Vitalija Kibildė and Rovenė Sankalienė share a long history in television, which began eitherthis Competition – more than a decade ago, they simultaneously headed the marketing departments of LNK and TV3, Lithuania’s two largest commercial television groups. Today, their diverse professional backgrounds bring them together in a collaborative project with producer Gediminas Jaunius.
The trio is launching „ELITAZ Originals“—a studio specializing in original content and intellectual property that will create and develop non-fiction and fiction content projects for the Lithuanian, Baltic, and international markets.
The new studio will operate within the ELITAZ Creative Hub ecosystem, combining its production infrastructure and network of producers across the Baltic states with expertise in content development, television and streaming platforms, business strategy, and international partnerships.
The new studio will be headed by Vitalija Kibildė, an executive with two decades of experience in the television and media industry. For the past six years, she has led the television business at Telia Play, where she was responsible for content, product, and commercial strategy, original productions, and partnerships with major international content companies.
„A producer is also joining “ELITAZ Originals" as a partner Rovena Sankalienė, with many years of experience in the television industry and in the creation and production of audiovisual content.
A New Phase for the ELITAZ Creative House
„By launching „ELITAZ Originals,“ we are taking another logical step in the transformation of the ELITAZ Creative House. Last year, we expanded our operations and opened an office in Tallinn. The successful completion of our first international productions allows us to confidently state that we have succeeded in bringing together a strong team of producers from all three Baltic countries and laying the groundwork to operate throughout the region as a single creative and production platform.”.
This year, we are taking another particularly important step—the ELITAZ Creative House is expanding to include a studio dedicated to the creation and development of original content. „ELITAZ Originals“ embodies our ambition to be not only a leading producer of international projects in the Baltic states, but also a place where original ideas are born and nurtured, capable of reaching a much wider audience.
„ELITAZ Originals“ is built on a unique partnership—one that has already been proven through collaboration—that brings together diverse creative, strategic, and production expertise. “I believe that this very combination will be our greatest strength, and its potential will soon be revealed in our first projects,” says the founder of the ELITAZ Creative House. Gediminas Jaunius.
Create here, think bigger
According to Vitalija Kibildė, the head of „ELITAZ Originals,“ the new studio’s ambition also stems from changes in the television and content market itself.
„For many years, I was on the other side of the table—I selected and purchased content, worked with the world’s largest studios and platforms, and collaborated with them to develop original productions; and I am a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy). This experience has made one thing very clear—today, a good idea alone isn’t enough. You need to understand who you’re creating it for, what makes it unique, how it can grow, and what audience it can reach.”.
The Baltic states are a small market, so it’s only natural for us to think bigger from day one. We want to create and develop strong, original stories and ideas here, but at the same time, we need to ask early on: Can they go global? Could they be relevant to another market, another platform, or another audience? The export of Lithuanian and Baltic content, in particular, remains an insurmountable challenge.
„That’s why I see “ELITAZ Originals“ as a key partner from the very first idea—to help refine it, develop it, find the most suitable form, partners, and path to reach an audience in Lithuania and beyond,” says V. Kibilde.
Producer and „ELITAZ Originals“ partner Rovena Sankalienė emphasizes that one of the new studio's key focuses will be the targeted development of creative projects.
„Strong content doesn’t begin on the film set—it begins much earlier: with the question of why this story needs to be told right now and why it should matter to more than just us. Developing an idea isn’t about waiting for it to mature on its own. It’s active creative work: examining, asking questions, rewriting, and finding the right people, form, and tone for it.
We want to be a place where we collaborate with creators not only when they have a finished project, but also when they have just an idea, a character, a question, or a story that hasn’t yet been fully formulated. “Our job is to help them find a clear voice and a path to an audience in Lithuania, the Baltic states, or beyond,” says R. Sankalienė.
The first projects are already reaching an international audience of television professionals
„ELITAZ Originals“ is launching its operations with an existing portfolio of projects in development, including both non-fiction and fiction content. Some of these projects are being developed for the Lithuanian market, while the development strategy for others has included an international perspective from the outset and a search for potential partners beyond the Baltic states.
The team at the new studio also participated in the development and production of a military reality game set to be released on „Telia Play“ this fall „Vėliava“ („The Flag“), carried out in collaboration with the Lithuanian Armed Forces and Black Book Media.
On October 13, the project will be presented to representatives of the international television industry at a special screening in Cannes during MIPCOM.
„This is a very symbolic start for us—just a few days after the launch of „ELITAZ Originals“ in Lithuania, we’ll already be in Cannes, engaging with the international industry. This is exactly the kind of bridge between local creativity and the broader market that we want to consistently build,“ says V. Kibilde.
The company plans to announce details about other „ELITAZ Originals“ projects currently in development in the near future.
About „ELITAZ Originals“
„ELITAZ Originals“ is a studio dedicated to the creation and development of original audiovisual content, founded by the ELITAZ Creative House, Vitalija Kibildė, and Rovena Sankalienė.
The company will develop non-fiction and fiction content projects for the Lithuanian, Baltic, and international markets, collaborating with creators, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and production and distribution partners.
„ELITAZ Originals“ will operate within the ELITAZ Creative House ecosystem and will utilize the group's production infrastructure and its network of producers operating in the Baltic countries.
