In his role as Creative Director, Per-Olav leads the creative vision and direction of the company, driving its endeavors alongside the rest of the team. His extensive experience as a director and writer has shape the company's distinct approach to storytelling. Per-Olav is the founder of The Global Ensemble Drama, which he started together with producer Janne Hjeltnes in the spring of 2021.

Per-Olav is a highly acclaimed director and writer known for several award-winning dramaseries hits like "The Playlist", "Quicksand","Nobel", "Home for Christmas", "The Heavy Water War" and "A Storm for Christmas", to mention a few. Since 2018, he has partnered with Netflix, working together on several projects. The drama series “Midsummer Night” will make its Netflix premiere in the winter of 2024.  

In addition to being a multi-award-winning theatre director, Per-Olav's TV drama works have won numerous accolades, including the Prix Europa, Rose d'Or, Prix Italia, The Golden Nymph, FIPA Awards, Seoul International TV Award, Kristallen (Sweden), and multiple Gullruten awards.

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“Since I've worked as a director and writer for over 30 years, I've collaborated with all kinds of different creatives in theatre, TV and film. The tens of thousands of hours spent with them and crew on stage or on a film set, creates the pure essence of how I want The Global Ensemble Drama to be. A home for young or high-end talent. A home for strange ideas, art house projects or commercial series. A company that includes people and is open to whatever lands on our table. We will not be able to produce everything, but we always need to be open to the potential in both projects and talents. Our slate needs to mirror the times we are living in, so we need to keep our ears to the ground and be courageous enough to dare where others don't. You never know for sure from whom the next hit series or movie comes from. That's the beauty of creating."

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IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1633071

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Janne is the co-founder of The Global Ensemble Drama, which was founded by Per-Olav Sørensen in the spring of 2021. She served as the company's CEO until autumn 2023, when she transitioned into the role of Executive Producer, where she now oversees the entire production portfolio.

She has extensive experience in the production industry. Lately she has produced several projects for Netflix, drama series like “Midsummer Night”, “A Storm for Christmas” as well as the young adult feature films in the “Royalteen” sequel series. She previously served as the head of Storyline Studios' Production and Financing division. She has co-produced several critically acclaimed drama series, such as “Rådebank” (all three seasons) and “Made in Oslo” winning prices at Golden Nymph and Golden Screen awards. Feature films like "All Foreigner Have Their Curtains Closed," "Oslo-Copenhagen," and "Sihja" are on her resume, along with award-winning documentaries like "Hiding Saddam Hussein", "Born2drive", and "Radiograph of a Family", which won the main competition at the IDFA Awards in 2021.

 Nathalie is responsible for the company’s collaborations with international partners.

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She is working closely with our producers on all co-productions and projects with international potential. From her base in London, she manages the company's global strategy for attracting creative talent and identifying new opportunities for collaboration and project development.

Nathalie is an international content executive who has spent her career discovering, producing, and commissioning a wide range of groundbreaking new and seasoned comedy talent. Nathalie commissioned and released over 40 specials and series, including Comedians of the World and the International Emmy Award – nominated special Vir Das: For India, as Director of Netflix's Original where she acquired Stand Up Comedy and Sketch specials as well as series across EMEA and India. Formerly, Nathalie worked as a talent agent, representing a roster of authors and performers across genres. She also developed scripted programs for Channel X, an independent UK production company that has won multiple awards.

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Shajan oversees the business in Sweden where he creates and produces quality drama series and feature films.  In addition to this, he contributes significantly to all of our Nordic and global endeavors from his location in Stockholm.

Before joining the company Shajan commissioned films for Netflix in the Nordics, distributed series worldwide from Turkey to Latin America, as well as having worked at production companies in Sweden. This has added to Shajan’s jack-of-all-trades perspective on content. This unique set of experiences brings a well-rounded perspective, working creatively to optimize content for a local audience, as well as unearthing gems that travel across the globe.

 "I'm all about projects that are entertaining, gripping and top-notch quality that everyone wants to watch. I love working with passionate, good-hearted folks – no room for those 'brilliant jerks.' With that combo, you create quality content you can genuinely be proud of for decades."

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Anne oversees the company's operations in Denmark, where she develops and produces high-end drama series and feature films. She also plays a key role in all our Nordic and international projects from her base in Denmark.

Anne has devoted the larger part of her professional life working in the field of Nordic film and drama series. She worked for several years as the Feature Film and Drama Series Commissioning Editor at the Norwegian FilmInstitute (Sick of Myself/Kristoffer Borgli, Let The River Flow/Ole Giæver, Powerplay/Yngvild Sve Flikke, A Happy Day/Hisham Zaman, Ebba/Johanna Pyykkö) in addition to serving as a representative at Eurimages. 

