Stefan Baron takes the helm of Yellow Bird

The seasoned TV executive is steering the Scandinavian company amid the pandemic which has disrupted the production of several premium TV shows.

Baron who joined Banijay’ owned Yellow Bird in 2018 as Head of Business Affairs and Executive Producer, recently took over as CEO from Johannes Jensen, named VP Banijay Sweden, Head of Scripted Banijay Nordics.

The leading production company specialising on IP-based content, has successfully launched several premium TV dramas this year, such as C More/TV4’s Thin Ice, Bäckström, Rebecka Martinsson season 2.

The latest high-end crime drama The Hunt for a Killer (Jakten på en mördare) directed by Mikael Marcimain (Horizon Line) kick-started on SVT November 15, backed by rave reviews, and posted over a million consolidated viewers for episode 1 after eight days.

The series based the best-selling eponymous book by Tobias Barkman, is also airing on Yle and starts tonight on NRK. It will also play on DR and RÚV as part of the Nordic 12 collaboration.

Several upcoming series have been disrupted by the pandemic but are back on track, and lined-up for 2021. Three of them will premiere on Nent Group’s Viaplay:

• Huss starring Karin Franz Körlof as the famous police investigator Katarina Huss, was in the middle of production in March in Göteborg when Covid-19 struck. “We managed to secure the production with extra costs and finalised the show,” says Baron.
• The Truth Will Out Season 2 resumed filming in Lithuania mid-August and recently finalised its shoot. Robert Gustafsson reprises his title role as detective Peter Wendel, in the crime show based on an idea by Leif G.W. Persson.
• Two Sisters is still in the middle of shooting in Stockholm. “It’s very challenging with the tighter government covid-restrictions, but we’re pushing it and it looks great,” adds Baron. The series starring Dilan Gwyn and Julia Ragnarsson is based on the bestselling novels by Swedish celebrities Hannah Widell and Amanda Schulman.

DR/SVT’s major crime drama Snow Angels produced with Denmark’s Happy Ending Film & TV, is now in the editing room, after a slight delay in the production. The Scandinavian stellar cast includes Eva Melander, Josefin Asplund, Cecilia Nilsson and Ardalan Esmaili.

Yellow Bird also had to shift the filming of the Swedish feature film Ur Spår, co-produced with Jarowskij. The comedy drama directed by Mårten Klingberg (My Father Marianne) is set during the famous Vasaloppet cross country ski race. The film in post-production will be released by SF Studios.

Meanwhile Yellow Bird UK headed by Berna Levin will soon deliver the series Spotify to Netflix, after The Young Wallander, and several projects are underway at Yellow Bird Norway, headed by Gudny Hummelvoll.