Banijay Americas CEO Ben Samek today announced an investment in BD4, a premium production label launched in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Daniel Silver. This partnership enhances Banijay’s portfolio, addressing the growing demand for premium documentary storytelling. BD4 will champion bold storytellers who approach documentaries through a commercial lens. Under Silver’s leadership, BD4 will innovate documentary storytelling by incorporating familiar structures from mainstream film genres to enhance audience engagement. With a focus on joy, surprise, and delight, BD4’s projects will celebrate and redefine genre narratives, bringing unexpected perspectives to cultural stories and highlighting the humanity of real individuals.
“We are delighted to welcome Daniel Silver to the Banijay Americas family,” said Ben Samek, CEO of Banijay Americas. Samek adds, “Silver’s extensive connections in documentary storytelling and his bold approach to filmmaking will greatly enrich the craft of this format. Silver captures stories with profound authenticity, revealing hidden lives and experiences. BD4 dives deeper by blending cinematic scope with intimate exploration to showcase untold stories of today’s cultural icons, athletes, and performers, resulting in surprising and more intimate experiences that resonate deeply with a broad audience.” Silver’s talent-friendly and commercial-leaning sensibilities have placed him at the forefront of the Unscripted and Documentary evolution upsurge throughout his distinguished career at Netflix, Disney+, Marvel Entertainment, ABC News, and ESPN Films. At Netflix, he oversaw the award-winning team responsible for English Language Feature Documentaries, shepherding both Sly, and the Emmy Award Winning film The Redeem Team. As the head of Unscripted at Disney+, he built the Documentary, Unscripted Format, and Variety Special teams up to and through the inaugural launch of the platform. His experience at Marvel Entertainment and ABC News Digital includes leading digital platforms and launching the Emmy award-winning digital short documentary brand, ABC News Features. Silver began his career at ESPN Films, where he was integral to the critically acclaimed documentary series “30 for 30.”
Daniel shared his excitement about his new partnership with Banijay Americas, stating, “I’m honored to join forces with Banijay Americas. This business is the gold standard in the Unscripted space, and as one of the World’s leading independent studios. With this partnership, BD4 will be empowered to vigorously explore new creative paths, and collaborations. I am looking forward to using this opportunity to embolden other new voices and visions. ”
“I can’t imagine a better partner and supporter than Ben Samek,” Silver continued. “Over the past decade we both have been energized to see documentary content becoming an undeniable component of the traditional Hollywood space and are equally driven by the desire to define the future intersection of creativity and business through the production of commercial documentary storytelling. “
Silver’s hope, he added, is for “BD4’s projects to rival scripted genre films and series. My goal is for families to enjoy our projects all together for their Friday night movie, for couples to watch them on dates, and for anyone who watches one, to be exhilarated by a thrilling adventure, touched by a poignant love story or amused by a hilarious comedy—not just impressed by another documentary or doc series.”
Launched as a joint venture between Banijay Americas and Daniel Silver and named after the three Subway lines leading to Yankee Stadium in Dan’s beloved New York City, BD4 will build on Silver’s 20+ years as a top documentary executive, and aims to produce more talent-driven, brand-driven, and other genre-specific documentaries. The company will maintain a strong presence at film markets and manage a curated slate of documentary films and series.
###
Variety: Producer Daniel Silver Launches BD4 Documentary Label With Banijay Americas
