ABOUT THE CONTENT EUROPE GLOBAL FORMATS PITCH COMPETITION

C21 has partnered with Talpa Studios to launch The Content Europe Global Formats Pitch Competition, designed to uncover the next global formats hit.

The winning project will pick up a development deal with Talpa Studios to further-develop the project into a fully realised format proposition with international market potential. The studio is not looking to purchase the idea outright, it is looking to collaborate.

The winner will also receive £20,000 worth of marketing across C21Media’s digital, print and event products to support development and pre-sales promotion of the show.

The competition aims to discover and develop a brand-new hit format in one of the following categories: Primetime Entertainment, Reality & Social Experiment or Factual Entertainment.

C21’s editor-in-chief & managing director David Jenkinson said: “This partnership with Talpa Studios means The Content Europe Global Formats Pitch Competition will provide unprecedented opportunity to format creators to partner with one of the most prolific development studios in the business. It adds a dimension to the event which will supercharge creativity and help bring the next big thing to the world.”

Talpa Studios chief creative officer Jasper Hoogendoorn added: “We’re excited to partner with C21 on this new initiative and look forward to discovering exceptional creative talent and new ideas to collaborate on. At Talpa Studios, we’re always searching for bold ideas with global potential, and this collaboration creates a fantastic platform to uncover some incredible talent.”

The finalists will pitch live in front of a panel of esteemed judges and delegates at Content Europe in Lisbon on April 21, 2026.

TIMELINE

Live pitch at Content Europe

21/04/2026

EVENT DETAILS

This event is taking place at:
Content Europe 2026.

To purchase a Content Europe 2026 ticket, please CLICK HERE.

2026 WINNER

FLUENT IN 40

Wonder Circuit Media

France

SYNOPSIS

Ten English speakers. Forty days. No English.

In Fluent in 40 (French Edition), contestants are dropped into France with one mission: become as fluent in French as possible in just 40 days. Living together in a shared house, they begin each day with intensive language lessons – but the real learning happens outside the classroom.

From navigating bustling markets and ordering in cafés to performing on stage or interviewing locals, contestants must survive daily life using only the language they’re learning. Cultural mishaps, hilarious misunderstandings and breakthrough moments turn every interaction into a test of courage, creativity and communication.

Each week, contestants face immersive challenges designed to push their skills to the limit and reveal just how far they’ve come – or how much further they still have to go.

After 40 days of total immersion, native speakers evaluate their progress. The contestant who demonstrates the greatest transformation wins a cash prize – and the chance to continue their journey abroad.

Fluent in 40 is designed as a global format. In each edition, contestants travel to a new country to learn its language and culture – from Germans learning Spanish in Spain, to Americans learning French in Paris, to the English mastering Italian in Rome.

GENRE

Reality & Social Experiment Format

COMPANY PROFILE

Wonder Circuit Media is a creative production company focused on developing and producing franchisable IP across unscripted formats, scripted series and animated content. The company’s work centres on original ideas with clear audience appeal and the flexibility to scale across multiple platforms and markets, building entertainment concepts that connect meaningfully on a global scale.

PITCHING

Lenna Bauerly

Bauerly is an Emmy-nominated songwriter and content creator with a distinctly international perspective. Based between Paris and LA, she brings a deep cross-cultural sensibility to her work across animation, unscripted, television and film.

Her songs and voice have been featured on CBS, NBC, ABC, Amazon, Nickelodeon and Netflix, and her career also includes a Eurovision entry for Belgium. She develops original projects across animation, unscripted and scripted content.

Thom Chapman

The founder of Victura Media, Chapman is a creative and commercially driven media executive with over 15 years of experience in content sales, franchise management and platform strategy across television, streaming, YouTube, AVoD and interactive platforms.

He has worked with top franchises such as Paw Patrol, Peanuts and Bakugan, and has touched all facets of IP development, from creating and financing to producing and global distribution, as well as working closely on retail and franchise strategies. As a producer, Chapman has produced both live-action and animated feature films, most notably The Nut Job, which stands as one of the top-grossing independent animated films of all time.

CONTACT

Lenna Bauerly

[email protected]

2026 FINALISTS

FORTUNE$: The Secret Safes

OCCAM PRODUCTIONS

Switzerland

SYNOPSIS

Day one: 12 strangers arrive at a luxury villa. Each receives a sealed safe containing a secret amount – part of a $100,000 pot distributed unequally. The richest player at the end of seven days wins it all.

