History of the studio
2003
The studio «Kvartal 95» was created in 2003 on the basis of the «Kvartal 95» KVK team. Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Serhii Shefir and Borys Shefir were the founders. The main purpose of creating the studio at that moment was the implementation of the original creative ideas, the production and promotion of their own TV – projects and entertainment shows. The company, as well as the team before that, were named after one of the districts of Kryvyi Rih, where its members are from.
In December 2003, the company released a cycle of concerts, dedicated to the most significant holidays of 2004, which were aired on «1 + 1» channel.
2004
Since 2004, the studio «Kvartal 95» starts to collaborate with the «Inter» channel. At the beginning of 2005, the «Kvartal 95» studio together with the channel began the production of the «Vecherniy Kvartal» project. Already a year later, in 2006, the project was awarded the highest award of Ukraine in the field of journalism «Golden Feather» in the nomination «Best entertaining television program». After this, the company’s projects repeatedly became the best at different movie and television festivals, including international ones.
2007
Since 2007, a number of humourous and entertaining projects – «Fight Club», «Ukraine, Wake Up!», «Made In Ukraine» and others – have been broadcasted on «Inter».
In 2007, the «Kvartal» decided to start working in a new field for itself – film production and created the «FilmKvartal» company. The production is headed by the director and screenwriter Andrii Yakovliev. Up to this point, the team has produced dozens of television films and series, which win the love of TV viewers and show high ratings. Full – length movies by the «Kvartal 95» studio have unprecedented success and become the film distribution leaders.
2010
In November 2010 Volodymyr Zelenskyi becomes the general producer of the «Inter» channel. And for the new 2011 television season the «Kvartal 95» studio brings to life a number of new original TV formats: «A Week with Kvartal», «Go Dance!», «A Legend», «A Tasty League» etc.
2011
In 2011 the studio «Kvartal 95» launched its own original format of a «Crack Them Up» project into production. During its existence, the format of the comedy show was adapted in many countries – Lithuania, Kazakhstan, China, Vietnam, Finland and others. Moreover, the TV project format “Crack Them Up. Kids” became the finalist at the PITCH & PLAY LIVE format contest, which took place as a part of the international TV market NATPE, as well as won the “TV Triumph” National Awards in “New Ukrainian Format” category.
2012
In 2012 the «Kvartal» presents the large-scale entertainment show «Vecherniy Kiev».
Since 2012 the television projects of the «Kvartal 95» have been aired on «1 + 1» channel.Since 2012, the «Kvartal 95» studio has been actively developing the production of their animated products. The projects, created by the 95 Animation Studio – «Fairytale Land», «Multibarbara» etc. – gather the record number of viewers near the screens.
2014
Since 2014, an important mission for the «Kvartal 95» studio is to maintain the fighting spirit of Ukrainian soldiers. «Kvartalians» constantly go to the East to perform and directly support military units and brigades. In 2016 they even held a 10-hour humorous marathon in a front-line Mariupol.
In 2015, laying the foundations of a new youth movement in Ukraine, the «Kvartal 95» presents the humourous project – «Humour Cup». The first Ukrainian Humour Championship starts to be aired on the «1 + 1» channel».
2016
In 2016, the first season of the television series «Servant Of The People» starts, which was the most rated movie on Ukrainian TV in autumn of 2015, was sold to Kazakhstan, Moldova and Estonia. Also, the series were purchased by one of the biggest international online platforms in the world – Netflix.
In 2016, the «Kvartal 95» together with «1 + 1 Media» launched a new television entertainment channel «Kvartal TV».
In 2018, the studio launches another big entertaining show – «Zhenskiy Kvartal».
2019
In 2019, the co-founder and art director of the «Kvartal 95» studio Volodymyr Zelenskyi wins the presidential election, becomes the sixth President of Ukraine and leaves the Studio.
In 2019, the «Kvartal 95» studio presents a new entertaining format – Improv Live Show, where everything is built on improvisation. The project was released on the «Noviy» channel.
2021
In 2021, the first full-length 3D-animated film from the Studio «Kvartal 95» – «Gulliver returns» – was released on wide screens. The world premiere of the film took place on June 18, 2021 at the Shanghai International Film Festival, where the film competed in the Golden Goblet Award Competition Films: Animation contest program. In total, the film was released in 49 countries.
2022
In 2022, since the beginning of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the studio «Kvartal 95» has been active on the information front in order to support all Ukrainians and raise the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian soldiers in such a difficult time. The main performances of the «Kvartalians» are the trips to the soldiers together with artist friends. «Kvartalians» perform in military units, hospitals, bomb shelters, shooting ranges and metro stations. They often go to positions close to the front line or to the border to support servicemen, who cannot leave their posts…
Since middle March 2022, the studio «Kvartal 95» started to release humourous news «Bayraktar News» for the nationwide TV marathon «United News», in which actors convey all those emotions, which Ukrainians feel to the enemies now – to give people chance to distract from the events and relieve emotional burden.
In August 2022, the two most popular humorous projects of the studio – «Vecherniy Kvartal» and «Zhenskiy Kvartal» – united into «Yedynyi Kvartal», just as the whole of Ukraine teamed up in the fight against the enemy to support Ukrainians with humour together. Because humour is also a weapon. First big concert of «Yedynyi Kvartal» in TV format was released on the screens dedicated to Ukrainian Independence Day. All concerts – tv shoots of the «Kvartal» during the full-scale war are charitable.
In September 2022, one more project of the «Kvartal 95» studio – a satiric-patriotic comedy «Shelter» – was released at «TET» channel, and later in a TV marathon «United News», which ridicules the weakness and worthlessness of the russian government in the form of parodies.
As for today, the library of the «Kvartal 95» contains hundreds of successful self-produced projects of various genres.
To be continued…