Abundantia, Israel’s ADD to co-create web content

Abundantia Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the content studio established by producer Vikram Malhotra, and content creation and distribution company ADD Content are expanding their partnership, which will allow the Indian entity to adapt Israeli formats for an Indian audience besides collaborating on content for global viewership.

Abundantia, that is behind films such as Sherni, Shakuntala Devi and Ram Setu, as well as web series Breathe, had first collaborated with ADD Content in late 2019. They planned to develop an Indian version of the hit young-adult drama The Missing, but the covid pandemic derailed their plans.

Now, the companies have decided to broaden their alliance to include multiple shows and formats. “We are consolidating the partnership, and have agreed on a charter to do even more together, which is going to involve not just formats coming to India through ADD, but also work on co-creation. Talent from both markets will collaborate to bring the best of Israel to India, and over time, take our stories not just in Israel, but also to other markets, where both of us have mutual interest,” Malhotra, chief executive, Abundantia, said in an interview. “We are stitching up a cross-country, cross-cultural partnership.”

“We’re also discussing not just taking existing IP, but can we develop original IP to do together, but also for this market, but also for the global market. Wherever the content makes sense,” Hadas Mozes Lictenstein, founder and head of international at ADD Content Agency, told Mint.

Malhotra said the deal with ADD Content is first of its kind structured creative partnership. “At this stage, this is purely a content Alliance, where we are looking at the creative and syndication strengths of Hadas (founder, ADD Content Agency) and her team working with us,” Malhotra said.

Apart from The Missing, which has recently been renewed for a 4th season in Israel, the two will also start working on another young adult action drama ‘The Scarred’. Separately, it is working on The Hood, a remake of another Israeli show Shchuna, with Paramount Global-owned Ananey Studios.

Both Abunduntia and ADD will focus on shows, which can address the large section of the Indian audience and not niche shows. “In this partnership lies a sensibility that wants to talk to these bigger massier audiences. And that’s the kind of success that the shows that are under ADD have seen,” Malhotra added.

ADD Content Agency has more than two dozen shows that it has produced or developed. The company works across scripted, drama, docu-reality, young adult as well as kids content. The Missing has 175 episodes over four seasons, while some of the shows have close to 10 seasons.

The company’s original Israeli drama series Euphoria, which was adapted by HBO in English, is now being remade in Germany. In the US, ADD currently has around 30 projects in different developments.