Each episode covers one day, structured in three acts.

Act 1 – The Flash Deal: players bid in high-stakes auctions (Dutch, blind, lottery) to win power cards – immunity, safe swaps, fortune hijacks, double votes. Every bet feeds the Golden Safe, a communal jackpot whose growing value remains hidden until the finale.

Act 2 – Confrontation: at any time, any player who suspects another of being richer can publicly challenge them. Three outcomes: they negotiate a deal, they swap safes blindly, or the group votes and the loser’s fortune is split among the others.

Act 3 – The end-of-day elimination: the player with the lowest fortune is revealed and permanently eliminated. Their money goes to the Golden Safe.

The finale introduces the ultimate dilemma: each remaining player must choose – keep their personal safe, or swap it for the Golden Safe. But if multiple players choose the Golden Safe, they share it. The safes are opened one by one. The richest player wins Fortune$.

GENRE

Reality & Social Experiment Format

PITCHING

Ismaël Benslimane

Benslimane is the creator of social experiment format Tandem, premiering in May 2026 on RTS (Swiss public television).

With a PhD in philosophy of science, following a background in theoretical physics, he became a consultant in experience design and game theory for scientific research in experimental psychology and economics. He develops experiments that probe human behaviour: cognitive biases, moral and social dilemmas, extreme behaviours, and influence and manipulation. Today, he channels this expertise into creating original TV formats that turn social science into primetime entertainment.

COMPANY PROFILE

OCCAM Productions is a creative studio founded by social science and game theory researchers, operating between Paris and Lausanne (Switzerland). Led by Ismael Benslimane – PhD in philosophy and former social experiment consultant – the company develops original non-scripted IP rooted in behavioural science: social dilemmas, cognitive biases, game theory, influence and manipulation, and group dynamics.

Our flagship format, Tandem, featured at The WIT Fresh TV 2025, is a social experiment series inspired by Schelling’s focal point theory – how two strangers with no way to communicate can find each other – airing on primetime in May 2026 on RTS (Swiss national broadcaster).

OCCAM’s development slate has been recognised with multiple SAJE screenwriting grants.

CONTACT

Ismael Benslimane

[email protected]

GIMME THE BEAT!

Freelance project

Spain

SYNOPSIS

What should a great music star really have? A voice like Whitney Houston? Dancing skills like Michael Jackson? Or piano-playing abilities like Elton John? It’s simpler than that: a true artist is someone who can connect with an audience.

Gimme the Beat is the talent show searching for the next big music star – but with a twist: there is no music. Contestants must perform without a backing track, relying on their voice, personality and stage presence to win over both the audience and the mentors.

Amateur performers take the stage and, if a mentor duo – made up of a world-renowned DJ and a successful singer – like what they see, they activate a backing track or join the performance, claiming the artist for their team. If multiple teams compete, the contestant chooses.

Once teams are formed, they face creative challenges, live performances and ultimately must create an original hit with their mentors. Versatility, charisma and authenticity are everything. Only one will win €100,000. They don’t need music to become a star. They need something more. This is Gimme the Beat!

GENRE

Primetime Entertainment Format

PITCHING

Ignacio Matas

Matas is a professional with extensive experience in the creation, development and adaptation of television entertainment formats across different genres (including reality, quizshows, talent shows and dating shows), as well as docuseries and documentaries.

He has worked as an entertainment coordinator for companies such as Mediacrest. He has also worked as a creative developer of new projects at major production companies such as Shine Iberia (Banijay) and Secuoya Studios.

Throughout his career, Matas has successfully sold original ideas and adapted international hits for the Spanish market. Some of his projects have been selected for international television markets and festivals. He has been a finalist in the Global Entertainment Formats Pitch at Content London (2023) and won the Pitch Feelgood Formats category at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment (2022).

Matas is now beginning a new stage as a freelancer, developing projects for production companies and audiovisual companies under the Beavers Creative Studio label.

CONTACT

IGNACIO MATAS

[email protected]

Inside Joke

Watermelon

Portugal

SYNOPSIS

Inside Joke takes comedy into the heart of real communities. In each episode, a charismatic resident host guides a different comedian into an extraordinary gathering, from fan conventions and specialist expos to quirky festivals and passionate subcultures. Their challenge is simple, but risky: understand the room well enough to make it laugh.

