A NEW AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH
Media Ranch is known globally for premium unscripted television Formats, distinguishing itself as an international format hub. Media Ranch is an award-winning production company and distributor of unscripted formats that creates acclaimed original content, while maintaining its position as a prime choice amongst creators and producers seeking distribution.
The company has over a decade of experience as Canada’s premier Format television expert, and won the coveted Rose D’Or in 2015 for one of its original productions. With headquarters in Montreal, an office in Amsterdam, sales partners in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, as well as world-class representation by ICM Partners in Los Angeles, Media Ranch continues to grow. The company represents, and produces, a catalogue of internationally renowned proven titles, thousands of hours of premium content ready for distribution and dozens of paper formats that continue to create interest throughout the industry.
Media Ranch is continually evolving, and 2019 proved to be a landmark year. The company announced a partnership to represent the entire Format portfolio from the largest Danish broadcaster, DR. As well, Media Ranch celebrated the 12-territory sale of paper format WATCH!, and it’s first production in Germany in the summer of 2020.
Media Ranch currently runs a format incubator, Horsepower, in association with Quebecor Content, to train the next generation of talent. Paper formats born from the incubator have already found international attention. In 2020, Media Ranch joined forces to develop and sell new formats with FormatEast, a subsidiary of major broadcaster SBS, and South Korea’s premiere format incubator.
Media Ranch began as an exclusive representative of behemoth Endemol in French Canada, a relationship that lasted 9 years and brought hundreds of hours of entertainment to millions of viewers. The company continues to act as a consultant to Canadian and international producers in the development of their own format marketing strategies, as well as to financial institutions and key industry stakeholders.
Great content is worth sharing.
TEAM RANCHERS
Media Ranch’s passionate and experienced team works with contagious dedication to produce television that entertains while addressing important social issues of the day. We aim to speak to our audience, engage and promote strong and inclusive cultural values. We also work hard to adapt to the times, including the creation of Quick Turnaround Formats to respond to the needs during the 2020 pandemic, as well as foster new talent and help people build long-lasting careers.
At Media Ranch, we aim to be ahead of the curve and a trendsetter, while remaining informed and aware of the market and its shifts. Media Range is privileged to have close relationships with international broadcasters, producers and brilliant creatives.
SOPHIE FERRON
President – Founder
Award-winning Founder and President Sophie Ferron has over 30 years of experience, including almost a decade as format giant Endemol’s exclusive sales agent in French Canada. Sophie, who splits her time between Los Angeles and Montreal, is a second-generation producer and helped pioneer the unscripted format business in Canada. After years in both production and distribution, Sophie pivoted Media Ranch strategically to focus on the sales and creation of unscripted format IP, solidifying its worldwide status as experts in the field. Before creating Media Ranch in 2008, Sophie held senior management positions with companies such as Astral Media, Technicolor and TQS. Internationally, Sophie is a business and government affairs consultant on the Canadian media landscape. Sophie speaks on panels at a myriad of international events including MIPTV, MIPCOM and SXSW, is on the board of REELSCREEN and is an International Emmy Award juror.
Sophie has served on the Board of Directors of SODEC, Quebec’s public funding agency for film and television, was a member of the French Advisory Board of the Banff World Media Festival and President of the Association des studios d’enregistrement du Québec, where she negotiated the collective agreement with the Union des artistes, the actors’ guild. Steering a dedicated and highly experienced team with offices in Montreal, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Poland, Sophie has taken Media Ranch to its current position of growth and international recognition.
TAnjA VAN DER GOES
SVP
With over 15 years of experience in the international media industry focused on content distribution, exploitation and brand programming, Tanja is Media Ranch’s Senior Vice President, head of international sales and runs the European office. Tanja is based in Amsterdam and focuses on selling and acquiring formats that reach a global audience. With colleagues and contacts in every major territory, Tanja has driven the company’s growth throughout Europe and Scandinavia and oversees Media Ranch’s exclusive distribution deal with Denmark’s DR network.
Previously, Tanja was Director of Formats and Brand at Endemol Shine Group and Senior Director of Format Distribution at Endemol International where she was responsible for overseeing the full IP licensing process and worked on behemoth formats such as Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, and more.
PHIL KALIN-HAJDU
Head of Content and Storytelling
Philip is head of content for Media Ranch, where he leads all areas of development, with particular focus on adaptations, originals and new co-development opportunities for the US market. He runs Media Ranch’s annual format incubator “Horsepower”, which fosters new talent with partners TF1, Quebecor, and The Fabrique Des Formats. The formats created under his watch have sold internationally. In parallel to his work with Media Ranch and unscripted formats, Philip works in scripted features, series and virtual reality. He is producer and writer behind the upcoming horror feature “Home”, starring Emily Hampshire (“Schitt’s Creek”, “Chapelwaite”), François Arnaud (“Borgias”, “Surface”), and Christian Convery (“Sweet Tooth”); and producer and co-writer of the genre festival hit “Game of Death”, which world-premiered at SXSW and had an award-winning international festival run before landing on VOD and AMC’s genre-SVOD service Shudder.
He is a two-time Canadian Screen Award nominated producer for the viral web-series “YidLife Crisis”; a producer on the Virtual Reality BBC documentary series “Missing Pictures”, featuring “Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke; and producer of the upcoming epic VR experience “Lights”. Additionally, Philip is a guest speaker at multiple institutions and festivals and a jury member for film-funding agencies and the International Emmy Awards.
ALEXA JORIZZO
Head of Sales, French Canada & Development Ninja
Alexa Jorizzo heads sales in French Canada, where she works directly with producers and broadcasters to launch French-language adaptations. She also works both in development and administration at Media Ranch. She was born to be a development ninja and is the third generation in her family to embark on a successful television career. Her first position at Media Ranch was as casting director for the successful show “True Sex Confessions”. She was a researcher on “The Expert” before becoming a full-time administrative assistant to CEO Sophie Ferron.
She obtained a Bachelor of Administration degree from the École des sciences et de la gestion de Montréal (Québec) and worked tirelessly for many years as a counsellor at the prestigious Camp Papillon for Disabled Children. She took her love of children and applied it to the television industry, starting with the role of babysitter in the successful show “Parent Double Agent”. Alexa’s passion is to accompany people in need and help them find roots, shelter and compassion, whether in person or through inspiring television formats.
MJ SORENSON
PR and Media Strategy
MJ Sorenson brings Media Ranch news and success to a global audience, building the company’s press release strategy and international contacts. With a 20+ year career at international media organizations such as MTV Networks, the International Emmy Awards and MIPCOM – Reed MIDEM, MJ has gathered many senior level connections around the globe as well as experience in marketing and communications within the entertainment industry through producing and participating in events in several countries.
Over the years MJ has developed and managed several global promotional and press campaigns supporting companies in their sales and production efforts. In addition to corporate work, she has been involved in the non-profit space with projects and organizations such as New York Women in Film & Television as a former Vice President of Communications and former Director of Communications at Cairo/Amsterdam based MasterPeace.org.
