Amazon bags first French dramas by Jesse Whittock, June 9, 2016

Amazon Prime Video has acquired French dramas for the first time, as speculation over an

international SVOD launch grows.

The platform has bought The Bureau, which comes from Federation Entertainment and The Oligarchs Productions, and Baron Noir, which Eric Benzekri and Jean-Baptiste Delafon created.

This comes soon after the European Commission indicated plans to force SVOD platforms such as Amazon and Netflix to ensure 20% of their catalogue is European.

It also comes amid increasing speculation Amazon will expand its streaming service beyond the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Japan with a full international offering. Earlier this week, Ampere Analysis said such a launch was “imminent”.

The new dramas will launch on Amazon later this month, with season one of The Bureau debuting on June 17 and season two going out on August 26.

The Bureau follows a member of a clandestine branch of the French Secret Service, who returns home after a six-year mission in Damascus.

Baron Noir, which Pulp Fiction’s Ziad Doueiri directs, follows a French politician who wants revenge against his political enemies, while concurrently fighting to save his election after he is double-crossed.

Canal+ keeps Bureau open

Canal+’s The Bureau will start filming its third run in September

French pay TV operator Canal+ has renewed its local spy drama The Bureau for a third season.

Producers Federation Entertainment and TOP – The Oligarchs Productions will start filming the

third run in September following the greenlight.

The show centres on a French intelligence department responsible for training and dispatching

agents to strategic and often hostile locations around the world where they conduct operations

undercover.

The existing seasons were picked up by Amazon Prime in the UK earlier this month, while

international broadcasters including SVT in Sweden and VRT in Belgium have

previously acquired the show from Federation, which handles the distribution.

The Bureau was created by Eric Rochant, with Alex Berger executive producing alongside him.

C21 reporter13-06-2016©C21Media

Amazon uncovers French spy drama

Canal+’s Bureau des Legendes launches on Amazon in the UK this month

Amazon Prime Video in the UK has acquired spy thriller The Bureau and political drama Baron

Noir, both of which air on French pay TV network Canal+.

The Bureau (aka Le Bureau des Legendes) follows agents who assume elaborate false identities

as they seek out and identify targets and sources.

The show was created by Eric Rochant and is from French prodco TOP – The Oligarchs

Productions, with distributor and producer Federation Entertainment attached as a coproduction

partner.

Season one will launch in the UK this month while the second season will follow later this

summer.

Amazon subscribers will also be able to watch Baron Noir (8×60′), which is produced by French

prodco Kwaï and follows a French politician in his pursuit for revenge against his political

enemies.

StudioCanal holds the distribution rights and sold the show recently to broadcasters down under.

In related news, Amazon has commissioned a second season of children’s live-action series Just

Add Magic, which is aimed at kids aged between six and 11.

The series is based on the Cindy Callaghan young-adult book of the same name, adapted by

Joanna Lewis and Kristine Songco with Nancy Cohen.

Nico Franks10-06-2016©C21Media

Spy Thriller The Bureau Set for Season Three Kristin Brzoznowski Top Stories 10th June 2016

PARIS: CANAL+ has commissioned a third season of The Bureau, which Federation Entertainment

and TOP—The Oligarchs Productions will begin filming in September.

The spy thriller is a CANAL+ Création Originale from creator Eric Rochant. Seasons one and two

were recently licensed to Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. The Bureau has also been sold to

broadcasters in Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Germany and New Zealand, among other markets.

“The Bureau, which has just finished its run of season two on CANAL+, has been a phenomenal

success and has truly captivated viewers,” commented Pascal Breton, founder and CEO of

Federation Entertainment. “The series has all the unique ingredients for a global hit, and we are

delighted to announce season three, which pays testament to the fact that the show is just going from

strength to strength.”

