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About

Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT stands for true entertainment with real people at its core and authentic stories. Our focus is on producing high-frequency factual entertainment series, extraordinary docu-soaps, TV shows and high-end documentaries with outstanding characters.

Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT creates and delivers content for the time we are in: originally developed ideas as well as off-the-beaten track gold nuggets of independent format creators worldwide.

Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT is headquartered in the heart of downtown Cologne.

Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT was founded by Uli Zahn and Rosebank AG in 2021. Rosebank, established by Jan Kromschröder and Stefan Oelze in 2014, is strategic partner for individual producers in Germany and builds a new home for creatives in Germany.

Was

The Connection - Wer knackt die Verbindung? (SAT.1)

The candidates in the studio must identify complex connections between seemingly random terms. In the end, their answers reveal the ultimate Master Connection. Only those with broad general knowledge AND the ability to see the bigger picture have a chance to win.

© 2025

Unser Supermarkt - Mit Herz und Humor (RTLZWEI)

Between the vibrant Eigelstein district and Cologne Central Station lies a true institution: a supermarket that has achieved cult status in Cologne. But what makes this market so special? Quite simply: Chef Udo, his team of around 60 employees, and the turbulent, humorous, and often surprising moments of everyday supermarket life.

© 2024

Name des Logos/der Sendung

Hab ich Recht? Drei Richter für alle Fälle (ZDF)

Whether it's botched construction work, disputes with neighbors, or identity theft on the internet – the judges are there to support those affected and provide practical legal tips "to go" for everyone.

© 2024

Queer Life Unfiltered (ZDF)

Zoe, Leo, Jona, AJ, and Kathy are queer, gay, bi-, or pansexual, their pronouns diverse. A queer youth center in Cologne is their safe space because, in everyday life, they still often struggle for acceptance.

© 2024

Übers Land - Leben in Brandenburg (ZDF)

People connected to their homeland in Brandenburg show us their lives: Despite poverty, unemployment, and illness, they don’t let themselves be defeated but face everyday life with humor and optimism.

© 2023

Kinder des Westens (WDR)

Since 2021, this documentary has been observing how children affected by poverty grow up. What goals and dreams do they have? What has changed in their lives? How can society help shape their future and provide opportunities they might otherwise be denied? What foundations can we, as adults, lay to give them every chance for a fulfilling life?

© 2021

Who

Image: Uli Zahn
Image: Uli Zahn

Uli Zahn

CEO

»A team with the best spirit will always create highly-spirited television worth watching. So let‘s go Brot&Butter!«

»show infos

CEO
Image: Harald Baltes
Image: Harald Baltes

Harald Baltes

Head of Production

»Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT – a strong team produces REAL ENTERTAINMENT for an agile market.«

»show infos

Head of Production
Image: Miriam Litschel
Image: Miriam Litschel

Miriam Litschel

Senior Producer Development

»Great teams are even more important than great ideas.«

»show infos

Senior Producer Development
Image: Matthias Roth
Image: Matthias Roth

Matthias Roth

Team Coordinator

»Having fun at work and being a successful team go together like bread&butter. «

»show infos

Team Coordinator
Image: Elena Franzen
Image: Elena Franzen

Elena Franzen

Executive Producer Show

»With passion and a great team, BREAD&BUTTER tastes like champagne and caviar!«

»show infos

Executive Producer Show
Image: Markus Jentgens
Image: Markus Jentgens

Markus Jentgens

Producer Docutainment

»Brot&Butter is a young, dynamic team, yet working together feels familiar and as if we've been doing it for years.«

»show infos

Producer Docutainment
Image: Lisette van Diepen
Image: Lisette van Diepen

Lisette van Diepen

Acquisition Executive

»The good stuff is ALWAYS worth the work it takes!«

»show infos

Acquisition Executive
Image: Joana Franke
Image: Joana Franke

Joana Franke

Head of Casting

»The cast is the butter on the bread.«

»show infos

Head of Casting
Image: Melek Yaprak
Image: Melek Yaprak

Melek Yaprak

Casting Editor

»Even a seemingly quiet person has a longing, a story which is worth to tell.«

»show infos

Casting Editor

Where

Cologne

Contact

*) Mandatory

Jobs

Our current job offers

You

If you want to join us and like to work at the heart of Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT, please send us your application here:

Apply for a job right here

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Logo: Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT
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Uli Zahn

CEO

Image: Uli Zahn

Back in the days when I was a child, my entertainment-idol and my big inspiration was the German comedian Otto Waalkes. Thank you, Otto!

