Takis Candilis, the head of fiction at Banijay Group, said: “The success of Yellow Bird has been recognized by industry professionals and worldwide audiences alike, so we are thrilled to have this opportunity to bring some of that creative magic to the U.K. I have absolute confidence that Berna will bring all her enthusiasm, creativity and professionalism to the new company, making Yellow Bird UK a force to be reckoned with in the world market.”