Nordic Entertainment Group has appointed Richard Halliwell as Managing Director of the newly formed NENT Studios UK, which comprises NENT Group’s content production and distribution businesses in the UK. Halliwell will report to Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, CEO of NENT Studios UK.
Halliwell will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of NENT Studios UK, and will leverage his extensive experience to focus on the development, funding and distribution of a wide range of scripted and non-scripted content for the international market. NENT Studios UK intends to make substantial content investments in the UK and internationally, primarily for NENT Group’s rapidly growing Viaplay streaming service.
Halliwell will combine his new role with his current position as CEO of DRG, an international content development and distribution company based in London and part of NENT Studios UK. This will ensure that NENT Studios UK productions are fully supported and monetised by DRG’s global development and distribution capabilities.
NENT Studios UK CEO Jakob Mejlhede Andersen has extensive hands-on knowledge of Viaplay’s target audience and a successful track record within streamed storytelling from his previous role as NENT Group Head of Content, most recently based in Los Angeles.
Richard Halliwell, Managing Director of NENT Studios UK: “I am delighted to take on this role and look forward to working closely with Jakob and the team. NENT Group is a dynamic force in content, and I will bring my experience of developing, financing and distributing a wide range of programming to expand the international capabilities of the business even further. Our aim is to establish NENT Studios UK quickly as an ambitious global content powerhouse that partners with the very best producers and platforms.”
Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, CEO of NENT Studios UK: “Richard has a strong reputation in the market and I am delighted that we can use his unique experience to accelerate the development of NENT Studios UK. Our complementary skills, together with a shared passion for great storytelling, mean that I can think of no better partner to help drive this exciting new business.”
NENT Studios, which brings together NENT Group’s content production and distribution businesses, operates through three divisions – Nordics and Central & Eastern Europe; the UK; and the US. NENT Studios comprises 32 companies in 17 countries and is behind acclaimed works in genres ranging from factual, documentary and reality to game shows, lifestyle and drama.
(Photo courtesy NENT, Matthew Joseph)