Over the course of a single day, the host and comedian immerse themselves in this unfamiliar world, meeting the people who define it, taking part in its rituals and uncovering the passions, rules and humour that hold the community together. As the comedian navigates awkward encounters, surprising revelations and comic pressure points, they must begin shaping everything they learn into an original bespoke stand-up set.

The episode builds toward one high-stakes climax: a live performance for the very crowd the comedian has spent the day trying to decode. If they get it right, they win the room. If they get it wrong, the silence will say everything.

Full of real jeopardy, Inside Joke combines immersive factual storytelling with the tension of a comedy challenge. With one returning host, a fresh comedian every episode and endless worlds to explore, it is a scalable, distinctive and internationally adaptable format.

GENRE

Factual Entertainment Format

PITCHING

Rick Fernandes

Fernandes is a veteran producer, director and creative executive with a career spanning children’s media, factual entertainment, international production and brand- driven storytelling.

He previously served as head of production and development for Turner Networks Asia Pacific, overseeing content across major general entertainment brands and niche channels and helping shape programming strategies for diverse audiences and markets throughout the region. That experience gave him a strong global production lens and a deep understanding of how to create ideas that travel across cultures while remaining locally relevant.

As an independent producer and director, Fernandes has earned 15 Emmy nominations and three wins, reflecting his creative range and commitment to high-quality, audience-focused storytelling. His work has moved fluidly among studio, broadcast and independent environments, combining editorial instinct with hands-on production leadership.

He has also held senior leadership roles in children’s and public media, including at Noggin/Paramount and the Fred Rogers Institute, where mission, audience trust and creative clarity were central to the work.

Most recently, Fernandes joined Watermelon Productions Portugal as head of development and production, developing internationally minded projects with strong commercial potential and a distinctive creative identity. He brings a rare combination of creative vision, executive leadership and global perspective.

COMPANY PROFILE

We are an entertainment content production company ready to create and develop projects from initial concept to finished product. Or, as we often say, ‘from a single seed to a whole watermelon.’

Our experience lies in areas like content creation (story concept, scriptwriting, storytelling and production of animation, music, video and advertisements) and content development (gamification, apps, transmedia narratives and brand content). We apply our talent to partners around the world and to our own productions, keeping our focus on the chosen audience. And, whenever we can, connecting every project to a cause.

After all, why not help the world while doing what we love?

We are creators, producers and packagers, passionate about what we do, who realise that a good slice of watermelon can perform wonders!

CONTACT

Richard Fernandes

[email protected]

Six Degrees of Connection

OCCAM PRODUCTIONS

Switzerland

SYNOPSIS

Day one: six duos are released from a European city centre. No phone, no money, no internet. The race is on.

To advance, duos must find someone connected to their social network – verified in near-real time by the Control Room. Once the link is confirmed, they receive a ticket and travel alongside the connection they’ve uncovered. At the next stop, the search starts over.

Regularly, duos face on-location Six Degrees challenges – find and shake the hand of the local radio host, track down two siblings in the city – forcing them into the local social fabric and offering a chance to earn bonus lifelines.

Three lifelines provide strategic escape routes: a phone call, a text-only window, a free ride with a stranger, or turning an unknown person into a verified connection.

At the end of each episode, the duo closest to the starting point is permanently eliminated.

A host duo runs the show from the Control Room – a live nerve centre based at the starting city where connections are verified, challenges are issued and every duo’s position is tracked in real time on a giant GPS map.

GENRE

Reality & Social Experiment Format

PITCHING

COMPANY PROFILE

OCCAM’s development slate has been recognised with multiple SAJE screenwriting grants.

CONTACT

Ismael Benslimane

[email protected]

The Freeze

Freelance

United Kingdom

SYNOPSIS

The Freeze takes the classic party game of hotter or colder and transforms it into a high-stakes, real-world challenge where 10 pairs of contestants have to rely on gut instinct and great guesswork to find a staggering sum of money, with only one simple clue to get them there: are they getting hotter or colder?

Every 15 minutes, our teams receive their only clue from a handheld ‘thermometer,’ telling them whether they are hotter or colder than they were before, with some of these updates being hidden behind questions and challenges to ramp up the pressure. That’s not all, though, as every hour the coldest team will be frozen out and eliminated from the competition – ensuring our contestants are feeling the heat at all times.

