​Nent Group’s Filippa Wallestam discusses impressive line-up and content strategy

NENT Group which joined Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s group of partners in January 2020, is in full expansion mode. The Nordic group has just announced its ambition to double its Nordic subscription base to around 6 million by 2025 and to rollout with its streaming service Viaplay in Poland, the US, on top of the Baltics in 2021, (read our full story: CLICK HERE).

With Viaplay Originals and sports driving the group’s subscription base, the group’s head of content Filippa Wallestam has unveiled to nordicfilmandtvnews.com her business model, production team and editorial strategy, with more documentaries, more young adult content, a better balance between Nordic countries plus young and seasoned talents on offer for 2021.

Could you explain your remit, who are the senior people reporting to you and their responsibilities?
Filippa Wallestam: Before taking on my current position in September 2019, I was NENT Group's CEO in Sweden, therefore my new role is much broader. It includes all content besides sport, which encompasses scripted (Nordic and international), non-scripted, and acquisitions. I also have the overall responsibility of content scheduling and curation on the site.

Regarding my team, Fredrik Ljungberg is VP International Scripted Content. He oversees the financing and co-production of our international scripted productions, defined as 70% non-Nordic language. Indeed, as we will venture into original content in five new territories from 2021, we will produce not only in English-language but also in Polish for example.

Fredrik works with a team of executive producers, just like Camilla Rydbacken VP Nordic Scripted Content and Kenneth Kristensen, VP Non-Scripted Content.

Then London-based Vanda Rapti is VP & Group Head of Acquisitions, Content Distribution & Partnerships. She oversees the deals in place for instance with MGM and Sony Pictures Television and works closely with Fredrik.

Christian Albeck is VP Content Programming, we also collaborate on strategic budget allocations across all content.

Then Jenny Zhao is Head of Business Affairs. She looks at new opportunities, such as non-English language content on Viaplay - acquired top series in Spanish, Italian, German language etc. that we will launch later this month. Jenny works with all of us on diversity, inclusion, how to make sure we cover all areas and the coolest ideas in between, so that we’re never too comfortable.

It’s interesting to see how you’re covering all genres in the Nordics and expanding now outside of the Nordics to create original shows like Netflix…
FW: There is so much talk about the global streamers going local. We’re doing the opposite. We’re the locals going global.

What is your content spend estimate for 2020 and 2021?
FW: We don’t really disclose our budget, but we do invest a lot and will continue to do so even more. Although we have expansion plans, we’re not even close to the big US streamers. Our content is more tailor-made to the markets where we have a footprint. If you look at the Nordics, I don’t think anyone invests as much as we do.

We have free TV channels as well, and historically, we’ve been producing a lot of unscripted content for those as well. Unscripted is getting traction on Viaplay as well which is a general trend. We will invest more in documentaries in 2021. We have been very successful with documentaries, especially in Sweden, notably with crime. Next year, we will export this focus in Denmark and Norway, and will look at high-end documentary, not only crime. This is very suitable for a SVOD product.

Going back to your business model, you’ve doubled your output from 20 original productions in 2019 to 40 scheduled for 2021. But some international distributors have questioned this volume strategy and the risk of over-supply of partly-funded productions. How do you respond to that?
FW: This year we are releasing more than 30 productions. For 2021 our plan is indeed to premiere 40 productions, including international productions and documentaries.

Our model for our Originals is very flexible and different from Netflix. They tell producers: ‘we take the world-you get X and then you’re basically out’. We don’t do that. Our business model is the following: in the Nordics, we’re looking into having a greater financial control of the smaller local projects, sometimes fully-financing them, to make it easier to greenlight them. This is the case for instance for smaller budget young adult shows.

For the international projects, we’re looking at different options. We want a few Nordic stories with global potential that we will continue to control. We will use this model for the Originals in new territories where we will bring our know-how in the way of telling and selecting stories.

Then we also want to be part of large-scale productions, mostly English-language, for which we will share the risks and look for co-production partners.

Can you cite some of your international partners?
FW: We work closely for instance with Sony and MGM. We have acquisition deals with them and have agreed they would invest in some of our international productions, with them taking charge of global distribution outside our markets. Then we have strong European partners in Studio Canal, Beta Film, ZDF to cite a few. We would never have been able to lift a project like The Swarm [exec produced by Game of Thrones’ Frank Doelger] on our own.

With our international partners, we share the same ambition: to create the best content possible in the most authentic way. Then the business models shift a bit, depending on the stories and how each project is best suited for a particular market.

Within the 40 original productions lined up for 2021, what is the share of Nordic and international (non-Nordic language) content?
FW: It will be roughly 30 Nordic and 10 International. We’ve found the right balance in the Nordics and will stick to that number. But one area where we feel there is growth potential is the international. We will take some of our ideas and adapt them for the international market and open up the international to Nordic talents.

We have strong relationships with some talents and the next natural step is to do something in English-language together. We do try to plug in a few Nordic talents - actors, writers, directors - on the Sony and MGM projects for example and our US partners are very open to that. The Nordics have quite a few top names that have taken on the international scene, so we’re offering Nordic talents to do that journey with them.

