Simen Alsvik
Hailing from Norway, Simen is one of the most successful and experienced directors in Scandinavia, and has achieved global recognition since he set up the acclaimed TV drama, LILYHAMMER. Starring Steve Van Zandt (THE SOPRANOS), the first series achieved the highest ratings ever for a drama premiere on NRK (Norway's public broadcaster) and has been sold all over the world, premiering on BBC Four and Netflix. It went on to win two Golden Nymph Awards for Best Comedy Drama.
He was Lead Director on FALLET, which is now available on Netflix, and which won Best Comedy Drama at C21, as well as being nominated for 3 Golden Nymphs and nominated for Best Dramedy at the Seoul International Drama Awards. Simen also co-created and directs all episodes for Norwegian hit NESTE SOMMER, which has now been sold to ABC in the US. It was the biggest TV show on Discovery Channel Norway for four consecutive years.
Also an experienced director in commercials (over 100 to date), Simen has worked on campaigns for major national and international corporations such as Coca Cola and McDonalds. He's won several national and international awards for them, including prizes at the EBU Promo Awards and Cannes Lions.
Simen is currently lead director on PROTECTION for ITV/New Pictures and prior to this directed THE NEST for BBC One/ Studio Lambert.
He is also represented by Abram Nalibotsky at Gersh and Manager Rich Freeman at Code Entertainment.
Film, TV & Theatre Agent
Film, TV & Theatre
THE NEST
“The acting is faultless, with Mirren Mack giving an edgy performance as Kaya…And the power dynamic in surrogacy cases is a fascinating subject to explore” The Telegraph – Anita Singh- 4 Stars
“The Nest has a fine cast, headed by Sophie Rundle as Emily, who has everything in life except the thing she most wants: a child… And I couldn’t fault Mirren Mack as Kaya, the disadvantaged 18-year-old who grabs her chance to get a leg-up in life by offering to surrogate a child using our well-heeled heroes’ last embryo.” The Times – Dominic Maxwell
"This Glasgow-set drama rose above the surfeit of primetime thrillers with its shocking central premise of a middle-class couple recruiting a troubled 18-year-old surrogate. With three complex leads... this was easily the BBC’s best thriller since Doctor Foster. As the series has progressed, it has become increasingly obvious that this is not so much a thriller about surrogacy as it is a fierce commentary on aspiration, class and success – on who gets to have ambitions in life and who doesn’t." The Guardian Best Shows of 2020 so far.
The Independent – Annie Lord – 4 stars
The Herald Scotland – Alison Rowat – 4 Stars
LILYHAMMER
“Mixes sharp wit and American big city ways with the beauty of the Norwegian mountains and folksy nature of a small town - a perfect combination for a razor-sharp drama about cultural mores”. Richard Klein, Controller of BBC Four.
Television
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
PROTECTION 2023 - 2024 | ITV / New Pictures | Lead Director. Writer: Kris Mrksa Producer: Rebecca Davies Executive Producers: Charlie Hampton and Willow Grylls. Starring: Siobhan Finneran and Charlotte Riley. |
FENRIS 2021 - 2022 | Nordic Film Production | Writer and Director. Co- writers: Nicolaj Scherfig and Maren Skolem. Producer: Sigurd Mikal Karoliussen Starring: Ida Elise Broch, Magnus Krepper, Jonas Strand Gravli and Jan Gunnar Roise. |
THE NEST 2020 | BBC One/Studio Lambert | Director, 2 episodes (including series finale). Writer: Nicole Taylor. Producer: Clare Kerr Executive Producers: Simon Lewis, Sue Hogg and Lucy Richer. Starring: Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle *Featured in The Guardian Best TV Shows of 2020 so far |
