Gabriella Illés

She first appeared on screen in the Reporter Wanted! talent programme of the Hungarian Public Television, and soon after that, she became an editor, senior editor, editor-in-chief and then director at one of the largest commercial channels.

In 2008, she debuted as a producer alongside Uri Geller. Later, giant Hungarian live shows such as Megastar or The Great Duet could be associated with her name. In 2012, commissioned by Pro7Sat1, she launched and created the TV2 Group’s cable channels and was also the creative director of locally produced programmes.

As the Hungarian implementer of international television formats and the creator of original shows, she has won every existing Hungarian professional and audience award. Alongside her production activities, she managed the TV2 Academy for six years. Her most recent television work was the format development of the classical music talent show Virtuosos.

Since 2013, she has been the owner and producer of Tulip Fairy (Tulipántündér) Production, and the creator of the pop-show musicals The Game Maker and The Dream Traveller. She is the Hungarian creator of highly successful licensed and original exhibitions (Gateway to Space – Space Exhibition, Living Dinosaurs, The Champion), as well as the founder of the Budapest VR Amusement Park, which remains unique in Europe to this day. She has participated in the realization of numerous outdoor events, including the concept development of Budapest’s unparalleled family Christmas fair — the Magic Park series held annually at Vajdahunyad Castle each December.

She made her debut as a film producer in 2021. Her first work was TOXIKOMA, a film based on Győző Szabó’s book, which soon became one of the most-watched Hungarian films in recent years. As the creator of the film, together with Győző Szabó, she was nominated for the Person of the Year award by RTL Klub News in 2021, highlighting the outstanding drug prevention significance of their work.

In 2022 and 2023, Gabriella was the executive producer of the daily TV series Hazatalálsz (TV2), produced by her own production company. The show became the channel’s most-watched series ever in its time slot.

In 2023, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of poet Sándor Petőfi, she staged a unique concert theatre production portraying the love story of Petőfi and his wife Júlia Szendrey at the Erkel Theatre. The show was attended by more than 8,000 people across four sold-out performances over two days, and in 2024 it was also staged at the Margaret Island Open-Air Theatre.

In 2025, under the joint production of Gabriella and Norbert Köbli, the feature film EGYKE, directed by Bálint Szentgyörgyi, will be completed and is scheduled for cinema release in autumn 2026.

In addition to her many professional roles, she earned her PhD in 2017 and for several years served as an associate professor at the Department of Film and Television Arts of János Kodolányi University.

Since 2018, she has been among the public figures invited to join the UNICEF Hungary Champions programme as a successful representative of the economy, culture and media sectors.