Minna Virkajärvi to head Jarowskij Finland as CEO Teea Hyytiä steps down

Minna Virkajärvi

Banijay Nordic has appointed Yellow Film & TV producer Minna Virkajärvi to head up its scripted label Jarowskij Finland, as CEO Teea Hyytiä is stepping down after more than 20 years at the company.

Virkajärvi will report to Unne Sormunen, MD of fellow Banijay label Endemol Shine Finland, whose remit has also been expanded to include oversight of Jarowskij Finland. She will start her new position as in August, and will produce as well as leading day-to-day operations, working closely with the in-house team, producer Suvi Soitinaho, and head writer, Eriikka Etholén-Paju.

She joins the label, whose credits include Detective Maria Kallio, from Yellow Film & TV. She most recently produced three seasons of long-running crime drama, Roba, for C-More, as well as the upcoming Elisa Viihde Viaplay series, Forgive. Virkajärvi is also behind YLE mini-series, MS Romantic, and feature film comedy, Peruna.

Virkajärvi’s arrival comes as current CEO Teea Hyytiä has decided to step down from her position at the company, which she joined in 2001. Hyytiä will continue to serve as CEO until the end of August and will continue as producer until the end of November. Among her credits is Murder In Hanko, which was greenlit by Finnish broadcaster Nelonen and its streaming service Ruutu last week.

“With its fantastic pipeline including hit series Detective Maria Kallio and the recently announced crime drama Murder In Hanko, Jarowskij Finland is clearly committed to creating and producing a high-quality slate of programmes. I’m very much looking forward to championing the creative ambition of Minna and the rest of the team, further cultivating innovative and evocative programme-making,” said Sormunen, whose Endemol Shine Finland label also placed a series on Nelonen and Ruutu last week, with an order for dramedy Supporting Actor.