Banijay Asia expands into southeast Asia with CreAsia Studio, appoints Jessica Kam-Engle as EVP

Deepak Dhar, founder & group CEO, Banijay Asia and EndemolShine India, announced Banijay Asia’s expansion into South East Asia, with the formation of a new entity – CreAsia Studio.

With a focus on local collaborations to create local originals and produce local Banijay IP adaptations, he announced the appointment of Jessica Kam-Engle as the EVP & business head of CreAsia Studio. She will report to Deepak Dhar, and be responsible for driving business strategy and growth in the key markets of South East Asia – Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Jesicca is a film/TV producer and studio executive with more than 20 years of experience working in the region, with brands like Disney+, HBO Asia, Warner Media Entertainment Networks, MTV Networks/Viacom, MGM Gold Network, Dow Jones Newswires, and Celestial Pictures.

Talking about the development, Deepak said, “Given Jessica’s unparalleled experience in the Asian market, Banijay’s global IPs and marquee concepts, exciting local collaborations and a focus on India as a production hub for the region, CreAsia Studio is our next growth engine.” He further added, “We’re confident of Jessica’s leadership to steer us towards a leading presence in the region. Her appointment is also a testament to our commitment to tapping into newer markets and diversifying our portfolio in the vibrant South East Asian entertainment sector.”

Talking about her new innings, Jessica Kam-Engle said, "It’s my privilege to join the  Banijay family, and I am excited to lead the strategic expansion in South East Asia. There are vast opportunities to develop local and global IPs with the pool of creative talent from this region, leveraging Banijay’s world-class content production expertise and its global distribution clout.  I am looking forward to exciting collaborations with key players in the region.”

Jessica was most recently head of content and fevelopment for Disney+ in APAC, during which she commissioned more than 60 scripted and non-scripted original series across the region. During 2017-21 she was head of original production for HBO Asia overseeing its original productions across Asia in 10 languages, including TV series. Prior to HBO, she has been an independent film producer, based out of Beijing and Hong Kong from 2008 to 2016, during which time she produced 10 feature films.

Banijay Rights, a global distribution operation, continues to handle format licensing in collaboration with Dhar and the team in the region.