EXCLUSIVE: Longtime Universal acquisitions exec Jasper Van Hecke has recently left his role as SVP Global, Acquisitions & Production at the Universal Pictures Content Group (UPCG), headquartered in London.
Dutchman Hecke joined UPCG in 2008 and was known for acquiring, pre-buying and exec-producing feature films and documentaries for global and multi territory rights. He was in his latest role since 2017.
During his tenure Van Hecke managed a team of executives across several territories, including in London, Los Angeles, Sydney and Amsterdam. It’s not immediately clear if he will be replaced.
Among the many films Van Hecke worked on were Pearl, Five Feet Apart, ‘71, Thelma, Personal Shopper, Springbreakers, War With Grandpa, Cop Car, Emily The Criminal, Mandy, First Reformed, Moonage Daydream, Tina, Marley, Apollo 11 and Three Identical Strangers. Upcoming docs include Musk and The Last Journey. Below, the executive runs down some of the career highlights from his time at the studio.
Prior to UPCG, Van Hecke was Head of Development & Production at Stephen Fry’s Film and TV outfit Sprout Pictures. Van Hecke also worked as a creative producer at MTV Networks and Corrino Media Group, which he also co-founded. Van Hecke started his career directing TV commercials for brands including Coca Cola, McDonalds and Axe.
His next steps are not set, we understand, but there are conversations underway about potential moves.
Van Hecke said: “When I started at UPCG back in 2008 I was soon tasked with growing the group’s film and documentary efforts. After realizing years of growth, it prides me film and docs have become key pillars of UPCG’s entertainment portfolio. The Content Group is known for its entrepreneurial spirit, which is what’s allowed me to contribute to its legacy. Since our business is very much a team sport, my “special thanks” credit goes out to all the extraordinary filmmakers and NBCU colleagues I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with.”
He continued: “Having served the studio for 16 years I’m excited for a next chapter and look forward to exploring new options. In today’s landscape content is king and talent is Kong. Aligning these key elements with capital and distribution in forward facing ways will unlock the best opportunities in my view. What’s clear is that my career will remain dedicated to serving great storytellers and artists – being a catalyst for their creative endeavors, connecting them to audiences, and helping them capitalize on their IP.”
Acquisitions highlights in the words of Van Hecke:
Thelma – When you look at the dark clouds hanging over today’s world it’s films like these which are the perfect antidote – goodness that can lift people up and inspire.
Pearl –A highly original piece of genre filmmaking in my view. Ti West finally got the commercial and critical success he deserved. We acquired the film sight unseen at the time, as big believers in the script.
Spring Breakers – I chased this film hard when it had only just gone into production after someone sent me some set pictures. Straight away felt this was going to be a Harmony Korine classic with its irresistible cast and talented DoP Benoît Debie.
Cop Car – John’s Watt’s sophomore film from 2015 which played Sundance. We prebought this incredibly tight low budget film, and I’ve never seen a director rise so stratospherically, since his next film ended up being Spiderman: Homecoming for Sony.
Wild Bill – Probably still one of my favorite British films I’ve been involved in. Dexter Fletcher delivering an impressive directorial debut, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Still think someone should remake this film in the US one day, since I believe it’s a perfect star performance vehicle.
Moonage Daydream – I loved the film especially for its invitation to explore one’s authentic self, with Bowie being your guiding light. It moved the goal posts of the music doc genre in my view – creating a big screen immersive experience. Need to double check, but pretty sure this is still the highest grossing doc at the WWBO since the pandemic (excluding concert docs – aka Taylor Swift).
Three Identical Strangers – Simply a personal favorite. Beautifully crafted, stranger-than-fiction film. Its theme really hit a nerve with audiences, created a real cultural conversation and even resulted in more twins (not depicted in the film) getting reunited in real life.
Apollo 11 – The wonderous time capsule from Todd Douglas Miller, the result of his monk’s work in the NASA archive. I was surprised how much of a cultural moment this film ended up being globally, although the fact the film’s release date marked the 50th anniversary of the moon landing did help!
Jim – The James Foley Story – Not an easy sell, but such a touching portrait of a man who was killed by ISIS terrorists. Working with his mother on the campaign was hugely inspiring to me personally.
The Defiant Ones – The docuseries chronicling the unlikely partnership of Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine. A show that worked on every level in my humble opinion.
