Days of the Condor

As Managing Director of Condor, Kristian Widmer wants to remain the market leader in commercials, but also produce more feature films again.
officially Head of Commercials at Condor. A cinematic success story,
which began quite trivially 15 years ago.

Flash back. After ten
days ago, Kristian Widmer was released from the RS with back problems.
What now? "Like many at that age, I believed that television only had
was waiting for me," he smiles today about his beginnings. In fact
managed to get a stage on "Tipp-Parade" and "Sport am Wochenende".
Nevertheless, he still started with law. The wrong degree for a
Movie career?

It almost seemed that way. After a successful intermediate examination at the Uni
nobody wanted him on a set anymore. "Jus and film - at
There's something wrong with that ...", said the representatives of the seventh
Art. Condor, too, although Peter-Christian Fueter is the first
application: "Sounds interesting. Give me a call!" Widmer has his
dossier was found six years later at Condor and "the embarrassing
Discreetly disposed of the letter" - because the film production called him
ever. Instead, his professor at the university wanted to offer him a job as a
assistant. Widmer accepted because he didn't want a happy ending to the movie.
saw. Three weeks later, however, the script was rewritten once again
has been. A small production company cast him as a "girl for
everything".

From then on, he worked in a parallel montage between university and film. The
was in the run-up to the first private television. Nobody had any money, and they
was glad that Widmer, as a "half-lawyer", was also able to produce half-baked
draft contracts. In return, he was given later
promised semi-secret jobs in program management. Since, like the
Most newcomers, however, work primarily as directors, writers and editors
three days after his graduation ceremony, he began to work in the Valais
to shoot a documentary. The hair-raising 45-minute film about the
World record attempt by the then European paragliding champion
became a surprise success. "My leading actor wanted to be the first
Man, girlfriend strapped to the back, from Fiesch to Chur
fly." The well-timed film about the trend sport of the time was shown in
sold throughout Europe. Widmer took off as a producer
but not yet. Instead of more money for his next movie
he should be given less, "because he now knows how to do it ...".

Cut back in this way, the later Condor took on a role on a daily basis
as a legal assistant for Ruth Waldburger's Vega Film. He
edited the author contracts for Schlatter's "Katzendiebe" and
experienced his first contact with feature films. The development
might have gone as far as "Havana" if Condor had not been
would have read a press release about his documentary. But it took another twelve repeatedly postponed dates before
Widmer finally with the boss of Switzerland's most important talent factory
was allowed to audition. "Having time and success are
film industry are often contradictory," says Widmer. But precisely because it
was hectic at Condor, he decided to join the company.
"There were several producers and departments at Condor, so that
I was able to learn a lot."

From 1993 onwards, Widmer gradually developed from production assistant
to production manager. During this time, he "made up for a lack of skill with
a lot of will and even more work". In 1995, he was awarded his first
entrusted with an image film with a seven-figure budget, with filming
in Germany and Italy as well as stars such as Caroline Bliss, the Miss
Moneypenny from the Bond films. "They probably realized internally that you have to
can earn money with me," he recalls. He also developed
Widmer has a good connection to Swiss television. Together with Michael
Steiner and Pascal Walder, he shot the film "A Bad Trip" for
the youth sector at the time. This led to further commissions, which Widmer
acquired and handled each of these projects itself, until finally in the
various departments at Condor "the demand for him" started.
He shot a Ricola commercial in Rio for Martin Fueter. For the
Corporate department he produced Business TV, for the department
Entertainment all over the world with Xavier Koller, Howard Atherton,
Dany Levy or Michael Ballhaus.

After ten years in film, he was now sure he wanted to stay in this profession.
to want to. Nevertheless, Widmer also completed an MBA at the University of St. Gallen.
Gallen was added. Managing Director since 2003 and Head of Commercials since November 2005
mark the further stages. With retroactive effect from January 2005
Kristian Widmer and Thomas Sterchi equally share the
Tamedia's 70 percent stake in Condor. The remaining
30 percent will remain with the founding Fueter family.
The feature film business was too cyclical for Tamedia,
Widmer recalls. A fiction film often develops over several
years. Commercials, on the other hand, are a constant at Condor.
business with annual sales of CHF 7.5 million. Also
Kristian Widmer therefore wants to give the commercials his biggest
attention. The good and long-standing reputation of Condor should
but should not be sacrificed for the sake of quick returns. And: "If
Condor is no longer making feature films, we are losing expertise and
Synergies."

The new Condor has therefore deliberately avoided reporting much to the media.
already produced the road movie "Drei gegen Troja" for ZDF. "We
wanted to test our capabilities once again," says Widmer
modest, because even "The Ring Thing" or the documentaries
"Replay" with Roger Federer and "Building The Gherkin" are for Condor
has become a great success.

Kristian Widmer has not changed from all these successes
leave. "I've still been living on Bäckerstrasse for eight years in
Zurich," he reveals. His girlfriend of many years is a photographer. The
offer to move her studio to the Bellerive studio, Monika
But Estermann refused. "Probably wise for the relationship",
says Widmer, who has been paragliding for twenty years and has been
also recovered while skydiving in 1996. "Once the craft
is sitting, filmmaking is mental work and a question of personal
Energy."

Widmer has shown what he means by this over the last few weeks. Because
a big star for a Condor production in Los Angeles
he had to cancel all his appointments. Almost like Fr.
C. Fueter at the time, when Widmer's interview kept coming back.
was postponed. "Filmmaking requires flexibility in every
In this respect," smiles the former lawyer. And he promises from
Hollywood "a blockbuster". Coming soon in this
Condor.   

Andreas Panzeri