Shows
Unwritten+Jarmo Lampela: Watching Before Belonging — with a Hint of SisuThe new Unwritten+ episode is with Jarmo Lampela, director, teacher, and Head of Drama at Finland’s public broadcaster.Jarmo talks about growing up between places, spending his childhood moving, observing, adapting. About learning early how communities work. About noticing class, distance, and belonging - long before having language for it.We talk about:– directing without pretending to have all the answers– teaching by starting with a simple question: why are we here?– living between very different cultures and absorbing ways of life rather than passing through...
2026-02-1056 min
Unwritten+Pedro Lopes: Building Stories Across Time, Formats, and Borders
On history, conflict, and why stories sometimes refuse to stay on screenUnwritten+ is back — and we’re starting the year with something new:our first-ever video episode. I’m excited. And yes, a little bit terrified. Which usually tells me it’s the right move… 🎙️ Pedro Lopes: Building Stories Across Time, Formats, and BordersOn history, conflict, and why stories sometimes refuse to stay on screen Our guest is Pedro Lopes, Director of Content at SPI in Portugal — an International Emmy–winning writer, academic, and storyteller who has spent years building narratives at scale: telenovelas, high-end series, international co-productions… and now, micro dramas.
2026-01-231h 13
Unwritten+From a Backpack, $1,500 and the Grateful Dead — to Cannes, the Oscars and a Life Built on Bold DecisionsIn the new episode of Unwritten+, I speak with Deborah Bayer Marlow — a producer whose entire life has been shaped by instinct, reinvention and the kind of courage you only discover when the ground under your feet disappears.Deborah’s story begins in 1988 — a year she calls “a rupture.”At 18, in the chaos of a family falling apart, she grabbed a backpack, $1,500 and followed the Grateful Dead across America. A wild, rebellious escape that — without her knowing — set her on a collision course with cinema.From landing as a green PA on Natural Born Killers, to th...
2025-12-0459 min
Unwritten+From Germany to Spain, Mexico, New York, and Dubai — and the Slap That Stopped a Film Set ColdWhat I love most about my conversations on UNWRITTEN+ is when they stop being about titles and job descriptions — and become about the life underneath.My new episode with Daniela Tully is exactly that.Daniela is a novelist, screenwriter, and creative producer whose journey has unfolded across five countries and three continents — and every place has reshaped the way she writes, works, and sees the world. From co-producing Hollywood films like Contagion and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel in Abu Dhabi to writing her debut novel Hotel on Shadow Lake (inspired by a WWII letter her grandmother rece...
2025-11-2749 min
Unwritten+PRODUCING AS AN ACT OF RESISTANCE: The Courage of Kateryna “Katya” VyshnevskaSome stories don’t just stay with you — they change you.This conversation is one of them.Katya grew up in Mariupol, a city now synonymous with destruction and unimaginable loss.Before the war, she had already built an extraordinary producing career across CEE, the Nordics, the UK and beyond — a life that changed completely from one day to the next in February 2022.And two days before the full-scale invasion, she made a decision that still moves me deeply:She flew back home. Not because it was safe — but because that’s where he...
2025-11-2152 min
Unwritten+Courage, Exile, and Writing Light Into Darkness — Ali MayBorn in Iran after the Islamic Revolution. A childhood marked by the Iran–Iraq war. Growing up in a dictatorship where silence was survival.Ali May’s journey took him from Iran to London, where he studied Creative Writing, and from there to Bloomberg, Euronews, and the BBC — before turning to stories for the screen and stage. His projects now cross borders — from France to Germany, Denmark to Finland, and beyond — but always return to the same truth: what power does to people, and how even in the darkest places, there can be cracks of light.✨ In thi...
2025-10-0958 min
Unwritten+Sylvia Yu Friedman | A Life of Fearlessness ✨Sylvia Yu Friedman | A Life of Fearlessness ✨Born in South Korea, raised in Vancouver, shaped in Beijing, and now rooted in Hong Kong — Sylvia Yu Friedman has lived many lives in one.As a journalist, documentary filmmaker, author of three powerful books (A Long Road to Justice, Silenced No More, and Fearless), and an advocate for survivors of modern slavery, she has walked into places most of us would run from. She’s faced danger, toxic workplaces, personal loss, and trauma — and still chooses joy, hope, and reconciliation.In our conversation, we talk about:
2025-09-301h 01
Unwritten+From Enugu to the Olympic Dream. Unwritten+ Live with Kaelo Iyizoba at Seriesly Berlin🎙️ Episode 10 of Unwritten+ — our first-ever LIVE recording in a SERIESLY BERLIN SPECIAL is now available!From Enugu to the Olympic Dream. Unwritten+ Live with Kaelo Iyizoba at Seriesly BerlinYesterday at the beautiful Fotografiska Berlin with an amazing view over Berlin in Bar Clara, during the fantastic second edition of Seriesly Berlin, I sat down with Kaelo Iyizoba—a Nigerian American filmmaker whose journey is pure vision and courage.Born in NYC, raised in Enugu, Nigeria, Kaelo first trained as a pharmacist—then made the leap to study filmm...
2025-09-2031 min
Unwritten+It’s All About the Bass: The Force of Nature That Is Marike MuselaersFourteen books devoured on a single road trip. A teenage obsession with musicals and VHS horror films. An intern who borrowed money just to take her dream job at Fortissimo Films — and later helped steer Lumière from DVDs to Netflix deals.That same drive now powers Marike as Head of International Financing & Co-Productions at Nordisk Film — where she’s building bold partnerships across Europe while mentoring, moderating, and shaping the next generation of storytellers.In our conversation we speak about:✨ moving countries for love✨ why business in Belgium starts with three lunches✨ bath...
