Sparks Network was established in 2004 by Swedish producers Nicola Söderlund and
Fredrik af Malmborg. Their business idea was simple: empower creativity worldwide.
Today, Sparks is a global formats alliance present in over 100 countries, with 25
member companies around the world and offices in Stockholm and Hong Kong.
Sparks is a powerful solution for independent producers who want to access the international
marketplace. Network members retain their IP while engaging directly with the international
production community, building creative dialogues and business trust with co-production
partners and buyers for their fiction and entertainment formats.
In 2012, Sparks sold a majority stake to Ludo Poppe’s group, Ecchomedia. Ludo knows
Sparks well, having previously been a member with his Benelux production company
Kanakna. Announcing the deal he said: “In a world where ideas travel at the speed
of the internet, the network model is the future of the international IP business.
Sparks was ahead of its time.”
Sparks continues to operate independently, and has expanded its business model into drama, launching Sparks Network Fiction at MIP TV, 2012.
Both Sparks Network Entertainment and Sparks Network Fiction operate on the unique principle that there is one member production company in each territory and formats and ideas are shared between the different companies in the group. The Sparks distribution team, now known as Ecchorights, represents the ready-mades and format rights of Sparks members as well as an expanding catalogue of third party projects. Working this way across development and distribution, the plan is to make Sparks a global leader in creating and distributing content and formats.
Read more about the distribution team at eccho rights here