German broadcaster ZDF has tapped Seven.One Studios MD Tim Gerhartz for the role of COO at ZDF Studios Group, with spans the production, distribution and solutions & services business units.
In the new role, which takes effect on October 1, Gerhartz will lead and further develop the distribution business unit, particularly focusing on the management of ZDF Studios’ co-production and licence trading business.
Gerhartz arrives from Seven.One Studios International (formerly Red Arrow Studios International) where he held various roles and was most recently managing director from April 2021, overseeing program development, buying, sales and marketing across all genres via the Munich and London offices.
Brands expanded internationally under his watch included non-fiction hits such as Married at First Sight, Stranded on Honeymoon Island and The Hunt, and dramas such as German-Austrian co-production Vienna Blood and the Canadian thriller series Departure.
Under his leadership, ZDF Studios intends to further strengthen its position as a European co-production partner and program provider. He has also been charged with intensifying the collaboration between the Distribution and Production business units as part of the ZDF Studios Group’s strategy.
The move marks a return to ZDF Studios for Gerhartz who began his career there in 2010, after studying Business Administration, Political Science, and Media Law at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and the University of Westminster in London.
“For the ZDF Studios Group, creating attractive programme offerings for our customers and partners according to our maxim ‘Inspire – Create – Produce – Distribute’ is our top priority, and we dedicate ourselves to it with great enthusiasm and passion every day,” said Markus Schäfer, President and CEO of ZDF Studios.
”As a co-production partner and international programme supplier, the Distribution business unit plays a key role in this. I know Tim to be an extremely high-profile and professional industry colleague who is also very likeable and communicative. I am therefore delighted that we have been able to recruit Tim to lead our Distribution business unit. This is all the more significant given that he is returning to his professional roots at ZDF Studios in his new position.”
Gerhartz acknowledged return to his career roots.
”I am delighted to be returning to the place where I started my career – this time with new perspectives in my luggage,” he said.
“ZDF Studios is a company that is both excellently positioned on the market and powerful. Being responsible for the development and international establishment of strong German and European programmes from here – and at the same time working on sustainable business models – is both an exciting and honourable task for me.
Gerhartz thanked Henrik Pabst, Chief Content Officer of ProSiebenSat.1 and CEO of Seven.One Studios Group, and Martin Metzger, Chief Operating Officer of Seven.One Studios Group for their support during his time at Seven.One International