Just to go back on your green-lighting process, what are the key criteria for you to board a project? Returning potential for the series? Producers/talent credentials? All this combined?
FW: We have the luxury of working across a large variety of genres since we’re producing so many shows and films. But at the end of the day, having a strong story is key. We often look at our portfolio and try to find the right balance between new and recurrent titles.

As a SVOD player, every time we launch a returning series, we see an uplift on the previous seasons, which is the whole point of building a strong library. Therefore yes - returning potential is very important.

Then of course, we have some preferred production partners with whom we work well and have a good mutual trust. We also look at creatives’ track record. But at the same time we want to open up our slate to new talents. This is perhaps what differentiates us from our competitors. While they usually stay on the safe side and work with established names and strong IPs, we give a shot to new voices. This is often where you find the most authentic and innovative stories.

Josephine Bornebusch is perhaps a good example of a talent who had little experience behind the camera but successfully created Love Me, a fresh and very successful TV show for you…
FW: Yes, Josephine had worked several years on Love Me and got a lot of refusals as she wasn’t proven as a director. Next year we will have other similar examples of talents making their debut as creators.

For instance, Swedish actress and singer Amy Deasismont will deliver the series Thunder in My Heart. She had written the whole show and even created a soundtrack when she pitched it to us. It was not just another project - it is her baby! The series is produced by a strong Swedish production company- B-Reel.

Then there is also Norwegian actress Henriette Steenstrup who is working on the series Pørni. It’s very much like Love Me, with more humour.

How much attention do you pay to gender parity and representation?
FW: Many of our shows are created by strong women. We are very far ahead with gender parity compared to other competitors and I am very proud of that. Then our next focus is to work on representation and diversity. We are looking at the pitches we don’t get, and sketching a brief to producers, saying: this is what we’re after. There are many target audiences that we’re probably not catching because we’re not speaking to them.

Do you give priority to the production companies part of NENT Studios’ network of 32 companies in 17 countries?
FW: The strong stories always come first. That said, we like to work with our sister companies, especially companies like Nice Drama, or Monster in the Nordics. We are in close dialogue with them and tell them what we’re missing.

How important is it for you to be part of Nordisk Film & TV Fond’s group of partners?
FW: It’s very important. Considering our high volume of productions, all help is welcome. It means that we can produce more and better quality in the Nordics. Then together, as we have the same agenda of getting stories to travel more, we should discuss how we can use each other’s expertise in getting productions out more and attracting international attention. This is our ambition.

Now that you have a strong footprint in Finland via the Elisa Viihde Viaplay service and with Viaplay in Iceland, will you commission more projects from Finland and Iceland?
FW: Yes, in Finland we’ll get more local content via our partnership with Elisa. In Iceland we have a few co-productions in the pipeline that will be delivered in 2022. Our 2020 drama output was more Swedish-oriented. But next year, we will be more evenly balanced between the Nordic countries.

How are your local series performing across borders in the Nordics?
FW: One of my main ambitions is to make sure our productions travel well between the Nordic countries. In Sweden we are open to other languages. For instance the Norwegian-language series Wisting, Danish language Those Who Kill and Face to Face were very successful here. Danish crime has a strong heritage and high credibility, and a lot of Swedes love that. Norwegians are quite open to Swedish content as well - scripted or non-scripted. However, we’re struggling a bit with the Danes. This is something I’m working on. There is no reason why our strong content shouldn’t work as well in Denmark as in Sweden and Norway.

I’m convinced that Skam has done a lot, especially with younger viewers, to open up markets across the Nordics, and I’m sure that our next YA Norwegian short format Delete Me [directed by Young & Promising’s Marie Kristiansen] will also work well in the rest of the Nordics next year.

How do you use data, algorithm to optimise content and curatorial on your platform?
FW: For every Originals we produce, we have daily reports, and we look both at viewers and country split. We know what shows work or don’t work across borders, and how we can adapt. We are doing it authentically now but we may twist a bit some content in the future to reach a specific demographic or audience.

How has the pandemic impacted your productions?
FW: We were hit internationally, in Norway and in Denmark, where a show like Pros & Cons season 2 had to stop, but then resumed filming in the summer.

In Sweden, we were fortunate to get on with most of our productions, such as Honour Season 2 and Camilla Läckberg’s Lyckoviken [Hammarvik]. The Truth Will Out season 2 had to pause but was recently finished.

We also had to stop Josephine Bornebusch’s romantic drama series Harmonica.

On the other hand, it gave space for her social distancing film Orca, which just launched on Viaplay. It’s a fantastic movie and a real blueprint to what you can create under coronavirus and in no time. And it performs really well on Viaplay with higher viewing than international blockbuster movies.

How does your 2021 line up look like? Any particular project that you’re excited about?
FW: We will launch 40 productions as expected, although it will look a bit different than what was initially planned, due to the pandemic. We were lucky to have a lot in production, so some projects were pushed forward.

It’s hard to say which project I’m most excited about, but I’m most proud of the balance that we will have between countries and between established and new talents. Series like Wisting, Those Who Kill [season 2] are classic brands that we know will be strong.

Then I’m excited about the new voices in Thunder in My Heart and Pørni. Then documentaries will be another big push coming up. I’m also excited to go properly into the Young Adult area. We had Cryptid this year, but we will have many other shows coming out in 2021 in this genre.

Last, but not least, I look forward to seeing many of our Originals travel globally.