Before she started working for Global Ensemble Drama, she held the position of Executive producer at Viaplay Scripted Denmark. In that role, she was responsible for financing, the creation and completion of new projects, and where she helmed many productions like Boys/Jonas Risvig, Bullshit/Milad Alami, One of The Boys/Teys Shaucany

“I find the complexity of producing to be increasingly fascinating. Choosing projects must be done wisely; they should possess built-in flexibility and agility without compromising the story or talent. I believe the potential for greenlighting and success lies in the very first outline of a project—a collective decision that the project is built on collaboration and trust, rather than ego. Features and series are much like communities where everyone contributes and matters. At the core of all this, I’ve always been driven by existential intelligent storytelling that cannot go unnoticed by audiences.”

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Ingrid joined The Global Ensemble Drama in August 2021 and she is a part of our Oslo-based team. She has produced the Netflix series “A Storm for Christmas” directed by Per-Olav Sørensen and the Netflix feature film “Royalteen - Princess Margrethe” by Ingvild Søderlind. 

Ingrid has a solid production background. She previously worked as a producer at Tordenfilm as well as a production manager on several feature films and drama series. This production experience has strengthened her capacities as a producer with valuable knowledge and firsthand perspective. The projects she has worked on include 2021 Academy Award Nominated “Triangle of Sadness” by Ruben Östlund (Plattform Produktion), “Borderline” by Gunnar Vikene (Monster Scripted) and “Zombie Lars” by Thomas Seeberg Torjussen (Tordenfilm/NRK). Ingrid graduated from the Norwegian Film School in 2014.

IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5595021

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Magnus is a part of our producer team based in Oslo, Norway. He joined our company in May 2022. Since then, he has produced the Netflix series “Midsummer Night” directed by Per-Olav Sørensen in 2023.

Magnus has an extensive background in production and has worked as a line producer on a number of projects, notably NRK’s “Home Ground” seasons 1 and 2 by showrunner Johan Fasting (Motlys/NRK), 2021 Academy Award Nominated Best Foreign Picture “The Worst Person in The World” by Joachim Trier (Oslo Picture) and upcoming World War 2 film “Battle For Narvik” by Erik Skjoldbjærg (Nordisk Film Production). His experience spans more than a decade of various production work. Until recently he served as Head of Production at Nordisk Film Norway where he supervised all of its physical productions during development and production, before making the transition to The Global Ensemble Drama.

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“The most important part of the work I do is building trust in the vision of what we’re making, and in the creative team behind it.”

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IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4121032

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Eléonore joined the company’s Oslo-based team as a producer in 2023.

Over the past 20 years, Eléonore has contributed to a number of feature films, drama series, and short films. She spent several years working for Hummelfilm and Yellow Bird Norway prior to joining the company. She is one of the producers of the TV show "Headhunters" (2022) and the feature film "Nothing to laugh about" (2021). She also has substantial post production expertise, which allows her the in-depth proficiency to see a project through to completion. She has been a part of projects including "So damn easygoing", "Phoenix", and "Occupied" (Yellow Bird, Hummelfilm). She earned a Master of Arts in cinema in 1999 from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She moved to Norway in 2006 and began working for SF Norway after spending six years as a line producer and production manager in Paris.

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IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1505570

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Kristian's journey with our company began with the successful productions of the Netflix series “A Storm for Christmas” followed of "Midsummer Night" in 2023, leading to his current role as our in-house Line Producer. In this pivotal capacity, Kristian shoulders the responsibility for early budgeting and scheduling, and he also oversees a selection of projects from inception through production.

Kristian has amassed an impressive portfolio in the film industry, transitioning seamlessly from his previous role as a 1st Assistant Director to excel as a Line Producer. His work spans a diverse range of projects, including acclaimed drama series such as "The Heavy Water War," "Nobel" (directed by Per-Olav Sørensen), and the NRK success series "EXIT," spanning three seasons. These projects showcase Kristian's adeptness in managing complex and high-quality productions. He has also made significant contributions to blockbuster feature films, including "Max Manus" and the Academy Award-nominated "Kon-Tiki," both directed by the renowned filmmaking duo Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. Furthermore, he has been involved in films such as "The Burning Sea" and the critically acclaimed "Thelma" by JoachimTrier.

“Through more than 25 years I’ve acquired a mindset where problem solving and adaptation to the circumstances have become the main instinct. I’ve always had a keen interest in logistics and foreseeing potential obstacles, and I’m a true believer that a thorough plan gives you the best flexibility to improvise."

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IMDB

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0632904

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After getting her start as a Netflix finance trainee on "A Storm for Christmas," Mai went on to become The Global Ensemble Drama's office manager, ensuring the smooth functioning of the headquarter offices in Oslo.

As a former business owner and restaurant manager for a combined 12 years, she was responsible for overseeing key economics, market strategies and reporting, hiring and Human Resources, staff training, problem and conflict resolution, customer relations, safety and day-to-day operations.

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Carmen has been a part of company since 2021 working as a controller on a number of projects and as a personal assistant to Per-Olav Sørensen as of 2023.

Pérez is also an actor, writer, artist, content creator, and has worked in the arts and entertainment industry for 15 years with a wide range of experience. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and International Politics with a minor in Legal Studies from George Mason University. Her background also includes serving for six years in the United States Army (active duty) as a Finance Specialist.

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