Belgium’s Primitives hires Magnify alum as sales & acquisitions chief

99 To Beat

Benelux format distributor Primitives has named a Be-Entertainment and Magnify Media alum as its new director of sales & acquisitions.

Simone de Pruyssenaere de la Woestyne replaces Siobhan Crawford, who stepped down in April as revealed by TBI, and will be responsible for all acquisitions and sales at the Belgium-based format distributor.

De la Woestyne has worked in distribution for more than a decade, with stints at Be-Entertainment and Magnify Media, as well as periods working as an independent consultant.

Primitives was founded in 2011 by the three largest independent production houses in the country and focuses on factual and factual entertainment titles.

During Crawford’s tenure, Primitives sold reality format The Mole to countries including Germany, the US and the Nordics – as well as two deals in Sweden and Italy last year – and placed rights to competition series 99 To Beat in 17 countries, including the US, Germany and the UK.

Jan Huyse, MD of Primitives, said: “As we have been growing steadily the last few years under the guidance of Siobhan Crawford, who recently left the company, we looked for someone who knows the Belgian market, has sales experience and an international network.

“Simone has all of that and we’re convinced she’ll initiate further growth in the international market and strengthen our position as the biggest format distributor in Belgium.”