Salling exiting Nordic World, setting up Missing Link

Jan Salling is leaving Nordic World and setting up his own formats business, Missing Link Media.

Salling is well known in the formats world, having played an instrumental part in establishing Nordic World, the formats distributor. He is stepping down as COO and managing director of sales and acquisitions at the company.

Missing Link will consult and package and sell formats into the international market. Salling will continue to work with Nordic World for the foreseeable future in a consultancy capacity.

“The formats industry has been expanding at warp speed and I often meet confused producers who are having a hard time navigating a global market that’s super-sizing by the month,” Salling said. “I intend my new company to be the ‘missing link’ between their IP and international revenues and recognition.”

Announcing the news in a statement this morning, Nordic World said that Salling’s departure was the latest in its ongoing restructuring – with more details of that process coming next month. The reorganisation follows the collapse of Absolutely, the Amsterdam-based formats business founded by Patty Geneste. TBI broke the news it was entering bankruptcy proceedings amid acrimony between Geneste and senior management at Nordic World.

Salling said: “For almost five years, I’ve been building the Nordic World brand on the international market. It’s been hugely satisfying to see it grow and flourish, so it pleases me enormously that I’ll continue to work closely with Nordic World through my new company.”

Nordic World CEO Espen Huseby (right) added: “When Jan joined us in 2010, we were a small inter-Nordic distributor. Today, we’re a real force on the international market, doubling our turnover every year and attracting some of the best and brightest executive talent.

“Jan has been an integral part of that journey. We wish him all the best with his new venture and are delighted that he will continue to work with and for his friends at Nordic World.”

Salling is a seasoned formats and entertainment executive having worked in production and sales roles at several of the biggest content companies in the Nordic region including Nordisk, Zodiak and MTV Produktion.