With each race set against the changing backdrops of iconic towns, cities and regions, The Freeze takes the simplest of games and brings it into the real world to ask how far you’d be prepared to go when all you know is that you’re getting hotter or colder.

GENRE

Primetime Entertainment Format

PITCHING

James Moore

Moore is a freelance assistant producer with experience working across a variety of unscripted shows in the UK. In his spare time, he develops original format ideas across a range of genres.

CONTACT

James Moore

[email protected]

The Get Together

PLOOOPS LLC

United States of America

SYNOPSIS

Each episode of The Get Together follows two or more loved ones who have quietly drifted apart through one shared weekend designed to bring them back together.

On arrival at the Reconnection Zone – a warm, cinematic standing location adapted per territory – participants contribute a handwritten recipe carrying personal memory to the Reconnection Cookbook. Over days one and two, they collaborate on a Purpose Project: a meaningful community task chosen from four fixed categories – Build & Restore, Nourish & Care, Teach Share & Mentor, or Celebrate & Connect – selected to symbolically mirror the emotional gap in their relationship.

Midway through day two, the host quietly separates each participant for the Bridge Moment: a private walk during which each person answers three questions on camera. Neither hears the other’s answers until the Big Table Dinner – the emotional high point of every episode – where the reveal happens over the meal they cook together from their recipe.

On day three, participants create a symbolic Memory Capsule representing what they rediscovered, placed on the Legacy Shelf – a cumulative visual archive that fills across the season. The series finale brings all participants back together for one communal Big Table Dinner, with the complete Legacy Shelf behind them.

GENRE

Factual Entertainment Format

PITCHING

Cengiz Yildiz

Yildiz is a Turkish-born, Houston-based film and commercial director and unscripted format creator with over two decades of experience across international markets.

He began his career in Istanbul, spending years directing television commercials for brands including Red Bull, Turkish Airlines, Lipton and Amnesty International. Between 2016 and 2018, he shifted focus to unscripted format development, creating 11 original formats including Boss Lady – selected by Deadline as one of 10 Global TV Formats to Watch in 2019. In 2020 he was invited by the MipTV team as one of MipFormats’ Producers to Watch, a selection recognising emerging international format talent.

Following a period that included a transatlantic relocation, a pandemic and everything life throws at you when you step away from the work you love, Yildiz returned to the international format market at Content London in December 2024.

The Get Together is his most personally resonant format – and the one he believes is built to travel. It is developed and represented through Plooops.

COMPANY PROFILE

Plooops is an independent company through which Cengiz Yildiz develops and brings original unscripted TV formats to the international market.

Yildiz has developed 11 original formats since 2016 across the factual, competition, gameshow and lifestyle genres. His format Boss Lady was selected as one of Deadline’s 10 Global TV Formats to Watch for in 2019. In 2020, he was invited by the MipTV team as one of MipFormats’ Producers to Watch – a selection recognising international producing talent globally.

Prior to this, Yildiz spent eight years based in Istanbul producing and directing television commercials and developing unscripted formats for Turkish and international broadcasters. He returned to the international format market at Content London 2024 following a period of relocation and personal circumstances.

The Get Together is Plooops’ current primary international format proposition.

CONTACT

Cengiz Yildiz

[email protected]

THE MONEY TREE

Freelance

United Kingdom

SYNOPSIS

Who says money doesn’t grow on trees?

The Money Tree is a high-stakes trivia gameshow where answers literally fall down from an iconic 100ft ‘money tree’ in the studio.

As the answers fall, one after the other, teams must hold their nerve – deciding when to ‘lock in’ if it’s correct, and when to let it drop if they think it’s a wrong answer (a ‘bad apple’ devilishly designed by the tree to tempt them into making a mistake).

In the ultimate test of greed and strategy, do you take what’s offered now, or do you wait for more, knowing that hesitation and picking a bad apple could cost everything?

After four fast-paced rounds, sorting truths from temptations, the team with the most money at the end will see the cash they’ve won fall from the tree in a final show-stopping moment.

GENRE

Primetime Entertainment Format

PITCHING

Tom Day

Day is a freelance format creator who specialises in developing high-concept entertainment and premium talent-led formats for networks and streamers around the world.

