WorldScreenings: GoQuest

In recent years, the international media industry has felt a marked shift across the landscape with the widespread adoption of digital platforms. Jimmy George, the VP of sales and acquisitions at GoQuest Media, attuned to the wants and needs of the market and the viewers therein, sees how developments in streaming services have created more demand and, consequently, a good time to be GoQuest.

“There’s more demand for original programming as more industry players have opportunities to take creative risks,” says George. He notes that there’s been a rise in established platforms expanding into new markets, the proliferation of new services and an increasing appetite for foreign-language content amid Covid-19. “The most exciting change has been the way attention to non-English-language content has gone up. There are no longer barriers of language and culture to cross; clients care for good content, and we’re here to serve them.”

Among the highlights in GoQuest’s catalog are a pair of espionage thrillers. Estonia-set Traitor takes place in the 2000s, when the country entered NATO, and centers on a government servant played by Tambet Tuisk who goes rogue. Civil Servant, meanwhile, explores the inner workings of the Serbian Intelligence Agency (BIA) through a young agent.

Family dramas on offer from GoQuest include the psychological drama Debt to the Sea, which features the picturesque backdrop of Montenegro. A light-hearted take on a middle-aged couple navigating the end of their marriage, Divorce in Peacefollows the pair as they amicably attempt to go their separate ways.

Also on GoQuest’s slate is Rats, a drama thriller set in the world of the Czech drug trade. The title earned Best Series at the Czech Lion and Czech Film Critics’ Awards this year, and featured in the 2021 Berlinale Serial Killer session titled ‘Killing Stereotypes about Central and Eastern Europe.’

“All these titles have excellent plots and unique storylines at their core that will be of interest to audiences anywhere in the world,” says George.

GoQuest has recently secured a deal for Rats with the Australian national pubcaster SBS, which acquired the exclusive AVOD rights for the series. MX Player in India, meanwhile, has licensed the Indian rights for the Ukrainian dramas Ruby Ring and I’m On Your Side.

“After successfully placing South Asian content in multiple territories worldwide, we have carefully curated an international catalog in tune with the shifting behaviors of how content consumption has become culturally agnostic and multiple-value driven over the last couple of years,” says George. “While earlier expectations of content were mostly entertainment, the audience now wants more—they need to engage with the narrative quickly, or they have several options to move on to. In an age of ‘Are you still watching?’, we must constantly reinvent how we stay ahead of what the viewers want.”

George adds, “Our data-driven programming approach is not new, but where we stand apart is by looking beyond the traditionally successful geographies for content production and backing our strategy by investing in the right partners and right talent to create a catalog that sits with the best in class.”

GoQuest has in the works additional acquisitions and sales for its catalog while it looks to boost opportunities for collaboration with local producers and international entertainment providers for adaptations and remakes for some of its titles. As the company seeks out new avenues for growth, it remains true to its mission to put the viewer first.

“We reduce our clients’ challenges of curating from thousands of available content every day by getting to the core of whom their network or platform serves and what their needs are,” says George. “Because our approach is viewer first, our priority is always to align with our clients on their programming strategy before we present our catalog. This approach and the fact that our catalog is distinctive will keep us relevant no matter how fast the marketplace evolves.”

See GoQuest Media’s Summer/Fall 2021 Showcase here.