Jonas Baur to EP Storm of Love

Jonas Baur is taking over as executive producer for the long-running ARD daily drama Storm of Love (Sturm der Liebe), succeeding Bea Schmidt.

Baur commented: “I am very much looking forward to taking care of Storm of Love as executive producer. I will do so with great respect for what Bea Schmidt and the team have achieved day after day for 18 years. This spirit will continue to carry Storm of Love over all hurdles in the future.”

Schmidt, the creator and long-time executive producer of Storm of Love, will leave Bavaria Fiction after 27 years, during which she developed series such as In aller Freundschaft, Schloss Einstein and The Rosenheim Cops as well as movie franchises, including Utta Danella.

Schmidt said: “With Storm of Love, we have established a new genre on German television. A lot ventured and a lot gained. Just like Carl Amery: ‘Risk is the bow wave of success.’ After more than 4,000 episodes, I am now handing over the helm to Jonas Baur. I would like to thank my many companions and associates at Bavaria and ARD and, of course, my great Storm of Love team, who have always stood firmly by my side, even in stormy times.”

A Bavaria Fiction production with the editorial department at Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Storm of Love airs Mondays to Fridays at 3:10 p.m. on Das Erste. In December 2022, the successful telenovela was extended for another two seasons with a further 330 new episodes. Internationally, it has sold to more than 25 countries.

Marcus Ammon and Jan S. Kaiser, managing directors at Bavaria Fiction, said: “Bea, your extraordinary sensibility for narratives and characters and your production skills have had a decisive influence on Bavaria over the past decades. Millions of viewers watch Storm of Love every day, and thanks to you, it has become one of the most successful telenovelas of all time and a flagship of our company. Entire generations of TV viewers have been shaped by your creative work. Handing over a life’s work is never easy—so we are extremely pleased that we have found an experienced and thoughtful successor with proven series expertise in Jonas, who is now taking over the baton. Here’s to lots of tailwind and few storms, dear Jonas!”