Tinopolis wakes to Zolkwer’s Thunderclap

UK-based production and distribution group Tinopolis has invested in a start-up prodco formed by Claire Zolkwer, a former commissioning editor at commercial broadcaster ITV.

Claire Zolkwer

Thunderclap Media, headed by Zolkwer as MD, will focus on scripted and unscripted entertainment and comedy programming.

Zolkwer was most recently a commissioning editor for comedy and entertainment at ITV, where she ordered hit shows including Celebrity Juice, The Only Way Is Essex and You’re Back in the Room.

Prior to that, she worked as a producer on shows including I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here Now!, Dancing on Ice – Defrosted, Pop Idol Extra and Big Brother.

Thunderclap joins Tinopolis’ portfolio of production companies, which include Sunset+Vine, Mentorn Media, Firecracker and Daybreak Pictures in the UK, and A Smith & Co and Magical Elves in the US.

Zolkwer said the new company is “looking to uncover brand new formats to cater for the voracious appetite for content from the many different platforms in the market.”

“I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the UK’s best producers and talent on some fantastic shows, so I’m under no illusion how difficult it can be. But this feels like the right time for me.”

Financial details of the deal remain under wraps but Arwel Rees, chief executive of Tinopolis, sid described Zolkwer as “a hugely talented and respected TV executive with a proven track record and a real nose for great entertainment shows.”

Earlier this year, Tinopolis hired former NBCUniversal exec David Mortimer as its director of content, overseeing programming from its UK producers and working with its US outfits to develop a transatlantic strategy.