Timur Savcı and Burak Sağyaşar, cofounders of TIMS&B, share the secrets of their successful string of high quality Turkish dramas, like Bitter Lands and the recent Deception
During the recent edition of Mipcom, Inter Medya, celebrating its 30th anniversary and attending these days MipCancun 2022, launched the newest Turkish drama to join its catalogue, Deception, a new Tims&B production.
After the success of their partnership in other titles, like Bitter Lands, Inter Medya took the opportunity of introducing the international buyers to Deception with an special event that was highlighted by the presence of Timur Savcı and Burak Sağyaşar, cofounders of TIMS&B Productions.
Present at Cannes, ttvnews took the opportunity to interview the highly succesful producers about the methodology behind a production company that has found huge success, both in the local and international markets.
What would you say is at the center of the success you have found with TIMS&B Productions?
Timur Savcı: This may sound cliché, but there is of course a lot of hard work behind our success with TIMS&B. But I don’t want to reduce it just to hard work. The real achievement is sustaining the success after you’ve reached it with a TV series. I think we have a serious success rate with sustainability. I care about this a lot.
Burak Sağyaşar: We have always adopted the principle of focusing on the right content and making it sustainable, as Mr. Timur has said, and we are continuing on that path with determination.
What elements should a Turkish TV show have in order to appeal to both local and international audiences?
Savcı: You must have a universal code. So, your story should not just be local. You need to have a story where you convey feelings that the audience can wholly empathize with. That’s first. Apart from that, the work we do with Turkish TV series have geological advantages because we shoot in a country like Turkey where you can find everything; we have a wide range of possibilities in terms of production conditions and visual diversity. Besides, I think that, due to our location, Turkey’s location, you can neither call us totally an Eastern country, nor totally a Western country. We have many things embedded in our culture from both the East and the West. I think this is one of the most important reasons and sources for why our stories are so universal.
Sağyaşar: Appealing to common feelings is of course always very important in capturing the international audience, with such themes as love and family drama. And the success of Turkish TV series in these matters is truly undeniable. That’s how it is.
How would you describe your partnership with Inter Medya and the success both companies have found around the world with titles like Bitter Lands?
Savcı: I think we are a great team. And I think we are all doing our part perfectly.
Family, trust and betrayal are at the center of Deception. What are the strong elements of this story, and what is it about this story that particularly interests you?
Sağyaşar: Yes, those are the strong elements of the story, but this is not a just a TV show about deception. It is actually the journey and story of a strong woman. And along this path, she is not only cheated on by her husband. In fact, she is deceived by her friends and her children. So, we can call it a big family drama. We also have an ensemble cast. It’s the journey of a very strong woman.
Savcı: A strong woman who thinks that she has done everything right in her life realizes that everything she has experienced so far has been a lie. And sometimes as much as you may try to put things into order, it’s going to be a mess no matter what you do. I think we’re telling a story that could happen to anyone in a very powerful way. I think the power and main issue of the story is Deception, like its name. But don’t think of this deception only in terms of sexual or romantic relationships. Deception is everywhere. That’s why I think it’s a story in which everyone can find something from their own life.
The series had a strong debut. How happy are you about these first steps taken by the series? How valuable is it to have a great start in the local market to then travel and conquer international audiences?
Savcı: First of all, we were very happy that the ratings were good from the first episode on. In fact, from the second episode on, we have been number one in Total Viewership. This is of course gratifying for us. It is also pleasing because it is a good indicator of the show’s potential success in the international arena, because series that receive high ratings in Turkey generally get the same results in the international arena. So, I think it will be a promising and long-lasting title for us.
