NATPE Budapest Spotlight: Tandem Communications

June 22, 2012 World Screen Top Stories

BUDAPEST: With presales already confirmed in more than 120 territories, Tandem Communications is placing its bets on World Without End to be of interest to buyers in Budapest.

 

The eight-hour event series, adapted from the novel by the best-selling author Ken Follett, will be ready for delivery in the third quarter. The four-hour event mini Labyrinth is also slated for a fall delivery this year. Adapted from the international best-selling novel by Kate Mosse, Labyrinth is a German/South African co-production made by Tandem and Scott Free Films in association with Film Afrika. Tandem is also the international distributor for the $30-million De Angelis Group production Titanic: Blood & Steel.
 
“The common denominator for these three event series is the fact [that] their stories are all set in Europe with some of Europe’s finest talent both in front [of] and behind the camera,” says Randall Broman, the VP of sales at Tandem. “World Without End is shot in Hungary, Austria and Slovakia. Labyrinth was partially shot in the original location of Carcassonne, France, and Titanic in Ireland. This of course adds to the flavor and appeal for European audiences.”
 
Broman goes on to say that Tandem prides itself for producing shows that cross all borders and are “as viable in North America as they are in Europe or in Asia. We strive for an American pacing, combined with European sensibilities and go for a cinematic look and scope. A $46 million series like World Without End is simply of a scale that is highly unusual for television, which again increases its appeal to the broadest possible audience.”
 
Tandem has two main goals for NATPE Budapest this year, says Broman. “The first goal will be to showcase our new one-hour action crime series Crossing Lines, which Tandem is developing with Criminal Minds’ Ed Bernero. Crossing Lines is a high-concept procedural crime series, with the stories set in Europe and involving an exciting group of detectives investigating brutal cross-border crimes. The combination of both Ed Bernero’s vast expertise in the crime genre and Tandem’s track record for producing quality prime-time drama should make Crossing Lines a very attractive choice for broadcasters in the region.
 
“Our second goal of course will be to find remaining homes in CEE for our new blockbuster mini-series World Without End, Labyrinth and Titanic: Blood and Steel.”