Interview | Selin Yeninci, Founder of SY Production

We recently conducted an interviewed Selin Yeninci, the founder of SY Production, and had an in-depth conversation about her journey in the TV and film industry, her transition from acting to production, and the exciting projects underway at SY Production.

You’ve been making significant strides in the TV and film industry for quite some time. You’ve been prominently featured as an actor in highly-watched series both in Türkiye and globally. When did the idea of establishing your own production company first arise?

At the age of six, I began my professional journey in the TV and film industry, guided by my family, at TRT, Türkiye’s oldest and national channel. I grew up immersed in TV and film sets, various TV programs, dubbing, voice acting, hosting, live broadcasting, and doing theater. Consequently, production has been at the core of my life since childhood. Through passion and proper task distribution, I have gained extensive and challenging experiences, believing that projects of all scales can be managed. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with exceptional teams.

I gained recognition as an actor in the TV and film industry because acting was my first discovered talent. Academic training in this field excited me, confirming that my career was on the right path. As an actor, everything has been going smoothly for me. The projects I’ve been involved in have been highly successful, reaching wide audiences from the Cannes Film Festival to Latin America. I’ve also received numerous awards as an actor. My acting career has been a source of great pride, as I’ve been honored as a guest at various events, from the European Parliament to Content Americas.

At this point, I decided not to limit my life to just one expression method. I wanted to take another step in the film industry, where I’m curious, where I believe I can contribute, and where I excel the best. Eventually, in the second half of 2020, I founded SY Production to bring my rapidly forming ideas to life. Since much of the North American film economy already operates within this framework, I am pleased to be the first actor in Türkiye to establish content at a corporate level in its first year and to receive recognition and support from fairs in this field. It motivates me further.

Selin Yeninci: “SY Production is a community that is curious about exploring innovations and various aspects of the industry.“

Could you tell us about SY Production? What are its priorities, especially in terms of the stories, genres, and themes you want to work on?

SY Production is a community that is curious about exploring innovations and various aspects of the industry, enjoys doing so, is eager to create, and is open to anyone in the industry or aspiring to be in this field, even if they haven’t had the opportunity to express themselves yet, for various reasons, despite having above-average talent or passion. We respect every mind open to developing and implementing ideas together and aim to bring projects on their journeys with the most suitable business models and meticulously selected teams.

We plan to start filming our project Turkish Delight Firuze in May 2024.

Creatively, we prefer not to limit ourselves. Therefore, all genres and stories that we believe can accurately convey our own issues are a priority for us.

We’ve discovered that what makes a story valuable is correct designs and productive creative work. In short, we are a team that wants to progress with this vision.

Can you tell us about your film project İstanbul’un Sultanları and your upcoming TV series Turkish Delight? How did you choose these projects, and what elements in their content have influenced you the most?

We wanted to start with content that revolves around certain situations we discuss and analyze the most in our daily lives, which we have been working on for the past two years.

We handed over files with the general storylines and character outlines as SY Production to the writers we wanted to work with, and we had multiple meetings to brainstorm and plan the projects.

Turkish Delight Firuze emerged as the most suitable project to begin with, but filming for İstanbul’un Sultanları and our other creative formats will also commence separately in May 2024. It’s an exciting process to see the talents and our new work discipline that will embark on this journey together.

As a production company, do you work with a team of writers, or do you progress by reviewing and filtering script and project files that are submitted to you?

It’s normal for not every writer to excel in every aspect of writing, as one’s past experiences and authentic talents shape them regardless of their educational background. Therefore, we prioritize the project-writer match and present our general storyline to the writers. In this regard, we collaborated with five trusted writers in 2023. On the other hand, we receive around thirty content submissions to our company every week, and we ensure to meticulously read each script with fair time management.

Do you have any projects planned for literary adaptations?