2025-09-0458 min
Unwritten+Vision, Gut Instinct & the Making of a Showrunner
- Fleur Winters on Leadership, Genre, and Stories That Refuse to CompromiseHow do you go from a cinema seat in a Dutch small town, moved to tears by a Brazilian film - to selling stories across continents, backing an €11M vampire series, and now showrunning a bold, romantic costume drama?That’s the arc of Fleur Winters—producer of Dutch Gouden Kalf WinnerThe Crash, founder of Big Blue, and the creative force behind the upcoming Grand Hotel by the Sea.A series that blends entertainment with substance—and throws a well-aimed rock into the still water of convention.In this epi...
2025-07-2453 min
Unwritten+The Pitchologist Will See You Now: Agathe Berman on Storytelling, Survival, and the Power of a Great PitchYou have 5 minutes to convince a room full of strangers your story matters.What do you say? If you’re lucky, you’ll have Agathe Berman in your corner.Known as The Pitchologist, she’s the go-to coach for filmmakers, showrunners, and producers across Europe who need their ideas to land — in a room, on a stage, or across a screen.But what Agathe really teaches isn’t just how to pitch. It’s how to speak with clarity, courage, and presence.And what makes her unforgettabl...
2025-07-1452 min
Unwritten+From Popcorn to Polle Hofmann Michael Polle on Starting Over, Producing Across Borders & the Power of Saying “I Don’t Know”Some producers start with a screenplay. Michael Polle started with popcorn. 🍿What began behind the concession stand of a one-screen cinema turned into one of the most respected careers in European drama—Babylon Berlin, Furia, Other People’s Money (aka Cum-Ex)… you’ve seen his work.Now, in his first interview since launching his new company Polle Hofmann, Michael joins Unwritten+ to talk about:🛠 Why producing is like being a football manager (and no, he’s not yelling from the sidelines)🤝 How to keep a vision alive with two broadcasters and five opinions at the tab...
2025-06-2652 min
Unwritten+Curation, Chaos & the One That Got Away - Paolo Ciccarelli on Saying No, Regretting It, and What He’d Greenlight TodaySome careers begin with a degree. Paolo Ciccarelli’s began with a scam. (Yes, really.)What was meant to be a short trip to London turned into a five-year detour — retail jobs, canceled plans, and a crash course in international storytelling. Now, he's one of the most trusted voices in European drama: an International Scripted Advisor for Film & TV and Head of Drama at MIA - International Audiovisual Market in Rome.🎙️ In this deeply human (and sometimes hilarious) conversation, Paolo shares:What Fleabag taught him about trusting new voicesWhy saying no is often...
2025-06-1247 min
Unwritten+Dare to Be Cringe: Samya Hafsaoui’s Unapologetic Path from TikTok to Feature FilmIn this new episode of Unwritten+ Seriencamp Conference Special, Irina Ignatiew speaks with Samya Hafsaoui—a Dutch-Moroccan filmmaker, writer, cultural critic, and the kind of multi-hyphenate who doesn’t wait for permission—she builds her own stage.Her debut feature is a smart, funny, deeply personal story about ADHD, fan culture, and the pressure to finish what you start—even when your brain has other plans. She’s building it from scratch: writing the screenplay, a companion novel, and a stage play. Why? Because this story matters—especially for young women of color who rarely see themse...
2025-06-0249 min
Unwritten+From Crime Scenes to Sci-Fi Dreams — with a Side of Meditation and TapenadeOn the latest episode of Unwritten+, Irina Ignatiew talks to Piodor Gustafsson, the producer and creative force behind Black Spark and Rainy Days — and one of the key figures shaping the rise of Scandinavian storytelling on the global stage.We talk about:🧠 How The Bridge was literally pulled out of the bin and turned into an international hit🌍 Why great stories start with local roots — and how to make them resonate across borders, just like ABBA🧬 The mushroom that launches Stockholm into intergalactic crisis in We Come In Peace🍳 And how quiet leadership (and a killer fish ro...
2025-05-2943 min
Unwritten+Building a Career Between Worlds: Maria Valenzuela on Culture, Content & ChangeWhat’s it like to lead global teams, speak five languages fluently, and navigate careers at companies like Sony Pictures, Huawei, BetaFilm, and Movistar?In this episode of Unwritten+, I speak with Maria Valenzuela, now founder of Brisa Media, to talk about building a career across borders—both geographic and cultural.We dig into what it really means to work internationally: the unspoken rules, the misalignments, and the magic that happens when you learn to "translate" not just language, but mindset. Maria shares what it was like stepping into a Chinese tech giant as a Wester...
2025-05-2636 min
Unwritten+Andri Ómarsson, Glassriver, Iceland – From Cod to Cannes, and Everything in BetweenSeriencamp Conference Special!In this episode, I talk to Andri Ómarsson, co-CEO of Glassriver and one of the driving forces behind Iceland’s global TV boom. What starts as a chat about icy road movies (Cold Fever, anyone?) turns into a personal revelation: I suddenly realize The Case—a show we invested in 11 years ago as a coproduction at Red Arrow—was actually the first-ever Icelandic international co-production. And I only found that out mid-interview.We also talk about:– how wine, cod, and good instincts lead to cross-cultural storytelling– what it feels like to “hit the wa...
2025-05-2240 min
Unwritten+Trailer - Seriencamp SpecialUnwritten+ brings you conversations with people working across cultures and borders in media and beyond. In this special series for Seriencamp Conference, Germanys leading series festival and conference, I talk to some of the speakers and guests of Seriencamp to explore their creative sparks and global perspectives. More to come soon!
2025-05-0700 min