Redseven Entertainment wins German TV Award for "Don't Stop the Music"
Munich, September 15, 2022. Redseven Entertainment, a Red Arrow Studios company, was awarded a prestigious German TV Award (Der Deutscher Fernsehpreis) yesterday in the category Best Factual Entertainment for "Don't Stop the Music" (ZDF) and "Don't Stop the Music KIDS" (KiKA).
The factual format, which was designed as a long-term project lasting over seven months, gave children from disadvantaged families the chance to learn a musical instrument or to sing in a choir, and follows them as they work together towards a big final concert. For the roughly 50 students at the Campus Efeuweg comprehensive school in Berlin-Gropiusstadt, making music together had a hugely positive effect: helping the children to make new friends, as well as improving their language and social skills. Their increased self-confidence and newfound motivation for learning even helped some perform better in school. The project continues today in cooperation with the music school "Berliner Stadtmusikanten". Comedian Bülent Ceylan, himself a passionate singer and musician who has been involved in various children's aid projects for many years, accompanied "Don't Stop the Music" as a mentor and sponsor. Singers Nadja Benaissa and Tom Neuwirth supported him during rehearsals and at the final concert at the Konzerthaus Berlin.
Redseven Entertainment produced the format for ZDF, ZDFneo, KiKA and the ZDF media library. The individual versions of the format are adapted to the respective channel’s target groups in terms of narrative style and length. The 4x45’ episodes on ZDF were broadcast as part of the Easter holidays event programming. The format was originally developed by Fresh One Productions, and produced by Artemis Media for ABC Australia in 2018. Red Arrow Studios International distributes the format worldwide.
Jobst Benthues, CEO Redseven Entertainment, said: "We are so happy and honored to be awarded the German TV Award for 'Don't Stop the Music'. It is incredible to see what can be achieved with factual formats of this kind: through focusing on relevant topics, and striving to entertain and inform our audience in equal measure, as we gently accompanying the development of our cast. This moving project overcomes boundaries and broadens the horizons of all those involved, who have more than earned this award. We congratulate the entire team and thank our colleagues at ZDF and KiKA for their trust in us to bring this strong format to the screen."
In 2020, Redseven already received the German TV Award in the category Best Factual Entertainment – then for the docuseries "Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds" ("Wir sind klein und ihr seid alt") on VOX. In the same year, Bettina Böttger won the award for the social experiment "Married at First Sight" ("Hochzeit auf den ersten Blick", SAT.1) in the category Best Editing Entertainment.
About Redseven Entertainment:
Redseven Entertainment develops and produces innovative formats for the national and international TV market with a focus on comedy, clip show, docutainment, magazine, show and corporate media. Since its founding in 2008, the company with offices in Munich, Cologne and Berlin looks back on countless hit formats, including for ProSieben, SAT.1, Kabel Eins, ZDF, RTL, VOX, Sky, DMAX and Amazon Prime Video Deutschland. Redseven implements international brands as well as its own ideas for every platform exactly - making it one of the ten most successful German production companies in the entertainment sector. The best-known formats include "Germany's next Topmodel - by Heidi Klum" (ProSieben), "Married at First Sight" ("Hochzeit auf den ersten Blick") "The Taste", "The Biggest Loser" ("Leben leicht gemacht – The Biggest Loser") (all SAT.1), "Rosins Restaurants" (Kabel Eins) and "Duel of the garden professionals" ("Duell der Gartenprofis", ZDF). More recent projects include the comedy series "Hillarious" for the streaming provider Amazon Prime Video Deutschland, the political docu-series "Can you govern? Baerbock, Scholz & Lauterbach back in school" ("Kannste regieren? Baerbock, Scholz & Lauterbach zurück in der Schule", SAT.1), which is a sequel of the German adaption of “Facing the classroom”, and the show "Mein Mann kann" (SAT.1), which has already been sold in over 30 countries worldwide. In addition to the Entertainment and Fiction divisions, the company expanded its production expertise last year to include the Journalism, Documentary & Reportage unit. Redseven Entertainment GmbH will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2023 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Arrow Studios, the production and distribution network of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE.