Since joining Cineflix Rights last year, Caroline Schroeter has grown the company’s revenues in Russia by more than 500%. In part, she benefited from good timing, with the Russian TV advertising market experiencing rapid growth after a weak 2009 (Russia was named as the top emerging market in the Broadcast Distributors Survey 2011). But what particular skills did she bring that explain such a huge spike in sales? “When I joined, we weren’t doing a lot of business with Russia so I started by doing some basic research to see what business opportunities existed. The main thing this showed me was that there were a lot more broadcasters in the Russian market than we had previously targeted.”It helps that she speaks and reads Russian. “That made it easier for me to get an understanding of the market. I also have a background as a producer and director, which helps with research.” Armed with her notes, she went to MipCom 2010 with a slate full of shows and a diary full of meetings. “Because I’m German, I am quite direct,” says Schroeter. “What I found was that Russian buyers didn’t mind being pestered. They didn’t make decisions straight away but they didn’t have a problem with me following up until I got an answer. Once I had broken the ice, I think they really appreciated the fact that I’d taken the time to get to know their business and their requirements.” One key point she noted was “the sheer volume of content they screen at this market. When the stats came back, it was amazing just how much they watch at markets – which I think is linked to logistical issues such as online security and customs controls for DVDs in Russia.” For a factual distributor like Cine flix, one big opportunity is the


The Top Deal Makers 2011 A Broadcast supplement


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