EXCLUSIVE: John de Mol‘s Talpa Studios has hired one of the brains behind The Traitors as its Chief Creative Officer.
In a major coup, Jasper Hoogendoorn has joined the company following a role as Creative Director at IDTV, the All3Media-owned producer in the Netherlands that created the original Traitors, which has been adapted in 30 countries and won Emmy and Rose d’Or awards.
During a nine-year run at IDTV, Hoogendoorn created entertainment series The Unknown, and produced local versions of All3 formats such as Race Across the World, Lingo and Sort Your Life Out. However, he is best known internationally for developing murder mystery format The Traitors alongside Marc Pos.
Talpa called Hoogendoorn a “visionary creative talent” and one of the “masterminds” behind The Traitors who is joining at a “pivotal moment” for the Amsterdam-based production house.
“I am very excited to welcome Jasper to our team in this important role,” said de Mol. “We’ve recently collaborated on several projects, and I am impressed by his creativity, pitching skills, and unwavering commitment to delivering top-tier quality in format development and production.
“His arrival marks a significant step in strengthening our portfolio of original formats and advancing our open-network strategy, which brings together the best talent in the industry. Together with Jasper, we aim to further shape the future of Talpa Studios and realize our global ambitions.”
In the newly created role, Hoogendoorn will report to both de Mol and Talpa Studios CEO Maarten Meijs. He takes on the new role eight months after Traitors co-creator Pos struck a development deal with Banijay.
Michael Nillesen, Managing Director at IDTV, said: “I’d like to thank Jasper for all that he has done as creative director at IDTV and wish him every future success. We have exciting and ambitious growth plans for IDTV in 2025, and the coming years, together with a strong development slate, which is being driven by our brilliant creative team, alongside Head of Content Linda Kramer, who have all played a crucial role in our shows, including The Traitors and The Mole.”
The Traitors originated in the Netherlands as De Verraders, with development led by Pos and Hoogendoorn in cooperation with RTL’s creative unit. It launched on RTL4 in March 2021 and later became a runaway format success as the All3-backed Studio Lambert commissioned a 12-episode run for the BBC. Season 3 of the UK dropped on January 1 and took an overnight rating of 5.1 million, which has risen to 9.2 million after seven days of catch-up, up 55% on the Season 2 launch episode. Peacock’s U.S. version launched a third season last Thursday, with Season 2 in 2024 having grown its reach 75% on the first season.
“The past nine years at IDTV and All3Media have been an intense and rewarding journey for which I am deeply grateful,” said Hoogendoorn. “Over time, my focus has increasingly shifted toward developing original IP with global appeal. This new chapter at Talpa Studios feels like the natural next step in my career.
“John de Mol’s unparalleled passion, boldness, and ambition in creating original IP and disrupting the international format market is both inspiring and challenging. I’m excited to build on this legacy, inject fresh energy into the creative process, and continue learning along the way.”
Talpa Studios is known for creating formats such as The Floor, which has been made in 20 countries including on Fox in the U.S., along with The Quiz with Balls and Million Dollar Island. Its founder, de Mol, co-founded Endemol, with Joop van den Ende back in 1994, and Talpa Media, which was sold to ITV Studios in 2015. He later created a new iteration of Talpa, which rebranded as Talpa Studios in 2023.
Former ITV Studios exec Meijs leads Talpa Studios. He joined three years ago, reuniting with creative visionary de Mol, who is known for creating shows such as Big Brother, The Voice and Fear Factor.