Wolfgang Esser

After completing his business studies, Wolfgang Esser worked as a production manager, line producer, and head of production for various national and international film and television productions before fully transitioning into the field of producing in the late 90s.

From then on, he primarily produced television films for different networks that were equally successful on television and at festivals, receiving awards in multiple categories. In 2004, Wolfgang Esser set out to expand the German crime genre by at least one dimension. With the idea for a landscape-based crime series set in his own country, following the model of English and Scandinavian formats, which also incorporated the region's unique features in terms of dramaturgy. Within the next 18 month, "Das Geheimnis im Moor" (The Secret in the Moor) was created. This Spreewald crime story received high praise from both audiences and critics at several festivals before its successful premiere in television in the fall of 2006, initiating a trend that continues to this day. The subsequent Spreewald crime stories, which have been produced in an ongoing series, are equally popular with audiences and critics and have received numerous nominations and awards. The Spreewald crime series remains influential in the German film landscape due to its distinctive dramaturgy and innovative content.

Wolfgang Esser lives and works as an independent producer, author, and dramaturge in Berlin and Mallorca. For over 15 years, he has also been teaching as a freelance lecturer in the areas of story development, dramaturgy, and producing at various educational institutions.