Company News
Krafty to make six-part Cardiff City doc
30th August 2023
Kevin Conroy Jorg Nowak Matthew Baxter
Cardiff City FC is opening its gates for a documentary about the club and controversial Malaysianbillionaire owner Vincent Tan. One Way or Another
aims to provide Cardiff with the opportunity to put forward their side of the story around Argentinian forward Emiliano Sala, who died in a plane crash in January 2019, two days after the Welsh team announced his signing. Krafty Entertainment has struck a deal with the Championship side to produce the 6 x 60-minuteseries, with a broadcaster deal expected to be announced at Mipcom in October.
One Way or Another will focus on Tan, founder and chairman of the Berjaya Corporation one of Malaysia’s largest conglomerates. Under his ownership, Cardiff were promoted to the PremierLeague for the first time ever in 2013. But Tan has courted controversy with the club’s fans on many occasions, such as in 2012 when heset out plans to change the team’s colours from blue to red, with the aim of attracting a following ininternational markets.
Commenting on the series, Tan said: “I’m really happy that this collaboration with KraftyEntertainment will give everyone who cares about our fantastic club the opportunity to see behindthe scenes and for us to be able to tell our side of the story of events which have taken over thepast five years.”
John Warrington, who will serve as series producer, said: “We are going to be following three veryspecific story arcs and although, of course, events on the football field will form part of the narrative, we are going to go deeper into the running of the club with a focus on club owner,Vincent Tan and the battle the club faces for its very existence. “It would be difficult to make a series on Cardiff City without looking at the tragic circumstancessurrounding the transfer of Emiliano Sala. The club has never had the opportunity to put their sideof the story and of course, there is still legal action ongoing. But this series will give the club the opportunity to explain their actions before and after this terrible tragedy.”
Krafty Announce Three Board Members
7th August 2023
We are pleased to introduce Kevin Conroy as Chairman of the Board of Krafty Entertainment. Kevin will spearhead the company's operations in North America, with a particular focus on digital platform distribution. Kevin previously served as MGM's President of Digital and New Platforms, overseeing all ventures related to new and emerging platforms for the company. Under his leadership, MGM made significant strides in advancing and diversifying its short-form digital content, and successfully developed innovative formats tailored for new platforms, leveraging MGM's extensive catalogue as well as original scripted content.
We are delighted to welcome Jorg Nowak to Krafty Entertainment as our Chief Revenue Officer. Previously, Jorg held the position of CRO Global at YuMe/RhythmOne, and has a wealth of experience in Vice President roles for emerging markets and international operations. Prior to that, he served as SVP, General Manager, and SVP of Business Development & Strategic Planning for Univision Interactive Media. Jorg played a pivotal role in establishing a mobile division and an ad network unit, while also securing significant technology and programming deals with esteemed partners such as Televisa, RCN, MGM Latin America, Dorimedia, and Endemol, among others.
We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Matthew Baxter as a non-executive director on to the board. Matthew is the co-Founder & Managing Director at Stellwagen Ventures. Previously, he held the position of President at Dugout Ltd. Inc., a renowned football content platform and media services creative agency. At Dugout, Matthew's accomplishments include the successful launch of a platform that reaches over 400 million viewers worldwide, benefiting some of the most prominent brands in the industry. Prior to Dugout, Matthew served as Chief Media Officer on the board of Liverpool Football Club, where he played a key role in orchestrating a successful digital transformation of the club's media and TV operations. His expertise was also instrumental during his tenure as EU Marketing Director at Warner Brothers International, where he oversaw the triumphant launches of numerous TV and movie properties. Additionally, Matthew's contributions at Disney and FOX studios were vital in expanding platform sales, distribution, development, and growth across all of Europe.
Kevin Conroy Jorg Nowak Matthew Baxter
Distribution Deal Agreed for Local Heroes
3rd March 2023
We are delighted to announce that Krafty Entertainment have concluded a deal with one of the UK's leading independent sales and distribution companies, Trinity Creative Partnership, who will be handling all worldwide rights to Local Heroes, our latest feature length documentary.
Local Heroes is a deeply personal film about the three Nottingham born players who won the Champions League with unfashionable Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980. Set against the cultural and economic backdrop of the 1970's, Viv Anderson, (the first black footballer to win a full international cap for England), Garry Birtles and Tony Woodcock, recount the trials, tribulations and discrimination they overcame to reach the very top of the professional game and how that determination to succeed helped them to deal with events later in life, including for one, an intriguing family story which only came to light during filming.
Produced and directed by John Warrington, Local Heroes is narrated by former Minder star, Gary Webster and will be released in the UK digitally as well as on Blu-ray & DVD in June.
