Thomas Brezina, children’s book author translated into 30 languages, is working closely with Nordisk Film to turn his highly successful interactive children’s books into a TV series.
Say the name "Thomas Brezina" to a group of children from a German-speaking country, and they will most likely shout "Tiger Team", the title of one of his most popular series. So far the successful author of children’s book has published more than 100 titles and been translated into 30 languages around the globe. Now his goal is to bring the children’s detective club to the TV screen in a number of countries. Nordisk Film & TV has acquired the TV film rights for Tiger Team. Nordisk Film & TV is part of the Egmont Group, whose 100 companies include German publishers Egmont Ehapa and Egmont Franz Schneider Verlag. More than two million copies of the first 30 titles in the series have been sold in the German-speaking countries alone. Over the last five years Tiger Team has found an ever-increasing number of readers among children aged 8 to 12 in Germany and is also published in Scandinavia and several other European countries. Altogether in 21 languages.
Nordisk Film is busy forming together an international team to produce 26 episodes in English. A pilot program will be shown to the first European TV stations in February 2002.
The books are more than detective stories. They are interactive and come with simple gimmicks that young readers can use to decode hidden messages, thus helping the main characters to get on in the plot. Nordisk Film TV Drama has managed to get the same interactive function to work on ordinary TV sets. Children will easily be able to make numbers, words and pictures that others cannot identify on the screen.
Nordisk Film, founded in 1906, is Scandinavia’s leading film and TV production company. The company is also known in parts of Germany for the Olsen Gang, the Beck crime series and the impending major film "I am Dina", with Gérard Depardieu in the leading role. In Scandinavia the company is also well known for its production of the very popular TV advent calendar series. In the countdown to Christmas, traditional notions of what constitutes popular viewing are turned upside-down. From 1-24 December, the entire populations of Denmark, Sweden and Norway settle down in front of the TV as Christmas tales broadcast by the national public service stations unfold day by day. The head of Nordisk Film TV Drama, Martin Miehe-Renard, has previously produced eleven Danish advent series and also participated in the production of the Norwegian remake, attracting a large number of viewers on TV2 Norway in December.
Martin Miehe-Renard thinks that the Brezina project has great potential. An Irish and a German company are among the partners so far.
"Personally, I see it as one of the most exciting projects in many years. We have a good story, which is the first basic criterion for success, as well as a good creative dialogue with the author. In addition we have a new type of interactivity prepared for the TV medium, which runs independently of the Internet, digital set-top boxes and other types of technology. In other words, we’re holding a good hand for being able to create an international TV breakthrough for Thomas Brezina."
Thomas Brezina is not only a versatile author of children’s book. He has also created and hosted children’s TV, musicals, radio drama, electronic games and much more. In 1995 he initiated cooperation with the German publishing house Egmont Franz Schneider Verlag, which helped develop Tiger Team. Thomas Brezina says:
"So far Tiger Team has been translated into 21 languages. Children read and love the books whether they live in Japan, Finland, Norway, Russia, China, Denmark or England. I feel quite confident that we shall be just as successful on TV. The Nordisk Film team is top professional and internationally successful. I’m looking very much forward to our cooperation."
Further information:
Nordisk Film: Martin Miehe-Renard, +45 36 18 85 02, nftvmmr@nordiskfilm.dk
Press Relations Manager Henrik Harring Jørgensen, +45 23 33 02 65. harring@egt.egmont.com
Story&Co. GmbH: Hans Ponsold, +43 1 888 32 63. hans.ponsold@thomasbrezina.com
