Lorenzo Mieli

Lorenzo Mieli, born in Rome back in ’73, is basically the guy who’s been flipping the Italian TV and film scene upside down for a couple of decades now. The dude kicked things off in 2001 when he started a company called Wilder—yeah, the name fits—and, not long after, he dropped the cult hit “Boris” into the world. If you know, you know. That show’s got its own weird little corner of the fandom universe—a total must-watch if you’re into sharp, biting satire about the behind-the-scenes chaos of TV production. Anyway, Wilder didn’t stay indie for long. By 2007, Fox International Channels Italy scooped it up, and you can bet that changed the game for Mieli. But the guy doesn’t really do “settling down.” Fast forward two years and he’s already on to the next thing, teaming up with Mario Gianani to launch Wildside in 2009. If you’re at all plugged into European cinema or those binge-worthy, beautifully shot series everyone’s always talking about, you’ve probably seen Wildside’s name in the credits. They’re basically the powerhouse behind some of the most ambitious Italian productions in recent memory. Mieli’s reputation? He’s that rare combo of creative brain and business savvy. Not just churning out content for the sake of it, but actually shaping the tone and style of modern Italian storytelling. He’s helped crank up the global appeal for Italian series and movies, making them something people outside Italy actually sit up and pay attention to. Not every producer pulls that off.