Sergi Schaaff

Sergi Schaaff i Casals (17 July 1937 – 3 January 2023) was a Spanish television producer and director for Televisión Española (TVE). He worked for the corporation for 60 years, on programmes including the game show Saber y ganar, which he created in 1997.

Biography

Born in Barcelona, Schaaff graduated in Information Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and began working for Televisión Española (TVE) in 1963. His work covered a wide variety of genres, including drama, adaptations of theatre, documentaries and musical programmes, but he specialised in game shows. He created Saber y ganar, presented by Jordi Hurtado, which debuted in 1997 and was still running at the time of his death. His other game shows included Si lo sé no vengo [es] (1985–1988; also hosted Hurtado), El tiempo es oro(1987–1992), and 3×4 [es] (1986–1990) with Julia Otero.[1]

Schaaff also worked on Ruta Quetzal (1993) hosted by the adventurer Miguel de la Quadra-Salcedo. His credits also included Catalan language programming such as Terra d'escudella [ca], Festa amb Rosa Maria Sardà and Vídua, però no gaire [ca]. The last of these shows, a 1982 comedy, starred his wife Àngels Moll [ca].[1]

Schaaff was a professor at the UAB and at the Pompeu Fabra University. The latter institution awarded him its medal in 2010 for his work in launching their Audiovisual Communication Studies degree and his role as a dean from 2000 to 2004.[1][2] In April 2014, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi.[3] He said on many occasions that "creators don't retire" and remained working in television at the age of 85.[4]

One of his daughters, Anaïs Schaaff (born 1974), became a screenwriter;[1] another, Abigail, became a director.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Muere a los 85 años Sergi Schaaf, el creador de «Saber y ganar», el programa de Jordi Hurtado" [Sergi Schaaff, creator of Jordi Hurtado's programme "Saber y ganar", dies at 85]. La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). EFE. 4 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Sessió del Consell de Govern del dia 16 de juny del 2010" [Governing Board Session of the day of 16 June 2010] (in Catalan). Pompeu Fabra University. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  3. ^ "Creu de Sant Jordi para Sergi Schaaff" [Creu de Sant Jordi for Sergi Schaaff]. El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 22 April 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ^ Costas, Nayín; Migelez, Xabier (17 February 2022). "El creador de 'Saber y ganar', 25 años después: "Ningún directivo se plantearía cancelarnos"" [The creator of 'Saber y ganar', 25 years later: "No executive would consider cancelling us"]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  5. ^ Puig, Francesca (3 January 2023). "Ha mort Sergi Schaaff, l'home que ha pensat i realitzat la nostra televisió" [Sergi Schaaff, the man who thought up and made into reality our television, has died] (in Catalan). RTVE. Retrieved 2 February 2023.