Michael Peter Schmidt, president of Sipur Studios and the former chief creative officer for Red Arrow Studios, died June 22 at his home in Syracuse, New York. He was 52.
Schmidt was known for his work on documentaries such as “We Will Dance Again,” “The Devil’s Confession: The Lost Eichmann Tapes,” and the scripted series “Bad Boy.”
Previously a writer, producer and director, Schmidt began his career as a performer in a German comedy troupe. He went on work in the TV industry with roles on both the network and production side of the business, working as a producer at WDR, a TV director at entertainment producer Brainpool, creative producer for RTL Television’s entertainment department; executive producer and consultant for Granada Germany and the editorial director at youth entertainment station Viva.
In 2005, Schmidt moved to Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, where he held a number of senior management roles such as head of development, head of comedy and senior VP of entertainment for German free TV operations. Schmidt joined the management team that founded ProSieben’s Red Arrow Studios in 2009, becoming the chief creative officer in January 2010, where he lead global format and IP development, acquisitions and international distribution.
“Michael was a driving force who has been with me since the beginning in shaping our expanding international strategy of developing, financing, producing films series, documentaries and reality formats for the international market,” said Emilio Schenker, CEO of Sipur Studios. He was a visionary, hands-on leader and a true champion of the global entertainment industry who has played such a key role in Sipur’s phenomenal growth in a relatively short amount of time. As a longtime senior executive in international television, he brought leadership and unmatched passion, wisdom and integrity to every project he touched. His contributions to the history of the global television industry will resonate for years to come.”
Schmidt served as a board member of the international format organization FRAPA and was chairman of Vault AI. He was a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Gaby Sonnenberg, and three children: Jonathan, Julia Esther and Bennet.
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