“We are very grateful to be so highly acknowledged by our peers, the press and critics as well as the

tremendous ratings for The Bureau’s second season,” added Alex Berger, executive producer and

managing partner at TOP—The Oligarchs Productions. “As we gear up production for season three, I

can’t think of a better team of writers, directors, actors, crew, distribution and broadcast partners to

bring our characters and stories to an even wider audience.”

“I tried to do a show that I would love to see, just like the ones that moved me such as The

Sopranos or The Wire,” said Rochant, series creator and executive producer at TOP—The Oligarchs

Productions. “These are shows where creativity, imagination and thinking expand their power. I’m

very proud to hear people asking for another season. It’s like being adopted by the audience and it’s

really encouraging.”

Canal+ greenlights new season of The Bureau

Editor| 12 June 2016

Building on the success of the award-winning and critically acclaimed hit series,

French pay-TV giant CANAL+ Création Originale has greenlit season 3 of The

Bureau.

The spy thriller is a CANAL+ original series produced by Federation

Entertainment/The Oligarchs Productions (TOP) and portrays the French intelligence

department that trains and dispatches Intelligence service agents to key strategic

and often hostile locations all around the world. The new series shows the French

Intelligence Agency as it is going through one of its worst crises.

Internationally, seasons 1 and 2 have recently been snapped up by Amazon Prime

Video in the UK, while the show has already reached No. 5 on the iTunes Top

Season chart in the US. Over the last few months, The Bureau has sold to

broadcasters in Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Germany and New Zealand.

“The Bureau, which has just finished its run of season 2 on CANAL+ has been a

phenomenal success, and has truly captivated viewers,” commented Pascal Breton,

founder and CEO, Federation Entertainment. “The series has all the unique

ingredients for a global hit, and we are delighted to announce Season 3 which pays

testament to the fact that the show is just going from strength to strength.”

“We are very grateful to be so highly acknowledged by our peers, the press and

critics as well as the tremendous ratings for The Bureau’s second season,” added

Alex Berger, executive producer and managing partner at TOP – The Oligarchs

Productions. “As we gear up production for season 3, I can’t think of a better team of

writers, directors, actors, crew, distribution and broadcast partners to bring our

characters and stories to an even wider audience.”

Canal+ confirmó temporada 3 de The Bureau 2016.06.10 | Federation Entertainment and The Oligarchs Productions

comenzarán a filmar en septiembre próximo la tercera temporada de The

Bureau, que ha sido confirmada por Canal+ Création Originale.

The Bureau confirmó tercera temporada en Canal+

Al tiempo que se confirmaba esta noticia, The Bureau recibió durante la segunda semana de Junio

el premio de Asociación Francesa de Críticos de Series (A.C.S.). La temporada tres se desarrollará

dentro de la Agencia de Inteligencia Francesa, que atraviesa una de las peores crisis.

The Bureau es un departamento independiente que entrena y ofrece agentes de servicio de

inteligencia para operaciones especiales en lugares hostiles en todo el mundo, donde pueden

asumir identidades falsas o permanecer sin ser detectados.

Pascal Breton, fundador y CEO de Federation Entertainment, señaló: ‘La serie, que ha terminado

su segunda temporada recientmente en Canal+, ha cautivado al público francés. La serie tiene

además ingredientes únicos para ser un hit internacional’.

Las temporadas 1 y 2 están disponibles en Amazon Prime Video (UK), mientras que la serie ya es

#5 en iTunes en USA. Durante los últimos meses, The Bureau se ha vendido a broadcasters en

Bélgica, Suecia , Portugal, Alemania y Nueva Zelanda.

June 10th 2016

Canal+ Greenlights The Bureau Season 3

CANAL+ Création Originale has greenlit Season 3 of the Federation Entertainment's political drama The Bureau. Co-produced with The Oligarchs Production, the spy thriller delves inside the French Intelligence Agency, as the organization undergoes a crisis and the department trains and dispatches agents to serve as double agents in Iran, Syria and Libya.

