Swedish trio launch Bigster prodco

L-R: Bigster’s Alexandra Rapaport, Birgitta Wännström and Calle Jansson

MIPCOM: The head of Swedish prodco Mountain Dog and the former channel director of Discovery Networks Sweden have launched a production company.

Birgitta Wännström, who launched Mountain Dog, and Calle Jansson, former channel director at Discovery Networks Sweden, have joined up with actress Alexandra Rapaport to form Bigster.

The new Stokholm-based indie has recruited Stina Meyer, formerly of Endemol Shine Group in Sweden, as operations director.

Announced here in Cannes, Bigster will develop and produce platform-independent content across drama, comedy and entertainment. Its first production for the Swedish market is already underway.

Wännström, who will take up the position of head of drama at Bigster, is the producer behind Swedish thriller Gåsmamman, which aired on Kanal 5.

She has previously worked at Swedish pubcaster SVT and production company Jarowskij on a number of major drama and entertainment shows, including Maria Wern and The Goose Mother. She will bring several projects from Mountain Dog to Bigster.

Rapaport starred in Gåsmamman and The Goose Mother, for which she won this year’s Kristallen award for best actress. She takes up the role of Bigster’s creative director of drama and comedy.

Jansson has been made Bigster’s chairman but will continue working with Discovery-owned Eurosport as it broadcasts from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. He was previously CEO of production company Strix Television and is the founder of Strix Drama, which has operations in five countries.

“I’ve been seated in the first row for years, watching consumer behaviours change in real time,” Jansson said. “Regardless of genre, the demands on creativity, packaging and financing are immense.

“Sweden and the Nordics has gone from being one of the big innovators in the industry to being trustworthy showrunners. We see great potential in this.”