Banijay hires for EndemolShine Fiction
Banijay France has hired Dominique Farrugia from rival production group StudioCanal to lead its newly acquired EndemolShine Fiction business as MD.
Dominique Farrugia
Farrugia will join at the start of November and oversee all of the business’ scripted operations and pipeline of premium content.
He is currently deputy MD at StudioCanal having joined as deputy general manager of productions in 2017.
Having begun his career in radio at Europe 1 and RTL, he was recruited by Canal+ at the time of the channel’s launch in 1984. Going on to co-found the comedy quartet Les Nuls, he then took up a role behind the camera, making seven films.
In 2002, he became MD of Canal+ and its programming, before becoming president. The following year, he founded production company Farrudg Entertainment Worldwide before signing a partnership with EuropaCorp in 2012 for feature films. EuropaCorp then appointed him director in charge of its French-language output.
In his new role at EndemolShine Fiction, Farrugia will maintain his first-look agreement with StudioCanal covering any film projects from his production company, One Again. He will report to Banijay France CEO François de Brugada.
De Bragada said: “We are incredibly proud to welcome Dominique Farrugia as MD of EndemolShine Fiction. His experience as a writer, director and producer will be invaluable in building a healthy slate of high-quality, original and ambitious scripted programming. His arrival bolsters Banijay France’s fiction offering and solidifies our position as a go-to for all genres.”
EndemolShine Fiction has produced Papa ou Maman for M6, Mention Particulière for TF1, Guyane for Canal+, Quadras for M6, Mental for France.TV Slash, Le Pont du Diable for France 3 and Faux Semblants for France 2.
It is the latest appointment following Banijay’s US$2.2bn buy-out of Endemol Shine Group, which concluded in July.
Integration, leading to promotions and departures, has already been announced for the group’s distribution arm and operations in Iberia and Italy, Germany, Benelux, France, the Nordics and the UK.
Industry veteran Cathy Payne is overseeing the merger of the groups’ distribution arms.