The series stars Mathieu Kassovitz, Sara Giraudeau, Léa Drucker and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Amazon Prime Video in the U.K. has secured the first and second seasons, while the series has reached the fifth slot in iTunes' Top Season chart in the U.S. The Bureau has also been sold to broadcasters in Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Germany and New Zealand.

CYNOPSIS 06.13.16 Good morning. It's Monday June 13, 2016, and this is your first early

morning briefing.

GLOBAL GOINGS ON

Canal+ greenlit a third season of Federation Entertainment and TOP

series The Bureau. Drama set inside the French Intelligence Agency won

the French Series Critics Association award for Best Production.

Amazon picks up French dramas amid international SVOD speculation

June 9, 2016

The Bureau

Amazon Prime Video has acquired French dramas for the first time, as speculation over an

international SVOD launch grows.

The platform has bought The Bureau, which comes from Federation Entertainment and The Oligarchs

Productions, and Baron Noir, which Eric Benzekri and Jean-Baptiste Delafon created.

This comes soon after the European Commission indicated plans to force SVOD platforms such as

Amazon and Netflix to ensure 20% of their catalogue is European.

It also comes amid increasing speculation Amazon will expand its streaming service beyond the US,

UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Japan with a full international offering. Earlier this week, Ampere

Analysis said such a launch was “imminent”.

The new dramas will launch on Amazon later this month, with season one of The Bureau debuting on

June 17 and season two going out on August 26.

The Bureau follows a member of a clandestine branch of the French Secret Service, who returns home

after a six-year mission in Damascus.

Baron Noir, which Pulp Fiction’s Ziad Doueiri directs, follows a French politician who wants revenge

against his political enemies, while concurrently fighting to save his election after he is double-

crossed.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

‘Occupied’ and ‘The Bureau’: Two Gripping European Thrillers

By MIKE HALE JUNE 8, 2016

Mathieu Kassovitz, center, in “The Bureau,” a French spy series that recalls American thrillers. It is now available

on iTunes. Credit Kino Lorber

You hate to give in to national stereotypes, but a pair of recent engrossing European thrillers fulfill certain

expectations about their home countries.

“The Bureau,” a French spy series whose 10-episode first season became available on iTunes on Tuesday

(the first episode is free), is moody, cynical and stylish, with the pace and disjunctive tics of an art-house film.

“Occupied,” a Norwegian political drama whose 10-episode first season began unspooling on the Pivot cable

channel last month (and which has been streaming on Netflix since January), is a straightforward noirish thriller

with a spare aesthetic that can occasionally feel a little threadbare (even though it’s reportedly the most

expensive series in the history of Norwegian television).

Based on an idea by the mystery novelist and Nordic noir stalwart Jo Nesbo, “Occupied” is a high-concept, high-

stakes story. A new prime minister with an environmentalist agenda announces that Norway will shut down its oil

and gas industry in the face of global warming. The rest of Europe, afraid of the economic effects, forces him to

accept a peaceful Russian occupation of his country that’s initially disguised as temporary assistance with oil

production. The series plays out as a thought experiment — what will the Norwegians do as they gradually come

to terms with their loss of sovereignty? While Berg (Henrik Mestad), the idealistic but pragmatic prime minister,

tries to keep the situation from spiraling into outright war, we see the action through the eyes of various smaller

players, including one of Berg’s bodyguards (Eldar Skar) and a left-wing journalist (Vegar Hoel). In wry

Scandinavian fashion, both of those men have trouble convincing their wives that world-shaking events are taking

place, and are ordered to pick up children and wash dishes as scheduled.

“Occupied” goes for big dramatic strokes — assassinations, gun battles on oil platforms, escapes into the safety

of the United States Embassy (where the Americans aren’t very helpful). Not all of its ideas pay off, but enough

do to make it at least mildly addictive.

“The Bureau,” while a quieter and subtler show, is no less intense. It recalls the paranoid American film thrillers of

the 70s (“Three Days of the Condor,” “The Parallax View”) but the obvious referent is “Homeland” — it’s that

show’s world-weary Gallic analogue.

