The seasoned TV and entertainment pro joins the NTRNZ team to further develop formats, creative partnerships and internationalization.
NTRNZ media has hired Tomi Suomela to boost sales and development in Finland and abroad. The formats and branded content professional with over two decades of experience has produced some of the biggest entertainment programs. Over the last decade, he has worked at Finland’s biggest commercial channel MTV and most recently at Mediawan Finland.
We’re proud to welcome Tomi at this specific point of our journey. He has a lot to offer in sales and internationalization, the perfect person to take us forward. His contact network in Finland and abroad is hard to match.
Teemu Hostikka, Founder & Executive Creative Director
Beyond excited to join NTRNZ media on its way towards broader audiences. I've admired their ambition and boldness to produce content which has already earned them both viewers and recognition not only in Finland but abroad as well. We'll continue to develop great content in-house but also add a few carefully chosen formats to our slate to grow.
Tomi Suomela
Tomi thinks the multidisciplinary nature of NTRNZ’s operations creates huge potential in branded content creation. He has worked in this field at both MTV and several production companies.
NTRNZ is also an advertising agency, and we'll be able to offer its partners my experience in these special formats. To the customer, they are a huge investment which means it's especially important to both listen to the customer as well as have the know-how to create professional tv entertainment.
Tomi Suomela
"NTRNZ is Finnish-owned, and that spoke to me"
Let’s ask Tomi to share more of his thoughts about the new team, his work and the future of the industry.
Where is the industry headed, and what kind of content will we consume in two to five years?
The big streaming companies affect everything in Finland and abroad. Their mergers into even bigger players affects the consumer, but also the broadcasters and through them, the production companies’ possibilities here. The public broadcasting service will continue to exist alongside the commercial operators, whatever people say about the financing of the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle. It’s such a strong player in the Finnish media field, and I don’t want it to waver. Content changes according to the consumers’ needs. Short form video is here to stay.
Why NTRNZ media?
The company is in a good place of growth and development, and my experience combined with that feels good. I have a lot to give in both sales and internationalization on an even larger scale through my contacts. The playing field is big and I enjoy the game. I also live in the moment and go for what feels right. The fact that NTRNZ is Finnish-owned speaks to me. It’s hard to find companies without international ownership. Here, I get to develop domestic IP with the team, and distribute it outside Finland as well.
NTRNZ is about “meaningful entertainment”. What does that mean to you?
People think most of TV is ultimately ‘nonsense’. I think that we’re able to bring feelings and tones into people’s everyday life. Most Finns sit down to consume the fruit of our labour after a long and hard day at work. They relax, get vexed, laugh and cry watching it. We as content creators have to remember how privileged we are to be able to convey these emotions. That is how meaningful this work is at its best.
What has been your most meaningful production so far?
When I worked for MTV, I was the executive producer in a lot of charity organisations’ concerts: Unicef, Finn Church Aid, The Association of Friends of the University Children’s Hospitals to mention a few, but the most important for me is still the LiveAid ULS2017, a five-hour live mega concert from the Helsinki Olympic Stadium. This production that started with the Finnish artists’ joint music video Lohtu showed me the power of cooperation in a way I had never experienced before and have not experienced since. Nearly every Finnish tv production company joined in, and so did music industry pros, artists and event professionals. We worked for almost three years on top of our day jobs to raise over two million euros for the hospital with the concert. That is, and will be, my most important and meaningful production ever.
Contact:
Tomi Suomela
+358 40 0678724
Teemu Hostikka
+358 45 639 8664
Tomi Suomela is a TV and media professional with vast experience as an on-air promotions manager, commissioner, executive producer, branded content specialist, head of formats and director of entertainment. He has worked with the biggest formats and international distributors, commissioned and sold hit shows and developed content for brands.
