Axel Klopprogge

Axel Klopprogge is a German developer of media formats and radio/TV concepts, marketing manager and brand consultant. He lives in Shanghai and Assmannshausen on the Rhine.

German music business

Axel Klopprogge started his career as a producer at the age of 15. In the late 70s he became the developer and producer of the first German punk band that was casted in Germany (Straßenjungs, CBS). He did productions for EMI in the Abbey Road Studios in London (Ebony: Fly Fly) and his first hit in Austria (Wilfried: Heidelbeeren). In 1981 he signed his first exclusive agreement with Sony. Klopprogge is known as one of the founders of the "Neue Deutsche Welle". In 1982 he composed and wrote hits like "Ich will Spaß" und "Kleine Taschenlampe brenn" for the NDW star Markus. In 1985 he founded his first record and video studio, ARTLAB, in Frankfurt and produced the group TXT (No. 1 hit in Italy: "Girls got a brand new toy"). He sold his company and took an offer to work in Hollywood.

New challenges in the USA and in China

From 1988 to 1991 Klopprogge worked as product developer and in financed films and media projects. He then started his first project in China. In 1993, when he was looking for Chinese film companies for his international projects, he founded the company RTV China/ Yerumedi in Beijing. Klopprogge also worked for the Chinese Ministry of Machinery and Electro Technology (STIP) and the Ministry of Health.

Radio & TV Format Development I-View – China's first iPTV channel

In 1995 Axel Klopprogge started the Yerumedi Media Production in Beijing and became the first foreigner to get a license for media productions in China. His programs for RTV China reached 120 million listeners weekly. Together with Music Radio Beijing he started the first media marketing joint venture in China, Beijing Airspace Media Marketing. In 2001 his second company, Shanghai Digital Standard, received the first license for inter-active TV in China to create video-on-demand and iPTV programs (exclusive rights for China e.g. from Scripts Network, Canadian Learning TV, Much Music, City TV). At the same time he developed branded content formats to build up brand awareness for international brands in China: Under his direction he managed to raise the brand awareness for BAYER in China from one to 53 percent, based on the program ("Healthy living brought to you by Bayer"). He also developed PR- and branded content shows e.g. for Dove Chocolate, Henkell, the Ministry of Economics of Bavaria and Brandenburg, Shell-Helix, China National Radio and Talk da Talk with David Wu (host of the Beijing Olympics). In 2005 the first Chinese casting show, Sprite – My Show started and Klopprogge managed to get permission to take the four winners (out of 50,000 candidates) and create and market the girl band Jade. Just eight months later Jade had releases in Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Malaysia and Hong Kong and was the first Chinese Pop Act to reach the charts outside their own country.

"I Never Give Up!"

In November 2007 Axel Klopprogge started the sports TV-format "I Never Give Up" together with partner and ex-national goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. In 2009 Klopprogge, Kahn and Dr. Peter Ruppert became shareholders of YES! China and managed to broadcast the goalkeeper casting show on Chinese TV – with great success. In the meantime the format, which was first developed in China, has been licensed in more than 20 countries in Africa and Asia. Since 2010 Axel Klopprogge works in Germany again where he works as a co-producer for TV productions together with HDTV – Holm Dressler (50 Years of Pop).