The film star Mathieu Kassovitz (“Amelie”) plays Malotru, a French spy who’s brought in from the cold after

serving six years undercover in Damascus. We see his adjustment to life in the office, handling agents the way

he used to be handled, and to life back in Paris, where he’s reunited with his understandably wary daughter.

When he explains the nature of undercover work to her — befriending people, gathering information — she

replies, “That’s why you left for six years, to make acquaintances.” She would almost prefer that he had been

killing people, which would better fit her image of a spy.

“The Bureau” builds its tension, revolving around a key agent who goes missing in Algeria, more slowly and

elliptically than many American shows. And there’s a certain amount of self-consciously arty cinematography and

editing. But those are small quibbles with a series this consistently smart and understated. While training a new

operative, Malotru tells her: “You don’t recruit. You describe.” The same restrained approach works well for the

show.

BWW – TV/MOVIES WORLD Award-winning French Series 'The Bureau' to Debut Exclusively on iTunes

June 2

8:072016

Kino Lorber announced the acclaimed French television series The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes) will launch

exclusively on iTunes in the U.S. and Canada on Tuesday, June 6th. Starring Mathieu Kassovitz (Amélie), Jean-

Pierre Darroussin (Le Havre) and Sara Giraudeau (Beauty and the Beast), The Bureau is the first release from

Kino Lorber's Episodic Cinema label, which will be focused on high-quality serial content from all over the world.

The series premiere is available for free now on iTunes at www.iTunes.com/TheBureau, and customers can buy

a Season Pass for $19.99, to get all remaining episodes when they become available on June 6th.

Based on real accounts by former French spies (and inspired by contemporary events), The Bureau tells a

thrilling story of a man torn between love and loyalty, living in a world where a single lie can kill. The series

focuses on French intelligence officer Guillaume "Malotru" Debailly(Kassovitz), who returns to Paris after six

years as an undercover agent in Syria. Malotru has to face the challenge of reconnecting with his daughter, ex-

wife, colleagues and even his old self.

But after learning that Nadia (Zineb Triki), his lover in Syria, is now in Paris, he breaks agency rules and

reconnects with her - as the man he was in Damascus, Paul Lefebvre. Struggling to let go of his lover, Malotru

begins living a double life, consequently opening up himself - and potentially DGSE - to new dangers and

conflicts.

The DGSE (also known as Directorate-General for External Security or simply, The Bureau) is the French

equivalent to the United States' CIA or the UK's MI6 - an organization dedicated to safeguard France's national

security. Dispatching agents to the most dangerous corners of the world, The Bureau is on a mission to identify

new information sources that can prevent an attack to French citizens, assets and interests. While on location,

these agents must take on false identities and remain undetectable, sometimes years at a time.

A riveting spy story told with psychological sophistication and cinematic flare, the first season of The Bureau

consists of 10, 52-minute episodes and was originally broadcast in France in 2015. The show, currently in its

second season there, was created by Eric Rochant (Mafiosa), one of France's leading TV producers and

showrunners. In 2015, Kassovitz won the Best Actor award at the prestigious Festival Séries Mania, and the

series was named Best French Series of 2015 by the French Film Critics Union (Syndicat Français de La Critique

de Cinéma).

Exclusive: Learn To Be A Spy In Clip From French TV Series ‘The Bureau’

Starring Mathieu Kassovitz Edward Davis

June 8, 2016

32 SHARES

We recently ranked our 25 Best TV Shows Of 2016 So Far, and we know it’s a lot to dive

into, but you might want to make room for one more show on your must-watch list: “The

Bureau.” The spy series as a massive hit in France, and now Kino Lorber is bringing it to

U.S. shores. Today we have an exclusive peek at the drama.

