news

NTRNZ media ltd and Happia Oy sign a cooperative agreement for a new animation series

Oulu-based award-winning operators NTRNZ media ltd and Happia Oy have made a cooperative agreement of producing a new animation series. The series is based on Happia Oy’s educative well-being service that is largely executed by NTRNZ media ltd.

– The adventurous characters of the series, ’The Ömps’, are exploring the world by movement and bodily expression. At the same time they are teaching the skills of emotion, interaction, problem solving and presence to children. Exercising these skills enhances the child’s self-awareness and the sense of involvement in relation to the child’s own environment, says Happia Oy’s CEO Sanna Virtanen.

The series will be marketed not only for Finland but also for international operators. NTRNZ media ltd has recently signed several international TV content agreements. This autumn Happia Oy’s Breikkeri service has been present, for example, on the screens of New York City’s Times Square.

– The series will challenge the traditional idea of the non-inclusive effect of screen content. In fact, it will turn this idea on its head. We will export Finnish early childhood education and Finnish values to the world through the methods developed by Happia, says Teemu Hostikka of NTRNZ media ltd, the producer of the series.

Magic in Lapland signs international distribution deal

Magic in Lapland, a TV series co-produced by awarded production company NTRNZ media and magician-illusionist Henri Kemppainen has signed an international distribution agreement. Hong Kong based Lightning International will distribute the series internationally.

– We are months ahead of schedule, as we thought we’d sign the distribution contract at the end of the year. Now, instead of finding a distributor, we get to already sell the series next week in Cannes at MIPCOM, says Executive Producer Teemu Hostikka.

Magic in Lapland is a combination of the magical nature of Finland and the close-up magic and illusions of Henri Kemppainen. The filming began in the summer of 2018 and the winter episodes will be filmed during the coming winter. The series is being filmed across Finland.

– I believe we’ve hit a jackpot content-wise. The trailer alone had 24 000 Facebook fans from Asia rush to our page in less than a week, says Henri Kemppainen.

– The deal is significant for us, because we were looking for a distributor with special knowledge of the Asian market. Lightning International is an experienced player in the field, and they have followed the progress of the project for the past year. They have a strong network in the rest of the world as well, says Teemu Hostikka.

Magic in Lapland is a English language TV series aimed at international markets. The team consists of the biggest names in TV magic. Henri Kemppainen is being consulted by international magic consultant Christian Engblom, who has previously consulted e.g. David Blaine and performed in Penn & Teller’s tv series ”Fool Us.”

The pyrotechnics are the work of Jani Järvinen, who has worked for Tiësto, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren and Finnish rap icon Elastinen, as well as created pyrotechnics for multiple TV series.

Henri Kemppainen is a Finnish magician-illusionist who has studied in Las Vegas. He was awarded the Performer of the Year 2016 by Evento Awards and the Master Magician Emeritus Reijo Salminen trophy in 2015 and 2016. He has performed in several international arenas, including Abu Dhabi.

The series is produced by NTRNZ media Ltd, an Oulu based creative agency best known for the Love of the Wild TV series (Finnish TV Academy Golden Venla 2017 Winner, Best TV series). The first two seasons of the series have been sold to over 30 countries. The international version of the series, Love of the Wild – From the Alps to the Arctic is being filmed in five countries across Europe and will premiere in 2020.

More information:

Teemu Hostikka
+358 45 639 8664,
NTRNZ media Oy

Henri Kemppainen
+358 40 821 7749

Magic in Lapland website and trailer: http://www.magicoflapland.tv

The creators of Love of the Wild working on a large scale international production

The international version of the Golden Venla winning series is being filmed across Europe.

The team behind Love of the Wild, that was the first northern Finnish production to win the Golden Venla, is making history once again. The same team that made Love of the Wild a success, is currently filming its international version Love of the Wild – From the Alps to the Arctic.

The series is being filmed, as the title implies, from the Alps all the way to the Arctic areas of Europe, in five different European countries. The preparations for the series started in September 2017, and filming began in August 2018. The series will be in international distribution in 2020.

Äijä the dog to become an international star

The series presents the extremes of European nature, a natural way of life and people living in different cultures more impressively and extensively than any series before.

– We are filming in locations that are amazing and unique on a world scale. This is a whole new format and the series is created in 4K high definition technique according to the latest international quality standards, says Executive Producer Teemu Hostikka.

Because of the demanding filming locations, the series has hired, in addition to the experienced filming crew that worked on Love of the Wild, cameramen from Europe that are experienced in difficult and dangerous mountain conditions. The Finnish stars of the series are Aki Huhtanen, Emilia Laitinen and Äijä the dog, well known from the Finnish version. The new series follows their life in the gorgeous landscapes of Finnish Lapland.

– Finnish drama has taken major international steps in recent years. Nature related content is also one of our strengths, and Love of the Wild has a great opportunity to be the torch bearer in this development, says Director of Creative Content Ville Vilén from YLE.

Backed by well known investors and big names in the TV industry

The Finnish distribution rights to the series belong to Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, and the first season airs in the Spring of 2020. A major party involved in the funding of the series is private equity investor for media content, IPR.VC, which was impressed by the international potential of the series.

– Love of the Wild is an appealing and original series in which the creators’ true love for nature is conveyed to the viewer. We believe that the international version Love of the Wild – From the Alps to the Arctic will speak to viewers all over the world and bring success to both the production company and the investors of our fund, says Tanu-Matti Tuominen, partner and one of the founders of IPR.VC.

Love of the Wild – From the Alps to the Arctic is the largest undertaking so far for production company NTRNZ media Ltd, strongly headed for the international markets. The consultant for international sales for the series is Jorma Sairanen, the Grand Old Man of the TV industry. Sairanen realised the potential of Love of the Wild early on.

– IPR requested me to assess Finnish TV productions in the autumn of 2017, considering their international sales potential. Of the non-fiction productions being prepared at the time, Love of the Wild was a clear number one for me. The series has very good chances to be distributed internationally on TV-like platforms, says Jorma Sairanen.

The first two Finnish language seasons of the Golden Venla winner Love of the Wild have been sold to over 30 countries, and the third season premieres October 14th on YLE TV1 and YLE Areena.

More information:

Teemu Hostikka
+358 45 639 8664,
NTRNZ media Oy

Timo Järvi
+358 400 634853
Buyer
Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE
timo.jarvi(a)yle.fi

Tanu-Matti Tuominen
+358 500 593001
Partner, Co-Founder / IPR.VC
tanu-matti(a)ipr.vc