I have created television since 1995. I was lucky to be working and creating for companies like Brainpool, Endemol, ITV Studios, Tresor TV and UFA Show&Factual. In those years, thousands of hours of program came to light! Amongst others, I had the honour to produce these formats: „DIY S.O.S.“, „Come Dine With Me“, „Help I’ve nothing to wear“, „Farmer Wants A Wife“; „Benefit Street“, „Who lives here“, „Four Rooms“, „Get the f* out of my house“, „Expedition Arctic“.

With Brot&Butter ENTERNTAINMENT, I like to continue doing what I love doing and I will offer my team the very best playground for that! I love producing and watching docutainment, docu-soaps, documentaries, high end as well, factual programs and reality. Real stories and real people make me happy and I love to know the audience is watching happily, glued to the screens…

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Harald Baltes

Head of Production

Image: Harald Baltes

Since 1997 I‘ve worked for Television in Cologne. My career started as stage manager at filmpool and a little bit later I got hired as production manager at Endemol where we brought „Wer wird Millionär?“ to life. More exciting formats followed such as „Domino Day“ or „Die Millionen Show“.

As of 2008 I worked as production manager for UFA Show & Factual (back then known as Grundy Light Entertainment) and was responsible for adaptions of „Britain‘s Got Talent“ – „Das Supertalent“, „Die größten Schweizer Talente“, „X-FACTOR“ or „Das Familienduell“. After that it was my pleasure to be part of productions like „Wer weiß denn sowas?“, „Get the F**k out of my house“, „Das SexSeminar“, „X FACTOR“ (Sky) or „Take me out“.

Since April 2021 I‘m the Head of Production at Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT and I‘m already excited about my colleagues and the variety of our formats we work on!

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Miriam Litschel

Senior Producer Development

Image: Miriam Litschel

My muse: the marvellous Marilyn Monroe! // "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than totally boring."

Learned at screenwerks how to Design from scratch, produced the first radio shows and learned at FreeFM, studied multimedia production at the North Pole of Germany, learned marketing in the cosmetics industry, learned how to do television at the major talent shows at UFA, fell in love with it and finally awakened the passion for developing formats.

TV series junkie at heart with a personal preference for reality shows and true crime formats and looking forward to discovering new extraordinary formats, unique stories and exceptional people.

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Matthias Roth

Team Coordinator

Image: Matthias Roth

From childhood on I was excited whenever I saw a television camera somewhere and started to wonder how exactly television works. After studying but not enjoying biology, I decided to ponder this question further and become part of the television world. A step I have never regretted!

Since then, I´ve had the opportunity to be part of fantastic teams at Eyeworks Germany and UFA SHOW & FACTUAL and, as production manager, turn my colleagues' ideas into reality.

In projects such as “X Factor” (Sky), “Take Me Out” (RTL), “Get the f * ck out of my house” (ProSieben) or “Der Restauranttester” (RTL) I have great fun in taking care of all the small and big things and to see projects grow and become something great as more and more people join in.

As Team Coordinator at Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT, I am available to everyone with advice and assistance wherever I can, so that everyone can enjoy their job as much as I do. Since July of 2022 I am also a certified Green Consultant and gladly support my colleagues in working environmentally friendly.

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Elena Franzen

Executive Producer Show

Image: Elena Franzen

Pippi Longstocking was my childhood hero, and her values have shaped me. Courage, creativity, empathy, passion, and teamwork remain the foundation of everything I do to this day.

My heart beats for the big show. Quiz, game, celebrities, casting – I love preparing everything down to the smallest detail, standing in the studio with stage fright, and adding that final touch of glitter at the very end.