Starring Mathieu Kassovitz, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, and Sara Giraudeau, the show

revolves around French intelligence officer Guillaume “Malotru” Debailly, who returns to

Paris after six years as an undercover agent in Syria, and struggles to reconnect with his

daughter, ex-wife, colleagues and even his old self. But after learning that his lover in Syria is

now in Paris, Guillaume breaks agency rules and approaches her as the man he was in

Damascus, Paul Lefebvre, and begins living a dangerous double life. And in this exclusive

clip, you can see Guillaume train a new recruit in the tricks of the spy trade.

The first season of “The Bureau” is now available exclusively on iTunes.

TÉLÉRAMA.FR Dix pour cent” domine les prix des critiques français

de séries

Publié le 08/06/2016. Mis à jour le 08/06/2016 à 18h14.

La série de France 2 repart avec trois prix de l'Association française des Critiques de Séries (A.C.S.). “Baron Noir”, “Le Bureau des Légendes”, “Ainsi soient-ils” et “Les Revenants” complètent le palmarès.

Pour la deuxième année, les critiques de séries français ont désigné le meilleur de la saison qui s'achève. Les membres de l'Association française des Critiques de Séries (A.C.S.) se sont réunis mardi 7 juin au restaurant Les 400 Coups, à Paris, pour décerner leurs prix aux séries, scénaristes, réalisateurs, producteurs et comédiens français qui ont marqué cette saison 2015-2016.

Dix pour cent, diffusée à la rentrée sur France 2, domine le palmarès, avec trois prix,

celui de la meilleure série, celui de la meilleure actrice pour Camille Cottin et celui du

meilleur scénario pour Fanny Herrero. Les autres vainqueurs sont tous issus des

séries les plus plébiscitées par les journalistes depuis septembre : Le Bureau des

légendes de Canal+ repart avec le prix de la meilleure production. Fabrice Gobert

reçoit le prix de la meilleure réalisation pour Les Revenants, toujours sur Canal+. La

chaîne cryptée fait un triplé grâce à Kad Merad, lauréat du prix du meilleur acteur

pour Baron Noir, qu'il partage avec Jacques Bonnaffé pour Ainsi soient-il (Arte).

Découvrez le palmarès complet, tous les nommés, et les réactions, ci-dessous.

Les résultats complets (les lauréats sont en gras).

Meilleure série

Ainsi Soient-Ils saison 3 (Arte)

Baron Noir (Canal Plus)

Dix Pour Cent (France 2)

Le Bureau Des Légendes saison 2 (Canal Plus)

Tunnel saison 2 (Canal Plus)

Meilleure actrice

Valérie Bonneton (Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas Ça)

Camille Cottin (Dix Pour Cent)

Audrey Fleurot (Un Village Français)

Sara Giraudeau (Le Bureau Des Légendes)

Anna Mouglalis (Baron Noir)

Clémence Poésy (Tunnel)

Meilleur acteur

Niels Arestrup (Baron Noir)

Jacques Bonnaffé (Ainsi Soient-Ils)

Kad Merad (Baron Noir)

Thibault de Montalembert (Dix Pour Cent)

Grégory Montel (Dix Pour Cent)

Meilleure réalisation

Ziad Doueiri (Baron Noir)

Fabrice Gobert (Les Revenants)

Cédric Klapisch (Dix Pour Cent)

Eric Rochant (Le Bureau Des Légendes)

Rodolphe Tissot (Ainsi Soient-Ils)

Meilleur(s) scénariste(s)

Eric Benzekri et Jean-Baptiste Delafon (Baron Noir)

David Elkaïm et Vincent Poymiro (Ainsi soient-ils)

Fanny Herrero (Dix Pour Cent)

Frédéric Krivine (Un Village Français)

Eric Rochant (Le Bureau Des Légendes)

Meilleure production

Haut et Court (Les Revenants)

Kwaï (Baron Noir)

Mon Voisin Productions et Mother Production (Dix Pour Cent)

The Oligarchs Productions en association avec Federation Entertainment

(Le Bureau Des Légendes)

