Rabbit Films has appointed Sam Ferguson, a former ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVSGE) executive to their international sales team.

Based in London, Ferguson has joined Rabbit Films in August, 2019 as their Senior Sales Manager. Her responsibilities will include managing Rabbit Films’ sales efforts across Asia and all English-speaking territories. She will report to Rabbit’s Head of International, Jonathan Tuovinen, who has lead the international department since 2016.

Ferguson previously held the position of Sales Manager at ITV Studios Global Entertainment and managed sales into Russia, CIS, Baltics and the Balkans. During her role, she worked with globally successful entertainment formats including Love Island, Come Dine with Me and Hell’s Kitchen, and scripted series such as The Bodyguard, Harlots and World on Fire.

Prior to ITVSGE, Ferguson worked as Banijay Rights’ Format Sales Executive, selling key brands including Wife Swap, Fort Boyard and Psychic Challenge into CEE and Asia. She has also previously held positions at Zodiak Rights, Sony, PRS for Music and BAFTA.

 

Sam Ferguson commented:

“I am thrilled to join the team at Rabbit Films and excited to be working with such formats as Over the Atlantic and Couples’ Party, as well as finished programmes Beyond Human Boundaries and The Dudesons. The company are creating some amazing content and I hope my experience in across Asia and worldwide will drive further growth”.

 

Jonathan Tuovinen of Rabbit Films stated:

“We have built our international department for the past couple of years with successfully licensing formats such as Over the Atlantic and Globetrotters, and are now ready for the next growth phase. Having someone of Sam’s experience is a major asset for Rabbit Films to further bolster our efforts, and we are very happy having her join our family”.

 

Rabbit Films is launching a slate of new captivating and unique non-scripted formats and eye-opening ready-mades at MIPTV 2019! We’re also bringing our up to date Rabbit Catalogue 2019 to Cannes. See You there!

 

You’re invited to join Couples Party (12 x 60min, Entertainment) – the naughtiest game of the year! Three couples who are all friends with each other compete in a fun-filled and saucy studio show. Who knows their friends the best and can get the most correct answers to blush–worthy questions like: Who is most likely to get undressed in public? Who has the worst hangovers? And which couple makes the most noise in the sack? These groups of friends have no problem revealing their own and each other’s sexy secrets in order for one of them to win a dream trip! The winner can select one other contestant to join them as a travel companion… however it won’t necessarily be their own partner!

 

Most Endangered Species with WWF (Factual Entertainment, 8 x 60min, also available as a ready-made) is anepic travel series featuring the world’s most fascinating endangered animals! A real scientist travels together with a witty comedian to the outermost corners of the world to get acquainted with the protection of endangered animals and even to see a glimpse of these rare species. The format offers once in a lifetime experiences, such as racing a snow leopard in the Himalayas, looking for the Svalbard polar bears and visiting Borneo to explore the shrinking areas of the orangutans.

 

Beyond Human Boundaries is an award winning 8 x 60min ready-made documentary-reality program which tells the story of Arman Alizad, an ordinary man, who travels with his cameraman to eight countries trying to get into a community, group, tribe or environment for 10 days. All communities are different, but they are all outside of Western culture and lifestyle. Arman experiences variety of lifestyles from a landfill site in Cambodia to gang life in the favela of Brazil, voodoo magic in Benin and living with the Bedouins in Saudi Arabia. Arman’s only chance of success is the strength and wisdom of his local mentor, who knows how to survive in such extreme circumstances.

It is not only a show of endurance, it’s an emotional story about people who live in some of our planet’s most unforgiving conditions whose unique lifestyle the viewers get to see from rarely close. A story of gaining trust and building friendships that crosses all barriers in some of the toughest corners of the world.

Brand new season 3 out now!

 

Over Atlanten, the Danish version of the Rabbit Films original format Over the Atlantic premiered on Kanal 5 Denmark (Discovery Networks) on Thursday 21^stMarch with a 7.9% total share and 20.5% share in the commercial 21-50 demo. The finished episodes of the Danish 8 x 60 min series will also be available in the other Nordic countries via Discovery’s online service DPlay. The show is produced by Strong Productions (NENT).

 

“Over the Atlantic is a great format, which is quite genuine, unlike many other adventure programs. You get close to the participants and really sense that there is something at stake. The program shows both an inner and outer journey, where we get close to the participants and discover new sides of them. We sent six celebrities, who didn’t know each other, across the Atlantic, and the whole trip not to mention the ties they have linked to each other has been a unique experience for them. After returning home, the six celebrities have bought a boat together so that they can continue the adventure at sea. That kind of friendship I don’t think many other programs can create”, says Anne Garlichs, Vice President, Content & Programming, Discovery Networks Denmark.

 

“We at Strong Productions have been very happy to work on bringing this fantastic format to the Danish market. Both we and the celebrities knew that this journey was a lifetime experience and still we are all amazed just how epic it turned out to be. After overcoming this challenge, the celebrities even bought a boat together. A beautiful ending to a magnificent journey.” stated Producer Louise Runge Erichsen from Strong Productions.

 

 

In Over the Atlantic, six celebrities are given a once in a lifetime challenge to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. Week after week they learn how to sail, how to work as a team and how to fight the harsh ocean. Most of all the team is on a journey of self-discovery: who they are and who they want to be as human beings. The ocean has no mercy, they just have to find the way to survive!

