05 — About Orange Chariot Founded by Robert Franke & Hank Smith

Experience meets opportunity.

Orange Chariot develops and produces film, television and interactive entertainment, connecting established IP and original stories with audiences worldwide. We combine international production and financing expertise with a deep understanding of digital platforms, distribution and audience development.

The people behind Orange Chariot

The Founders

Robert Franke, Co-founder of Orange Chariot

Robert Franke

Co-founder | Producer & Media Executive

Robert Franke is an international film and television producer and media executive with more than 25 years of experience across development, production, financing and distribution.

He previously served as Vice President Drama at ZDF Studios and was Managing Director and Co-founder of Intaglio Films, the international production joint venture established by ZDF Studios and Beta Film together with Frank Doelger.

Selected credits

  • The Swarm
  • Concordia
  • Sløborn
  • The Window

His career spans international productions and partnerships across Europe, North America and Asia, including Japan. Earlier, he served as Managing Director of Viewster, an international streaming platform with a strong anime offering.

Robert is currently developing the live-action adaptation of Lollipop Chainsaw, for which he wrote the screenplay and serves as executive producer. He also holds industry advisory roles, including with Ambitious Entertainment.

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Hank Smith, Co-founder of Orange Chariot

Hank Smith

Co-founder | Entertainment Strategy & Digital Innovation

Hank Smith is an international entertainment executive and strategist with nearly 20 years of experience building digital businesses, expanding global audiences and developing new approaches to entertainment, distribution and monetization.

As Head of Marketing at ZDF Digital and Streamwerke, he led international growth initiatives and developed launch and audience strategies for television, streaming platforms, apps and games. Earlier, he helped drive the global expansion of Viewster, a pioneering anime streaming platform, building expertise in Japanese intellectual property, digital distribution and fan communities.

Hank also serves as Director of Strategy at SmithGifford, an award-winning U.S. creative agency, where he identifies emerging market opportunities, drives strategic innovation and helps brands connect with audiences.

Having worked across North America, Europe and Asia, Hank combines audience understanding with the commercial experience to develop new entertainment businesses. At Orange Chariot, he leads digital entertainment and audience strategy, creating opportunities across gaming, film, television and emerging formats.

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Contact

Let's build something together.

We're interested in compelling stories, ambitious intellectual property and partnerships that create new opportunities for independent entertainment.

Whether you're developing a project, exploring a collaboration or rethinking how to connect with audiences, we'd welcome the conversation.

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