Viewpoints: acquisitions strategies

Olivera Milenkovic
New Business Manager
Adrenalin
Serbia

What are your acquisition strategies?

Adrenalin is a content providing company. In our case, it means that we basically buy formats and then produce them for our local market. That is the reason Adrenalin was established. But only after one year, we realized that it was unnatural not to cooperate with countries in our region of Southeastern Europe. It is not only that we share similar cultural or historical model, the fact is that we have so mush in common in a sense of mentality or sense of humor. These two ingredients are essential for good programming. The other important thing is that, from a business point of view, we realized that our market was not enough. Sometimes it was a vast of money and energy to produce high budgeting programs for a small market. Why not try to extend it, especially when you have in mind that everywhere you go, you find the same brands and the same sponsors? That is why Adrenalin extended its business to Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina and we will finish this year producing Karaoke Showdown for both territories. After huge success in Serbia, we feel that we have knowledge and experience to seduce our neighbors.

Piramida, Third Season (Pink TV)

What programs are you looking for?

We always look for program that has "something" not only references as huge success somewhere in the world. Good idea is essential because very often you can find a glamorous, glittering, big budget format with no substance in it. It very challenging to put all creativity you have and make it you own, local product, with sensibility and creativity you have. So, we have two lines of our work, one is to produce big entertaining shows based on formats and the other line is to produce in house projects, which means that we plan to produce more of our own programs.

What foreign programs did you buy this year?

This year we will continue the third season of Piramida, the winner of Golden Rose 2007 in Croatian version, big and very smart political show. We optioned a couple of very good shows from our partners from Endemol, Zodiak and FCCE, but it takes time to convince broadcasters in Serbia to play by the rules and respect our position. Since the people of Adrenalin have been working as top or middle managers in Serbian national stations, we are aware of the situation there, but sometimes it is hard to understand decision makers and their approach to programming. That procedure is not transparent enough and independent producers are in a very difficult position.

What national programs did you buy this year?

Adrenalin has produced Late Night Show and Daily Show for Fox TV, but our main project for this year is big serial program Human Nest. Together with Cobra film, we produce 25 episodes with more than 70 actors from a territory of former Yugoslavia. Supported with director Goran Gajic, composer Sasa Losic, scriptwriter Nikola Pejakovic, this serial tells story about two ordinary city people, a little bit like "Lost in Transition" trying to re-establish their life in most unexpected place, a small village in Vojvodina. Full of humor and specific Balkan feeling, we expect that this serial will be equally interesting in Czech and in Macedonia or Croatia.

What are your acquisition plans?

With our experience in producing drama serial program, we learned a lot and we fell in love with film production. However, our main cause is TV production and I hope we will produce more formats, maybe one major quiz show, and more music and variety shows. I hope we will have chance to do that.