 

In autumn 2017, the first season of the Finnish version Atlantin yli was a big success, ultimately becoming the highest rated show of all time on TV5 Finland (Discovery Networks)! The whole season had an amazing audience share of 32%. The second Finnish season has been filmed and will premiere in autumn 2019. The show has also been licensed to Kanal 5 Sweden, who will premiere their version in the autumn of 2019, as well as a soon-to-be-released commercial broadcaster in Belgium. Additionally, the show has been optioned in various territories, including France, Spain, the Netherlands and Norway.

 

“It’s been a great pleasure for us to partner with both Strong Productions and Discovery Denmark. We’re truly happy how well they have adapted our format into the Danish version and are looking forward to the other localized versions to premiere later this year.” commented Jonathan Tuovinen, Head of International at Rabbit Films.

Watch the premiere episode here via DPlay

Rabbit Films’ production Stripped Club has won the award of Best Music Entertainment Show at Kultainen Venla – the Finnish TV Awards, held on January 11th 2019. Stripped Club was competing in the category against The Voice of Finland and The Best Singers.

In each Stripped Club (8 x 60′) episode one artist reveals themselves and does an intimate performance in front of a live audience. Hosted by a well-known musician, Stripped Club provides a bare look into the life of a singer-songwriter. The show features acoustic performances intercut with the most personal moving stories like you’ve never seen before. You get to know the artists, their struggles and the stories behind their songs. The stunning 360-degree stage set-up allows for the audience to get as close as possible to the artist. One song from the session is chosen to be released as a digital single.

“We’re delighted to see how Stripped Club has touched a broad audience. Winning against well-established ww success formats is a great accomplishment for a brand-new music format” says Jonathan Tuovinen, Head of International at Rabbit.

Stripped Club’s first season was broadcast in spring 2018 on SubTV Finland. The musicians who appeared in the show were Michael Monroe, Paula Vesala, Juha Tapio, Lauri Tähkä, Kaija Koo, Erin, Mikael Gabriel and Tuure Kilpeläinen. The show was hosted by Elias Kaskinen.

Rabbit Films’ adventure reality format Globetrotters was chosen as the winner of the Format-Finlandia 2018 prize. The prestigious award was awarded for the 18^th time by the association of Audiovisual Producers Finland during the Media & Message – the Finnish TV Festival held in Tampere Finland. Rabbit Films has previously won the Format-Finland prize twice before, in 2015 for King and in 2012 for Celebrity Home Invasion. This year, the Format- Finlandia winner was chosen by Nicola Söderlund, founder of distribution company Eccho Rights, who considered the export potential of the format as the most important winning criteria:

”My choice is Globetrotters. Globetrotters taps well into the global trend of traveling where a rich experience at and of new places is what people are looking for” Söderlund commented his choice.

Globetrotters was Nelonen channel’s new prime time launch for Spring 2018 in Finland, where three celebrities competed independently around the globe. They were performing eight tasks in the most exotic destinations as soon as possible so that they could be the winner of the race, first one back in the homeland.

Rabbit Films’ adventure formats ‘Over the Atlantic’ and ‘Globetrotters’ have both been selected as finalists in the Format-Finlandia competition.

The Finnish production company behind the best format of 2018 will be awarded at the annual Format-Finlandia Gala during the Media & Message – The Finnish TV Festival held in Tampere Finland in August. The winner will receive a 20,000€ prize which is funded by Finnish broadcasters.

Over the Atlantic showed the viewers in Autumn 2017 what happened when an experienced captain sailed in three weeks across Atlantic with six well-known celebrities with zero sailing experience. ‘Over the Atlantic’ was the highest rated show of all time in TV5 channel (Discovery Networks).

Globetrotters was Nelonen channel’s Spring 2018 launch, where three celebrities competed independently around the globe. They were performing tasks in the most exotic destinations so that they could be the winner of the race, first one back in the homeland.

Rabbit Films has won the Format-Finland prize twice before, in 2012 for King and in 2012 for Celebrity Home Invasion. The Format-Finlandia has been awarded since 2001, currently they are awarded by the association of Audiovisual Producers Finland – APFI.

Rabbit Films is delighted to introduce in Cannes a line up with great variety including four brand new original formats, all infused with Positive Anarchy.

Globetrotters truly tests celebrities and offers hight production value while the contestants race around the world. What’s The Word? is a game show where people can play along by challenging their minds. Both Queen of the Day and Stripped Club will be touching their audience with laughter and tears.

Trailers for the new formats can be screened by clicking the images below and entering a password “rabbit15”.

Globetrotters
Adventure Reality, 8 x 60min
Adventurous and eventful celebrity travel show! Three unsuspecting celebrities each get dropped at a random point at our globe and have to solve clues to pick up eight objects from eight different locations in the world. First one back in the homeland wins the race!

Queen of the Day
Entertainment, 8 x 60min
Eight former beauty pageant winners from different decades are brought together to an unforgettable 8-day journey. Each day focuses on a different superb queen, who will share their real untold stories.

What’s The Word?
Game Show, 10 x 60min
A wonderfully fun word-guessing celebrity game show! Each player will in turn try to explain a word in a way that as few as possible of the other contestants would get it right, but avoiding an outcome that no one or every contestant guesses the word. Player with most points wins!

Stripped Club
Music, 8 x 60min
Where everything is laid bare! A famous musician sits down with a host for a captivating and personal in-depth interview. Between the discussions the musician performs their latest hits acoustic in an intimate 360 degree venue surrounded by their audience.