Imagine Nation acquires stake in Absolutely Independent

October 4, 2012 by Barry Walsh

Absolutely Independent

After announcing the formation of their new company, Imagine Nation, earlier this week, CEO Kees Abrahams and CCO Robin de Levita have revealed their first order of business – the acquisition of a 50% stake in Netherlands-based formats distributor Absolutely Independent.

The transaction will see Abrahams, formerly the president of international TV production at Sony Pictures Television and one of the founders of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? owner 2waytraffic, take the position of co-chairman of Absolutely Independent alongside its founder and chief executive, Patty Geneste.

Absolutely Independent both distributes content for producers and broadcasters and develops formats with independent prodcos. Imagine Nation, devised as a global media company focusing on live entertainment, film and television, was launched earlier this week by Abrahams and theatre/TV producer de Levita.

“Absolutely Independent is a well-known and highly-respected player in the international TV distribution landscape, and its business fits perfectly with our own growth strategy for establishing a global IP powerhouse that develops and exploits content across multiple platforms,” said Abrahams in a statement. “We are very excited about working with Patty and the rest of the Absolutely team to build our business and deliver our proposition to the industry.”

“I have known Kees for many years and always had a lot of respect for the way he builds his businesses, combining strategy and appreciation for content in a very clever way,” added Geneste.

“I was looking for the right partner who understood the business model of Absolutely Independent fully and was eager to invest and build in the opportunities we see in the world. Kees fits this picture 100% and I am convinced that both Kees and Robin’s bigger picture with Imagine Nation will fit our strategy perfectly.”

Tags: Absolutely Independent, Imagine Nation, Kees Abrahams, Patty Geneste, Robin de Levita