ITV Studios Netherlands hires KRO-NCRV’s Laurens Woldberg as managing director

Laurens Woldberg (Source: ITV Studios)

KRO-NCRV exec and SimpelZodiak alum Laurens Woldberg has been appointed as managing director of ITV Studios Netherlands.

Woldberg joins from the Dutch pubcaster, where he has served as creative director of fiction and on-fiction since last year, overseeing commissioning editors, third-party produced series, as well as in-house format development and sales.

In his new role at the Oogappels (Loved Ones) and Het Perfecte Plaatje (The Perfect Picture) producer, Woldberg will report to Lisa Perrin, ITV Studios’ London-based managing director of international production.

Prior to KRO-NCRV, Woldberg spent 11 years as managing director of SimpelZodiak, the Banijay Netherlands label behind local versions of reality and factual shows such as Survivor, Hunted, S.A.S and MasterChef, and was part of the management team of Banijay Benelux.

During his time there, he oversaw Simpel Media NL and Simpel Media Belgium as well as their acquisition by EndemolShine Group (ESG) and merger with Stokvis Niehe Productions in 2015.

Woldberg became part of the ESG global senior advisory board in 2018 and was also appointed director of commercial partnerships at EndemolShine Netherlands in 2019, before its eventual merge with Zodiak Netherlands, part of Banijay Group.

Perrin said that Woldberg has “proved during his time at Simpel, SimpelZodiak and now KRO-NCRV that not only is he a creative leader, but someone that can translate international formats into the Dutch market.”