Veteran media executive Fotini Paraskakis is launching Empire of Arkadia, an Asia-focused content company. The firm hopes to present its debut slate in time for MIPCOM later this month.
Paraskakis joins the company with Japanese media executive Shigeko (Cindy) Chino and former Discovery APAC and EMEA President Arthur Bastings.
The trio describe Empire of Arkadia’s mission as bringing Asian-inspired stories, in both scripted and unscripted sectors, to the international stage. He will lead with “forward-thinking stories that speak to younger generations.”
“This is the perfect time to launch a content-focused company for future generations; It truly is an exciting and transformative period in the content industry,” Paraskakis said in a prepared statement. “We will bring to market the best future creators and Asian-inspired stories with the widest international appeal, focusing entirely on meeting the demands for Gen Z content, stories that speak to audiences around the world and that will stay with us all as we continue.” that we move towards the future”.
Paraskakis was previously MD of The Story Lab. Her previous incarnations include MD Asia for Endemol Shine Group and Head of Content for Fremantlemedia. Over a period of 30 years, he has successfully led more than 450 content deals in Asia and internationally, for shows including “Ninja Warrior”, “MasterChef”, “Big Brother”, “Deal or No Deal”, “Fear Factor ” “The Bridge”, “Humans”, “Idols”, “Got Talent” and “The X Factor. “
Chino is a former International Business Development Associate MD at Nippon TV. He was responsible for brokering deals on shows including “Shark Tank,” “Old Enough!”, “Block Out,” and the scripted series “Mother,” “Your Home Is My Business!” and woman”.
Since leaving Discovery, Bastings has run a startup accelerator company in Singapore and California that works at the intersection of media, gaming and technology. His protégés include Mighty Bear Games, several highly successful female founders, and two Web 3.0-focused deep tech companies.
Empire of Arkadia is launched with offices already established in London, Singapore and Tokyo. More outposts are planned to open in Seoul and Los Angeles in early 2023.