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Former HBO Europe execs Johnathan Young and Ioanina Pavel have resurfaced with their own indie.
The pair have launched May One, which will be based in Bucharest, Romania — one of the former homes of HBO Europe. They are out of the gate with Subteran, a Netflix series announced last October that is produced alongside Tudor Rue from Mobra Films and now filming.
May One will seek to develop, produce and provide creative partnership for quality series shot in Romania, working with established and new talent from both within and outside the country. The company will look to open up Romanian resources and talent to the international industry to create collaborations in Europe and beyond.
In that sense, it harks back to HBO Europe’s ethos, which sought to bring together Central Eastern European talent with others from Western Europe and the U.S. It was considered one of the key international producers in the region, before it wound down as Warner Bros Discovery pulled out of original production across much of Europe. The move was met with outcry among local producers, with one Romanian creator saying: “HBO was where you went for quality productions with local crews and producers. It feels like the end of an era.”
Young and Pavel developed and produced drama in Romania and Central Europe as part of that set-up for numerous years. At HBO Europe, Young was VP of Original Production, overseeing HBO’s slate of original local language series in the region.
His executive producer credits include award-winning Polish series Wataha (The Pack), Romanian-German international co-production Hackerville, and most recently HBO Max’s Cold War spy drama Spy/Master, which had its world premiere at Berlinale last year.
In August 2022, Deadline revealed Young was among the 29 executives let go at HBO Europe, as Warner Bros Discovery moved to phase out originals in the continent.
Pavel began as a Development Executive at HBO Romania, working on hit Romanian gangster drama Umbre (Shadows) and Hackerville, before going on to produce a variety of series including romantic drama RUXX, reality contest One True Singer, and Spy/Master for HBO Max.
“Romania is a hot-bed for creativity, and the country provides an enticing and fascinating backdrop for TV,” said Young. “With our knowledge and network in this vibrant, exciting space we want to be a hub for local talent, to attract collaborations, and create high-quality drama that brings a different flavour to international audiences.”
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