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Kvartal CEO elected Ukrainian president

Volodymyr Zelenskiy stars in Kvartal 95’s comedy Servant of the People

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, CEO of Ukrainian studio Kvartal 95 and star of local comedy series Servant of the People, has been elected as the country’s next president.

Zelenskiy beat incumbent Petro Poroshenko by a landslide over the weekend, taking almost three-quarters of the vote, according to local reports.

He is set to take up the post in early June after Poroshenko conceded to the TV comic who is known for his role in TV show Servant of the People (aka Sluga Naroda), which airs on Ukrainian network 1+1 and in some territories on Netflix.

The show tells the story of a school teacher who – reflecting Zelenskiy’s real-life experience – unexpectedly becomes president.

Zelenskiy is CEO and creative producer at Kiev-based Kvartal 95, which has also been behind formats such as Crack Them Up, which was remade in Finland by Nelonen and optioned in the US.

It also produced major hit Servant of the People, which has been picked up for local adaptation in Greece and France while the original has been sold into South Korea.

In addition, Kvartal 95 is behind Vecherniy Kvartal, The Laughter League and Go Dance!, and linked up with Ukrainian broadcaster 1+1 Media in 2016 to launch satellite channel Kvartal TV.

The entertainment net, aimed at viewers aged 14 to 49 with “a sense of humour and an active lifestyle,” became available across Europe shortly after its domestic launch.

Zelenskiy has already spoken to international leaders including US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanual Macron. “As a citizen of Ukraine I can say to all post-Soviet countries, ‘Look at us. Everything is possible,’” he said.

It is unclear whether Zelenskiy will remain as CEO at Kvartal 95, which did not immediately respond to C21’s request for comment.

However, Poroshenko warned that Zelenskiy’s victory could see the country come under the influence of Russia, which is involved in an ongoing territorial dispute with Ukraine.

“Just look at the celebrations in the Kremlin on the occasion of the elections. They believe that with a new inexperienced Ukrainian president, Ukraine could be quickly returned to Russia’s orbit of influence,” the former president posted on Twitter.

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