My career in entertainment began in 2000 as an entertainer in Fuerteventura, continued with a degree in communication studies in Berlin, and led me to Ansager & Schnipselmann in Düsseldorf in 2011, where I found my professional home until the end of 2024. During this time, I worked as an editor, producer, and executive producer on formats such as Frag doch mal die Maus/Die große Maus-Show, Hirschhausens Quiz des Menschen, Was kann der Mensch?, and Das Paarduell.

A two-year industry detour took me to Leitwolf TV, i&U TV, and Brainpool TV, where I was able to develop new show concepts, including an Elton show for ZDF (Einfach super!), a Gottschalk show for ARD (2020 – Gottschalk holt’s nach), and a panel comedy show (RTL Top News).

Now, I have found a new professional home at Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT, for which I am very grateful! I can’t wait to bring many exciting new show projects to the screen with this outstanding team and bring joy to our audience. Or, to put it in Pippi Longstocking’s words: “Don’t wait for people to smile at you, show them how it’s done!”

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Markus Jentgens

Producer Docutainment

Image: Markus Jentgens

In 1995, I started my career as a set floor manager on the hospital series Stadtklink produced by Endemol. Until 2000, I remained dedicated to fiction, working in script and continuity, before moving on to Big Brother as a control room director.

In 2006, my focus shifted toward directing and postproduction with Das perfekte Promi Dinner. Along the way, I also made occasional detours into show formats like Nur die Liebe zählt, Versteckte Kamera, Kämpf um deine Frau!, Das Supertalent, Bist du 50.000,- wert?, and Die Höhle der Lügen.

Starting in 2012, I directed the pilot episodes of Four Weddings and a Dream Honeymoon (Vier Hochzeiten und eine Traumreise) for ITV Studios and then led the daily version as producer until 2019.

With Fabiola, I brought the first two seasons of The Germinator to life. This was followed by LEGO Masters, Die Retourenprofis, Dating Naked, and The 50 at EndemolShine.

Since 2024, I’ve been part of Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT and am truly happy with the two formats I’ve been able to help shape so far: Hab ich Recht? – Drei Richter für alle Fälle and Unser Supermarkt – mit Herz und Humor.

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Lisette van Diepen

Acquisition Executive

Image: Lisette van Diepen

I have always loved television. Laugh, live and learn. Plus there have always been strong female role models that I got introduced to via television. From Laura Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie) to Oprah Winfrey, they were always there. So I feel privileged to be able to enjoy a career in an area that I love.

I have worked in very different companies, both in culture and in size (Endemol, Talpa, Sony, Vincent TV, Monday Media). And now I'm very lucky to also be part of the Brot und Butter team! I have been involved in acquiring some wonderful brands throughout the years („The Mole“, „Dragons Den“, „Who Wants to be a Millionaire“, to name a few) and I cannot wait to help find the gems for B&B to adapt in Germany!

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Joana Franke

Head of Casting

Image: Joana Franke

Casting opens up your eyes to various different worlds!

In 2004 I started my first job in television as a typical intern at a TV production company. It flashed me right from the start. After a quick stop in front of the camera and an acting education I went back behind the scenes. I wanted to get to know people, breathe in their stories and immerse into worlds I would never get in touch with – being connected to all different kinds of characters. In the last few years I was involved in formats like „Wer kann, der kann!“ (Netflix), „Club der roten Bänder“ (VOX), „Bauer sucht Frau International“ (RTL), „Wendy-Der Film“ (Kino), „Heimlich verliebt“ (RTL), Die Superhändler (RTL), „We are Family - So lebt Deutschland“ (Pro7), „Taff“ (Pro7), „Punkt 12“ (RTL).

After several stops at companies like Constantin Entertainment, Joker Productions, Filmpool, Seapoint und UFA Show&Factual, I now arrived at Brot&Butter ENTERTAINMENT. Great colleagues, amazing protagonists, authentic television and everyday a new bread with butter – that‘s all you need.

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Melek Yaprak

Casting Editor

Image: Melek Yaprak

Life is an extraordinary & adventurous story.

Even a seemingly quiet person has a longing, a story which is worth to tell.

From a young age, I have always been able to find this one longing in every story.

Later, I turned this passion into a career.