Story Lab MD joins with Discovery & Nippon execs for new Asian prodco

Fotini Paraskakis

Fotini Paraskakis has departed as MD of The Story Lab to launch her own outfit with Nippon TV alum Shigeko (Cindy) Chino and former Discovery APAC and EMEA president, Arthur Bastings.

Empire of Arkadia (EOA) will look to exploit Asian creative and aims to bring Asian inspired stories, in both scripted and non-scripted, to the international stage.

Shigeko ‘Cindy’ Chino

The nascent firm has offices in London, Singapore and Tokyo, with expansion into Seoul and LA planned for early 2023.

The new venture will source ideas and IP for scale internationally and said it already has a talent network across the Asian region to support growth and innovation.

A particular focus will be on Gen Z and YA audiences, with the company set to launch its initial projects at MIPCOM later this month.

Paraskakis had been MD at The Story Lab for four years, having joined following a stint as MD of Asia for Endemol Shine Group. Before that she was head of content for Fremantle and has worked on shows such as Ninja Warrior, MasterChef, Big Brother and Got Talent.

Arthur Bastings

Chino was most recently associate MD for international business development at Japan’s Nippon TV where she worked on formats such as Shark Tank and Old Enough!.

Nippon and Story Lab struck a development pact with each other in 2019.

Bastings runs an accelerator scheme out of Singapore and California, working on the intersection of media, games and tech. He previously led Discovery’s businesses in APAC and EMEA.

Paraskakis said: “This is the perfect time to launch a company focusing on content for future generations; it really is an exciting and transformational period in the content industry, where literally anyone from anywhere has the opportunity for their stories to be seen worldwide.

“We will bring the best upcoming creators and Asian inspired stories with highest international appeal to market, fully focusing on fulfilling demands for Gen Z content, stories that speak to audiences worldwide and that will stay with us all as we move into the future.”