DED's WHAT?

DED’s It Productions is a television production company that started in Leuven (near Brussels) in 2001 and has been operating from Aartselaar (near Antwerp) since late 2006.

DED's It makes creative, playful and enthusiastic television for a wide audience and its programmes cover many TV genres.

It all started with the programmes by comedian Chris Van den Durpel for VT4, and have since been expanded with several productions for VT4, VTM and VRT.

DED’s It has become more than just television alone: it has also produced a number of commercials and company presentation films.

In its seven years' existence, DED's It has always made a point of continuing to invest in creative talent, which it hires on a permanent basis.

DED's It has always had a group of driven and multi-skilled employees at the centre of its productions. These are also the people who develop new formats and concepts.

DED's It also invested in a technical infrastructure to ensure the maximum development of its people's talents: editing units (AVID), audio editing facilities (Protools) and a narration booth allow DED's It to keep its entire creative production process in-house.

With the setting up of “DED’s Web”, a new version spearheaded by “Vacature TV”, the aim is also to deliver online content.

2001

It all started in 2001 when the three partners Dirk Ver Hoeye, Erik Gordts and David Ottenburgh put their heads together. The company name consists of the first letters of their first names (D, E and D). The very first DED's It production was a commercial for restaurant chain Colmar, featuring three characters played by Chris Van den Durpel.

2002

The first real television production arrived in the spring of 2002: 't Is Maar Een Spel (It's Only a Game), a funny local celebrity quiz show for VT4 presented by Chris Van den Durpel character Ronny King. In the autumn of 2002, DED’s It produced for the first time the sketch show ‘Chris & Co’ (formarly a VT4 production), a series which has now become DED's It's pièce de résistance.

In that same year, DED's It had the opportunity to work for VRT, first with its daily summer show Wijde Wereld (Wide World) presented by Anja Daems and then with short films for the discussion programme Huisje Weltevree (Happy Homes) with Chris Dusauchoit (winter 2002-2003).

2003

In the autumn of 2003, DED's It made its first prime time production for VRT, the much acclaimed human interest programme Pluk De Dag (Seize the Day) on TV1 presented by Ilse Van Hoecke.

That year DED's It also produced a number of office sketches for VT4's Koffie Verkeerd, the Flemish version of the French Camera Café format (summer 2003) and a second series of Chris & Co (autumn 2003).

2004

For DED's It, 2004 was the year it delivered productions to Flanders' three major channels: the new Huis zoekt Date (House Looking for Date) with Kader Gürbuz for TV1, the sketch show Oekanda (How's That) for VTM / Kanaal Twee and another Chris & Co series for VT4 for the third year running.

With 7 consecutive seasons, Chris & Co is currently the longest running television programme of its kind on Flemish television. As for content and appreciation, this show has certainly not come to the end of the road yet. In 2004 the Chris & Co series attracted more viewers than ever before.

2005

In 2005 DED’s It made its first archives programme to celebrate VT4's 10th anniversary: De 10 Geboden Van VT4 (The Ten Commandments of VT4). This set a trend, because one year later VTM also ordered DED's It to make its own archives programme, 101 Vragen Aan VTM (100 Questions to VTM), a series of which 38 episodes have already been made.

In the spring of 2005, Alloo met Chris & Co (Alloo With Chris & Co) was made, a new Chris Van den Durpel programme featuring Luc Alloo, who takes Chris & Co characters from their trusted environments and confronts them with reality, which can sometimes turn out to be quite harsh.

In the autumn of 2005, DED's It produced its biggest ever Chris Van den Durpel project: Chris & Co Live, a huge studio show in which for the first time in years, Chris's characters perform live in front of an audience again. Everyone who is anyone in the television world or beyond appeared on the show: Bart De Pauw, Roos Van Acker, Urbanus, Bart Peeters, Erik Van Looy, Will Tura... even Jan Hoet turned up for some debating, acting and singing with his alter-ego.

That year Chris & Co Live was nominated for the Radio en Televisiekritiek award.

2006

DED's It began 2006 with an updated series of De 10 Geboden Van VT4 (The Ten Commandments of VT4), but focused mainly on new projects for the rest of the year. Miss Belgian Beauty 2007 (VT4) was DED's It's first docusoap and 101 Vragen Aan VTM (100 Questions to VTM) was a new archives programme shown on VTM on Sunday night.

DED's It continued to work with Chris Van den Durpel's characters in a series of sketches about the football World Cup in Germany, which were shown during VT4's live shows on the WorldCup.

Mid-2006, DED’s It took another important step in its development: it entered into a partnership with Studio 100. Studio 100 is the biggest television production company for children and teenagers in Europe, and is expanding its activities into adult television by using DED's It's expertise.

Mid-2006, DED’s It took another important step in its development: it entered into a partnership with Studio 100. Studio 100 is the biggest television production company for children and teenagers in Europe, and is expanding its activities into adult television by using DED's It's expertise.

The news became official in the summer and in October DED's It moved from Leuven to Aartselaar, which is closer to the Studio 100 offices.

Both DED’s It and Studio 100 continued to follow their own course, but from this moment they also work together on new projects.

2007

2007 kicks off with 17 episodes of the new “101 vragen aan…”, a weekly talk show in which Jacques Vermeire confronts 2 VTM personalities with clips from their past.

New to VTM is also “Ranking the Stars”, based on the Dutch version of the same name presented by Paul De Leeuw. Sergio takes care of this for us: every week, he subjects 10 well-known Flemish women to the ultimate image test.

2007 is also the year in which DED’s It is producing online content for the first time with “Vacature Magazine”: a fortnightly digital magazine about everything that keeps a dynamic professional busy, shown on Telenet digital TV and the Vacature website.

In the autumn, Ketnet is showing “Op Schok”: a new and adventurous children’s programme in which Jelle Cleymans and Kristien Maes surprise four friends every week and treat them to an unforgettable day full of adventure.

And no DED’s it year would be complete without a Chris Van den Durpel programme: in Chris & Co All Stars, imitated personalities, colleagues and well-known fans are interviewed about their favourite Chris & Co sketches.

To round off a busy 2007, Jacques Vermeire takes the VTM viewer with him for a five-week review of the past year in “101 vragen over 2007”: a talk show with the people who made 2007 what it was.

2008

2008 presents itself for DED’s it as busy as it was in 2007 and kicks off with a second series of “Ranking the Stars”. Evi Hanssen is now placing 10 well-know Flemish men on the programme for the first time. Sergio is leaving his presentation set and finds himself among the 10 “Stars” as a subject of the interviews.

VTM is also showing “101 vragen aan …” a supplement: 12 new episodes in which Jacques has guests such as Matthias Coppens and Els De Schepper, Bert Anciaux and Rani De Coninck and Walter Grootaers and Bea Van Der Maat.

DED’s it is also creating a programme for Dutch television for the first time: in “Op Zoek naar Pinokkio Kids”, a docusoap for TROS, we take a look behind the screens of the musical “Pinocchio”. It is presented by Kristel Verbeke of K3.

In the spring, VT4 is showing “Chris & Co - De Gouden 10”, in which every week, 10 top personalities in the Chris & Co archive are ranked from 10 to 1, each time regarding a certain topic.

And “Ook Getest Op Dieren” will be starting on VT4 in March: a weekly humoristic talk show in which Roos Van Acker and Hans Otten receive three well-known guests and submit the strangest of tests to them. Comedian Gunter Lamoot is a permanent guest.

A number of new projects and formats are being prepared for the rest of the year.

Web content will also be a permanent fixture in DED’s it’s media offer.

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