RAGNAROK 2019 | Netflix/SAM Productions | Writer and Producer. Directors: Mogens Hagedorn, Jannik Johansen Executive Producers: Meta Louise Foldager Sørensen, Adam Price |
NEXT SUMMER 4 2018 | Feelgood/TV Norge | Lead Director. Award-winning comedy drama. Remade in Swedish, becoming the biggest show on Channel 5 in Sweden. |
FALLET 2016 - 2017 | FLX/STV (Swedish Television) | Lead Director, 4 episodes. Creators: Erik Hultkvist, Rikard Ulvshammar. Starring: Adam Godley, Lisa Henni.Winner Best Comedy Drama at C21´s International Drama Award 2017.Nominated Best Dramedy, Seoul International Drama Awards 2018.Nominated for 3 Golden Nymphs 2018.Hollywood Reporters Top 10 from MipCom Cannes 2017. |
NEXT SUMMER 3 2015 | Feelgood/TV Norge | Lead Director and Showrunner. |
NEXT SUMMER 2 2014 | TV Norge | Lead Director and Showrunner. *Winner, Best Comedy Show, Gullrutten Awards, Norway 2016. |
LILYHAMMER 3 2014 | Netflix/Rubicon/NRK | Lead director, 2 episodes. Starring Steven Van Zandt. *Winner of the Golden Nymph for Best Comedy series in the 2015 International TV festival, Monaco. |
LILYHAMMER 2 2014 | Netflix/Rubicon/NRK | Lead Director. Starring Steven Van Zandt.Winner of the Gullruten award Best Drama (Norwegian BAFTA's).Winner of the Golden Nymph for Best Comedy series in the 2014 International TV festival in Monaco. |
NEXT SUMMER 2014 | Feelgood/TV Norge. | Director and Showrunner. Comedy Drama. Writter: Lars Gudmestad. |
HOME 2012 | NRK | Drama series. |
NARWAY (NAARJE) 2012 | Feelgood/TV2 | Comedy. 8 episodes. Starring Henriette Steensrup and Otto Jespersen. * Gullruten Award for Best Comedy, 2012. |
LILYHAMMER (2011-12) | Rubicon/NRK | Drama. 2 x 45'. Starring Steven Van Zandt, Juliet Aubrey, Jay Benedict and Sven Nordin. International sales includes: USA, UK (BBC4), Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, Finland. * Gullruten Awards for Best drama and Best Male Actor (Fridtjov Saaheim), 2012. |
THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (TORSTAG KVELD FRA NYDALEN) 2010 | Feelgood/TV2 | Comedy. 30 episodes. * Winner of 3 Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Awards), 2009/10. |
HIT MACHINE (LANDEPLAGE) 2009 | Dinamo/NRK | Music Documentary. 2 x 30'.Winner Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Award), 2009.Winner Gullruten Awards, 2010. * Nominated Gullruten Awards. |
AIRY HEROES (LUFTENS HELTER) 2008 | NRK | Comedy Drama. 8 x 30'. |
MELONAS 2006 | NRK | Comedy. 8 x 30'. |
TYPICAL NORWEGIAN (TYPISK NORSK) | Dropout/NRK | Documentary Series.16 episodes.Winner Gullruten Awards (Norwegian Television Awards), 2005.Winner Gullruten Awards, 2006.3 times nominated for Gullruten Awards.Norwegian Journalist Prize, 2006. |
Film
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
ANCHORS UP 2018 | Qvisten and Animando | Animated Feature. Won an Amanda Award 2018 (Norway's equivalent of a BAFTA) for Best Children’s Film. |
TINA & BETTINA 2012 | Nordisk Film | Starring Odd Magnus Williamson and Henrik Thodesen. Produced by Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Kjetil Omberg. |
Short Films
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
NEON 2001 | Hamburg Short Film Festival.Grimstad Film Festival. | |
THREE LITTLE WORDS 2005 | Starring award-winning actors Aksel Hennie and Ane Dahl Torp.Kosmorama Film Festival.Grimstad Film Festival. * Nordic Panorama. |
In Development
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
GOOD DEEDS | SAM Productions | TV series. Producer: Meta Louise Foldager . Writer: Will Smith. |
THE JEWISH ORTHODOX HIT SQUAD | Tolmach Productions | Feature. Writer: Lars Gudmestad. |
Commercials
Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
JAVA4EVER 2011 | Director/Co-Writer * Winner Gullruten Award |