With over 14 years’ experience, he’s worked in development teams at Objective Entertainment, BBC Studios and Studio Ramsay Global.

Notable development credits include Next Level Chef (Fox), BAFTA-nominated Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars (Apple TV), Bank Balance (BBC One), Gordon, Gino & Fred’s Road Trip (ITV), and Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip (BBC Two).

COMPANY PROFILE

I’m a freelance developer based in the UK. I have previously worked in development teams at Objective, BBC Studios and Studio Ramsay Global.

I specialise in high-concept entertainment formats, premium talent-led and food. I was one of the creators of Next Level Chef, and co-created the gameshow Bank Balance (BBC One), business competition Food Stars (Fox/BBC One), premium docuseries Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars (Apple TV) and funny factual format Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip (BBC Two), among others.

CONTACT

Tom Day

[email protected]

JUDGES

Jasper Hoogendoorn
Chief creative officer,
Talpa Studios

Hoogendoorn joined Talpa Studios as chief creative officer in March 2025. Prior to that, he worked at IDTV, where he was one of the masterminds behind The Traitors, a global hit that has been adapted in over 30 countries and has won multiple awards, including an Emmy and the prestigious Rose d’Or.

Over nine years at IDTV, he built an impressive career – from format developer to creative director. He developed Het Onbekende and led the successful productions of various All3Media formats such as Race Across the World, Lingo and Je Huis op Orde.

Sumi Connock
EVP of creative network and formats,
BBC Studios

Connock oversees an extensive unscripted formats catalogue of iconic global titles such as Dancing with the Stars, The Great Bake Off, The 1% Club and Weakest Link, alongside scripted formats Luther, Doctor Foster, Ghosts and The Office.

She is responsible for identifying and launching bold and ambitious formats of the future, whether they be homegrown from BBC Studios or created by third-party indie partners. Recent titles include Wisdom of the Crowd from Magnum Productions, Norway’s Dumbest from Montreux Films and The Honesty Box from Mettlemouse.

Connock has an extensive background in entertainment. Prior to joining BBC Studios, she was head of entertainment at ITV Studios Manchester, where she was responsible for multiple formats including Countdown, University Challenge and You’ve Been Framed! And as commissioner at BBC Daytime, she ran the slate of entertainment commissions.

Niklas Vestberg
Head of formats and development,
TV4

With two decades at TV4, Vestberg has played a key role in shaping the channel’s non-scripted content strategy. As head of formats and development, he leads the creative development of unscripted formats, working closely with internal teams and international partners to bring bold, engaging concepts to Swedish audiences.

Together with the TV4 team, Vestberg has been instrumental in introducing hit formats such as The Masked Singer, Förrädarna (The Traitors), Love Island Sweden and SAS: Who Dares Wins, among many other successful titles. His career at TV4 spans a wide range of roles, including executive producer and head of children’s programming, giving him a deep understanding of audience needs and storytelling across genres.

Nathalie Wogue
Founder,
Wogue Entertainment

Known as one of the leading entertainment format experts, Wogue is held in high esteem across the formats industry. She is a producer, content creator/developer, buyer and strategist who also works on the business side, handling format acquisitions and sales, as well as partnerships.

Most recently senior VP of global formats at Fox Entertainment Global in LA, she started her career as a journalist TF1 and had then her own production company, before being hired by international groups including Fremantle and IMG Entertainment.

She subsequently launched a company that consulted for major players like Fox Studios, ABC Studios, Canal+ and RTL, and helped launch and create iconic formats that are still successfully airing around the world.

Now running Wogue Entertainment, Wogue has been creating new format ideas and holds consulting roles with different channels, production companies and new B2B platform Bunqer, which is disrupting TV distribution through the online shopping of back-catalogue licence rights.

Niklas Vargö
Development and intake manager Nordics,
Warner Bros. Discovery

Vargö leads the creative development of formats and original production for networks and streaming across Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

He joined the company in 2018 and has over 20 years of experience in commissioning, format development and production, having previously worked as head of development and executive producer in everything from kids’ TV to reality and entertainment.

He is based in Sweden.

spearheading initiatives in the growing creator economy, vertical storytelling, original microdramas and other short-video formats. Under her leadership, Kwai Brazil has been amplifying new narratives and empowering creators to connect with audiences through culturally relevant, high-impact content.