Ute Biernat exits management role at Germany’s UFA Show & Factual after 25 years
Ute Biernat, CEO of UFA Show & Factual, is stepping down from her management role at the Cologne-based production company after a quarter of a century.
Biernat will at the same time relinquish her management position at Hungarian prodco UFA Produkció from September 30.
Biernat has been CEO of UFA Show & Factual since June 2000, producing local versions of global hits like Got Talent and Family Feud, and CEO of UFA Produkció since October 2024.
As an experienced TV producer, she will maintain close ties with the Fremantle-backed UFA group in a consulting capacity.
Biernat said: “In light of the fact I will be celebrating my 25th anniversary as CEO of UFA Show & Factual on June 1, I would like to make use of this summer to say my goodbyes and to step down from the management.
“Since joining Pearson Television, as it was known then, I have been able to celebrate countless unbelievable successes every year with the entire team, not only in all conceivable genres of entertainment, but also across the full spectrum of factual content – in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary.
“The key factor that unites all the successful projects that I have overseen in my 25 years as CEO is having a great team behind the scenes – at UFA Show & Factual, we don’t just create entertainment, we put our heart and soul into everything we do. My colleagues here are simply incomparable – their passion, their unwavering commitment and their team spirit are the lifeblood of the company.”
After studying Theatre, Film and Television Studies at university, Biernat began her career as a director and author for various magazines and documentaries. In 1992 she travelled to New Zealand to work as a freelance editor for companies including TV3.
She then worked as an editor in Australia on a range of entertainment formats and in the US in various editorial roles for companies such as CNN, CBS and ABC. She returned to Germany in 1994, initially working as a consultant for broadcasters and producers.
In 1996, she joined UFA Show & Factual (then Grundy Television Produktions) as exec producer and two years later became senior exec producer at Pearson Television (Grundy Televisions).
In June 2000, Biernat became CEO of Pearson Television (later Grundy Light Entertainment, then UFA Show and now UFA Show & Factual) and in June 2010 was appointed CEO of UFA Factual (formerly UFA Entertainment). The two companies merged in 2015 to form UFA Show & Factual.
In 2010, under Biernat, UFA Show & Factual produced shows in Hungary for the first time and went on to establish a division in the country in 2015.
LIVE FROM: LA SCREENINGS
