“Calinos’s catalog features a collection of enduring Turkish dramas that have achieved global success.” Fırat Gülgen, Founder of Calinos Entertainment – Exclusive Interview

Calinos Entertainment celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, marking a major achievement for the company. As part of the celebration, the company is hosting a special event at MIPCOM 2024. Before joining them in this exciting moment, we had the opportunity to sit down with Fırat Gülgen, Founder of Calinos Entertainment to reflect on the company’s 25-year journey.

Gülgen shared insights into Calinos Entertainment’s success in bringing popular Turkish titles such as Woman, Forbidden Fruit and Farah to international audiences, as well as their latest series, Hidden Garden. He also discussed their recent ventures into production and their expansion into distributing content from countries like Canada and Serbia.

First of all, you are celebrating Calinos Entertainment’s 25th anniversary. Could you summarize Calinos Entertainment’s 25 years? You’ve represented hundreds of titles and played a key role in bringing many of them to international audiences.

Calinos Entertainment, a pioneer in the global distribution of Turkish content, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in 1999, we were the first Turkish company to export Turkish series, movies, and TV shows internationally. We were the first Turkish company to partner with Universal Studios and Paramount Pictures.

Over the past 25 years, we’ve distributed over 200 programs, totaling approximately 130,000 hours of TV content to more than 105 countries across five continents. Our journey began in 2001 with the unprecedented success of Wild Heart in Kazakhstan, which was broadcast an astonishing 14 times in the country, setting a world record for a long-running series.

This triumph paved the way for our rapid expansion into other CIS countries, Georgia, the Balkans, CEE, the Middle East, Latin America, North America, Asia, and now Africa. Every year, we continue to expand our global reach by adding new countries and partners to our growing network.

Calinos Entertainment’s catalog features a collection of enduring Turkish dramas that have achieved global success. The Girl Named Feriha, Our Story, Woman, and Forbidden Fruit remain among the most popular series, with Woman making history as the first Turkish drama to air in prime time on a Western European national channel. Reaching over 1 million viewers on Spain’s Antena 3, Woman has had a significant impact in over 90 countries.

Woman, airing as Mujer on Univision in the US, continued to captivate audiences with its second season, earning the title of “The Most Watched Daily TV Show” in Hispanic prime time. Lastly, this summer, Forbidden Fruit made its Brazilian debut on RECORD TV, becom- ing the first Turkish drama to be aired by the country’s second-largest free-to-air network.

The timeless Turkish drama Forbidden Fruit solidified its international appeal in 2024, reaching new audiences in over 70 countries. The series achieved remarkable success in both Spain and Chile. In Spain, it was named “The Best Fiction Premiere in A Decade” on Atresmedia’s Antena 3, while in Chile, it ranked among “The Most Watched TV Shows of The Day” on Chilevisión.

You’ll be celebrating your 25th anniversary with a special event at MIPCOM. Can you tell us a bit about this event?

To commemorate our anniversary, we’re hosting a special event on Monday, October 21, featuring the cast, producer, and scriptwriters of our latest series, Hidden Garden. We invite our valued partners to join us in celebrating this milestone and raising a glass to many more years of successful collaboration.

The series Hidden Garden has been eagerly anticipated since it was first announced in Türkiye. The show has a compelling story, focusing on two sides fighting for a child and the secrets of a powerful family. What can you tell us about the series?

Hidden Garden is the story of an extraordinary love, loss, and buried secrets. Produced by TMC Film, Hidden Garden, starring Ebru Şahin and Murat Yıldırım, delves into powerful themes of love, loss, and family secrets, offering a captivating narrative that will resonate with audiences worldwide.

What are your predictions for Hidden Garden’s global journey?

With its internationally recognized cast and engaging storyline, Hidden Garden has all the elements for international success. The compelling storyline delves into complex relationships and emotional journeys, drawing audiences into the characters’ lives and struggles.

The premium drama showcases diverse personalities that allow viewers from different cultures to find relatable characters. The series’ exploration of universal themes, such as love, sacrifice, and the intricacies of family dynamics, resonates across cultural boundaries, fostering a deep emotional connection with the audience. Additionally, the high production quality, featuring stunning visuals and meticulous attention to detail, enhances the viewing experience.

Overall, Hidden Garden combines universally relatable themes with cultural nuances, making it accessible to diverse audiences and ensuring it captivates viewers with its blend of drama, romance, and intrigue.

Calinos Entertainment has also achieved great success with the series Farah. How is Farah performing internationally?

Produced by O3 Medya and starring Demet Özdemir and Engin Akyürek, Farah has become a global sensation, reaching audiences in over 30 countries, including Azerbaijan, Albania, Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Spain, and the MENA region.

This empowering drama, which celebrates women’s strength, has resonated with viewers worldwide, becoming a social media phenomenon. In Spain, Farah was one of the most successful Turkish series premieres of the season on Mediaset, and it’s set to captivate Italian audiences on Mediaset Italy as well.

Shows like Farah, Hidden Garden, and Woman focus on strong female characters and tell compelling women’s stories. Do you think these kinds of stories are gaining more attention worldwide? What do you think makes Turkish series so successful in this genre?

With the growing emphasis on women’s empowerment worldwide, there is a rising demand for content that celebrates strong female characters. Turkish series known for their ability to create compelling and relatable female protagonists, are at the forefront of this trend.

Calinos Entertainment does not just represent Turkish content, but you’ve also added content from other countries to your catalog. Could you tell us about these titles and their global journeys?

In the past two years, we’ve expanded our business to include the distribution of international content. We’ve acquired con- tent from Canada, Romania, Poland, and Serbia.

One of our most successful acquisitions is Indefensible, a Canadian series that continues to captivate audiences with its third season on TVA. Last year, it was awarded “Best Daily Series” at the 38th Prix Gémeaux Awards by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Another standout series is Alert Squad, a Pixcom drama that has been honored with four prestigious awards at the 39th Prix Gémeaux Awards: “Best Annual Drama Series”, “Best Lead Actor”, “Best Supporting Actor”, and “Best Supporting Actress”. This gripping crime drama will continue with the second part of its fourth season this fall on TVA Canada.

In addition to these Canadian crime dramas, our extensive catalog includes Serbian series from Telecom Serbia: Tycoon, The Clan, No Trespassing, The Only Way Out, The Name of People, and The Well.

Last year, Calinos Entertainment also started working on the production side. Can you share the latest updates on your own productions and any co-production agreements?

Last year, we ventured into production, which has been a strategic move for us. We are expanding our global reach through various projects, including remakes, original series, and co-productions. These initiatives will help us reach new audiences and grow internationally. This allows us to have greater control over the creative process and ensures that our content aligns with our vision. We are excited about the projects we are working on, which are in various stages of development and production.

We are currently working on a few co-production projects by developing stories not only in Türkiye but also in Europe and the USA. We have been working on a script for an epic drama series produced for a platform in the USA. We have also started working on a film inspired by a true story by obtaining the book rights of an important author whose books are best sellers in Europe. We believe that having our stories made abroad and distributing them will bring us new global growth.

This exclusive interview with Fırat Gülgen, founder of Calinos Entertainment was featured in Episode Magazine’s MIPCOM 2024 issue.