Newen Studios has partnered with Berlin-based Flare Film to set up Spark Studios, an umbrella banner which will bundle its German production activities. The new banner will be headed by Flare Film chief Martin Heisler and Eva Kemme, who will be co-CEOs.
As its first acquisition, Spark Studios has purchased a majority stake in Dog Haus, a production company based in Berlin and Munich with credits including the series “The Gryphon,” which was ordered by Amazon Prime.
Dog Haus was created in 2021 by producer André Zoch, scriptwriter Erol Yesilkaya and director Sebastian Marka. Together, the trio has written and produced numerous crime dramas, including “Tatort” and “Exit” for ARD. The three founders serve as managing and creative directors for the company.
“Dog Haus is a production label for creatives who aspire to tell exceptional stories. We aim to consistently produce television, multimedia, cinematic films and series with the highest artistic standards and thematic relevance,” Marka, Yesilkaya and Zoch said in a statement.
The three founders said Dog Haus “stands for elevated genre, consciously positioned between arthouse and suspenseful entertainment.”
Newen previously acquired a majority stake in Flare Film in 2021. The company’s credits include “Paradiso” directed by Barbara Albert and David Dietl, among others.
Newen, which is owned by France’s leading commercial network TF1, is already present in the Netherlands with Tuvalu and Pupkin; Denmark with Nimbus; Belgium with De Mensen; Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. with Reel One; in the U.K. with Ringside, Fictionhouse, Slate Entertainment and Further South Production; and iZen in Spain.
