People

Banijay Nordics today announces new senior leadership at its scripted label, Jarowskij Finland, with producer Minna Virkajärvi joining to lead the operations. She will report to Endemol Shine Finland’s Managing Director, Unne Sormunen, whose remit has been expanded to include oversight of the entity.

Virkajärvi will start her new position as Head of Jarowskij Finland in August, joining the label whose credits include the acclaimed series Detective Maria Kallio, from Yellow Film & TV. She most recently produced three seasons of popular long-running crime drama, Roba, for C-More, as well as the upcoming ElisaViihdeViaplay series, Forgive (Kaikki Anteeksi). Virkajärvi is also behind multi-award-winning Yle mini-series, MS Romantic, and feature film comedy, Peruna. In her new role, Virkajärvi will produce and lead day-to-day operations, working closely with the in-house team, producer Suvi Soitinaho, and head writer, Eriikka Etholén-Paju.

Minna Virkajärvi comments: “Jarowskij Finland has long established itself as a major drama and comedy player, delivering exceptional storytelling which resonates with audiences. The company has a fantastic reputation for nurturing talent and I’m excited to collaborate with the team, especially Suvi and Eriikka, to continue to build the business in Finland and beyond. There is already a strong portfolio in place, and we are poised to make an impact with this next successful chapter.”

Unne Sormunen comments: “With its fantastic pipeline including hit series Maria Kallio and the recently announced crime drama Murder in Hanko, Jarowskij Finland is clearly committed to creating and producing a high-quality slate of programmes. I’m very much looking forward to championing the creative ambition of Minna and the rest of the team, further cultivating innovative and evocative programme-making.”

Meanwhile, CEO and producer, Teea Hyytiä, has decided to step down from her position at the company, which she joined in 2001. She will continue to serve as CEO until the end of August and will continue as producer until the end of November. Among her credits is the recently announced series Murder in Hanko.

Johannes Jensen, Head of Scripted at Banijay Nordic says: “With Minna leading the label day-to-day, coupled with Unne’s overall business insight, the company is in great hands to deliver on its mission to bring captivating content to Finland and the world. I would sincerely like to thank Teea for the years of dedication, she has played an instrumental role in building Jarowskij’s premium slate of quality productions for the local and international market, and for ensuring a smooth transition to the new leaders. I wish her all the best for her next endeavors.”

Jarowskij Finland is behind a high-end slate including detective series Detective Maria Kallio and the new crime drama Murder in Hanko. Other credits include five seasons of comedy series Onnela, as well as Jill and Joy, four successful feature films for younger audiences.

The company is part of Banijay Nordic, home to premium scripted labels across the region including Filmlance (Fallen, Ronja the Robbers Daughter), Yellow Bird (Bäckström), Endemol Shine Finland (Dance Brothers), Rubicon (Salmon Island w/t), and Jarowskij Sweden (Riding Into Darkness)