WARNER BROS. INTERNATIONAL TELEVISION PRODUCTION LAUNCHES NEW OPERATION IN ITALY
Stefano Torrisi announced as Managing Director
Leading international production and distribution business Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) today announces that it is opening a new production business in Italy.
Located in Milan, WBITVP Italy marks the 15th territory for WBITVP’s production activities, with the new office becoming the 22nd production company in total, joining WBITVP businesses across EMEA, Australia and New Zealand.
WBITVP Italy will be helmed by Managing Director Stefano Torrisi, an Italian native who will also maintain his status as MD of WBITVP Spain. Torrisi will report directly to WBITVP President Ronald Goes. Additional senior creative and production staff are currently being recruited, with announcements expected within the next months.
Torrisi has been MD of WBITVP Spain for the past year. He has a long history of holding senior TV production posts across Spain and Italy, including CEO of Europroduzione TV, Chief Commerical Officer at Endemol Italy and EVP of both Banijay Iberia and Banijay Italy – the latter of which he held concurrently.
Torrisi is a respected executive in the local market and is already in conversation with numerous Italian clients, with the first production for the new team confirmed as season ten of First Dates (Primo Appuntamento). A Discovery Real Time commission, it was previously produced in Italy by Stand By Me.
Ronald Goes, WBITVP President, says:
“Italy is a vibrant TV market and as several of our formats have already been successfully adapted there – with frequent recommissions – now feels like the right time to establish a WBITVP business on the ground and grow our presence in the territory. We are ambitious for this business and its contribution to our wider group, and I can think of no better executive than Stefano to lead the new team. His creative, production and commercial strengths, coupled with his experience of working at the highest levels in Italy, make him a real asset to the business.
“I’d also like to express my thanks and gratitude to Discovery for its trust in making First Dates our first commission and also to Stand By Me which in recent years has acted as a wonderful guardian to this important WBITVP brand.”
Stefano Torrisi, Managing Director of WBITV Italy, says:
“I am excited for this new adventure in Italy and am grateful to Ronald for such a wonderful opportunity. WBITVP formats have an excellent reputation in the territory, and we will work closely with existing clients to grow and extend relationships, always delivering on the high quality they have come to expect. As our business grows, we will also be looking to expand our client base and create our own IP that WBITVP can deliver not only in Italy but globally through the wider WBITVP network.”
About Warner Bros International Television Production
Founded in 2009, Warner Bros International Television Production (WBITVP) produces local scripted and non-scripted programming through its network of local production operations comprising 22 production businesses in 15 territories: the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Italy – and also in Australia and New Zealand.
WBITVP’s production operations are responsible for original programming, as well as local versions of formats owned and/or controlled by WBD, such as First Dates, The Bachelor, The Golden Bachelor, Cash or Trash, The Repair Shop, FBoy Island, Who Do You Think You Are? and Glow Up. Scripted series include, The Twelve, 30 Somethings, and Love Me. Where WBITVP has no local production capability, it licenses the formats it controls to third parties. WBITVP also represents formats from third-party production companies and broadcasters such as North South Productions, Hungry Bear, Radio Karate, CBC Canada and Talpa.