We have a deep appreciation for some literary adaptations. While we haven’t explored the question extensively, we’re particularly fond of works like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Someday, we aspire to undertake a grand adaptation inspired by revered literature, drawing from the richness of various artistic forms in its creation.

You presented these two projects to the content industry at the 2023 MIPCOM fair. How was MIPCOM for you, and what feedback and reactions did you receive as SY Production?

The feedback, reactions, and overall experience left us very pleased and motivated. This year, we presented our projects somewhat in a ghost mode, truly gauging what we wanted to achieve and to what extent, as you can imagine, it’s a job that requires your attention every hour of the day, and we wanted to be honest with ourselves. Our excitement has increased after MIPCOM 2023. We swiftly began preparing for other fairs and working on new content.

We’re eager to learn about your engagements and insights from your participation at Content Americas in Miami in January 2024.

As you know, industry fairs vary depending on the countries and the scale of the organization. Content Americas and MIPCOM offer completely different fair experiences. Similarly, Natpe Global in Miami had a different content and business model. I found every conference and the overall fair program to be very beneficial for the industry. Honestly, I felt mentally and emotionally that we were in the right place. I had the opportunity to exchange ideas about models designed for the next five years and, frankly, I met some wonderful people from the industry.

As someone who is both an actor and a new producer, what are your observations on the increasing number of international co-productions and the impact of industry fairs and events in making the world feel smaller? In terms of co-productions, what do you think is the chance for new and independent producers in Türkiye?

I believe that everyone creates their own opportunities. Life evolves by seizing certain opportunities and taking solid steps forward. What you’ve built through hard work and dedication may be the most valuable thing in life, and sharing that wealth, not settling for it, and building a new beginning with what you have and with new teams is possible. Therefore, luck, proportional to the risks you take, is equal for everyone. Luck is always there for those who dare.

As a new producer, what are your experiences in Türkiye? Turkish Delight is a project designed for digital platforms. In our country, we have national and global digital platforms such as Netflix, BluTV, Prime Video, GAİN, and Exxen. What do you encounter when discussing series production projects with these platforms?

The representatives from the platforms and channels in our country are very engaged, supportive, and enthusiastic when discussing projects with us. We are also in communication with other companies with whom we’ve previously engaged in discussions about projects. I believe the next step is determined by the nature of the project itself. We are eagerly looking forward to the days when our projects come to life through collaboration with the right international teams.

Turkish series are broadcast and widely watched in countries all around the world, and Turkish actors have gained recognition internationally. In your opinion, what is the reason behind the widespread popularity of Turkish series?

One of the most important aspects of life for many of us is “family,” and Turkish series can be easily enjoyed with your loved ones. Turkish series are crafted to adhere to the norms decided by society, making them suitable for viewers of all ages. Another reason is the vision of our producers and production companies, who have contributed significantly to the development of this industry worldwide through years of dedication. Additionally, Türkiye is a cinematic paradise filled with extraordinary talents. I believe that when these factors come together, the success of Turkish series continues to grow each year.

Competition in the content industry is accelerating and intensifying; for example, Spain considers Türkiye its biggest rival in selling TV series globally. As a producer and actor, what do you think Türkiye should do to maintain its position in this competition and further strengthen its position?

I can only say that we can choose what and whom to compete with. Rather than seeking power, we aim to produce powerful projects. As a team of individuals who have previously achieved satisfying successes, our main goal is to maintain an increasing sense of continuity year after year.

You also attended MIPTV 2024, what were your goals and plans there?

I was only able to attend for a day since I’ll be on the set of our project Turkish Delight Firuze, where I play one of the main characters. However, our representatives was there full-time.

Our main goal as SY Production is for the efforts we put in to bring us joy and happiness, and ultimately to gain people. We aim to create projects that make us all proud and that we enjoy watching, with teams and individuals who engage in honest and transparent communication. We respect and take our work seriously, and we cherish our originality. Hopefully, we’ll discuss other plans in the years to come.