Tétra Média (Un Village Français)

Zadig (Ainsi soient-ils)

Les réactions

Dominique Besnehard, producteur de Dix pour cent : « Nous avons porté cette

série pendant huit ans, et nous y sommes arrivés ! Je suis ravi d’être aussi bien

récompensé. Je n’ai jamais eu de problème avec les critiques, je les aime beaucoup,

il y a souvent du vrai dans la critique. Et je trouve que la critique de télé est de plus

en plus élaborée. »

Thomas Bourguignon, producteur de Baron Noir : « Kad me disait que Baron

Noir a vraiment changé la donne pour lui. Il a eu beaucoup plus de retours sur cette

série que lorsqu’il a eu le César pour Je vais bien ne t’en fais pas. Pour lui, ça a été

une expérience extraordinaire. Et je pense que pour la télévision, ça change les

choses d’avoir accès à des acteurs de cette envergure, ce qui était encore difficile il y

a trois ou quatre ans. »

Alex Berger, producteur du Bureau des Légendes : « Je suis très ému de recevoir

ce prix, parce que ça récompense les trois cents personnes qui ont travaillé avec

Eric Rochant et moi pour initier en France une méthode de production qui

permet de livrer une saison tous les douze mois. Et ça me touche que le prix vienne

de la critique, un corps de métier sur lequel nous n’avons pas beaucoup d’influence,

ni politiquement ni économiquement. »

French TV Animation: Top Shows at Annecy’s Mifa

Emilio Mayorga

COURTESY OF ZODIAK KIDS

JUNE 15, 2016 | 02:31AM PT

A selection of banner projects from some of France’s top

animation sales companies

ANNECY— At least 18 French TV toon shows have aired this year in the U.S., either on dedicated animation channels such as Nickelodeon or via video-streaming platforms. Introduced to the market at Annexe’s Mifa, or one of companies banner productions at the animation market, some of the titles below will no doubt follow suit. …

SQUISH Based on the amusing best-selling six books from Jennifer and Matthew Holm, published by Random House, “Squish” features an amoeba trying to survive in a merciless single cell organisms environment. Produced by the classy Cottonwood Media, a division of Pascal Breton’s Federation Entertainment mini-studio exploring a France-U.S. creative and industry axis, “Squish” is pre-sold to Gulli and Teletoon. John Derevlany (“Lego: Legend of China”) show-runs FORMAT: 52 x 11’ SALES AGENT: Federation Kids & Family. …

French TV Animation:

Producers Open New

Production Facilities in France

Martin Dale Contributor

COURTESY OF KOKO MEDIA

JUNE 14, 2016 | 11:15PM PT

Recent moves fuelled by French CNC state subsidies, tax

rebates and new digital revenue streams

A major overhaul of the French support system for TV animation – including an upgrade to the CNC’s automatic subsidy support system and a new 25% tax rebate for TV production – has encouraged a clutch of Gallic animation producers to open new production studios in France. The dynamic cluster of French independent animation producers are also increasingly attracting partnerships and investors from Hollywood and Asia, a trend that began in

film, with joint ventures such as Universal’s Illumination Mac Guff, launched in 2011, and which is now extending to TV animation.

To date, such team-ups have been agreed on a project-by-project basis – such as TeamTO’s production of series “Sofia The First,” for Disney Television Animation, supported by France’s Tax Rebate for International Production, a tax rebate scheme for foreign movies or TV series made in France. At the international level, producers now have to cater to a wide variety of different platforms and buyers, unlike the situation prior to 2010 when they were dependent on sales to a smaller number of distribution outlets, such as key buyers like U.S. cartoon channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

The growth of new revenue streams, whether AVOD (YouTube as so on) and SVOD (Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Hulu etc.), is increasingly important for the sector.

The major expansion in the number of distribution channels, including VOD channels, who are acquiring animation projects, has meant that producers are increasingly focused on producing strong brands that can lock up multi-platform and merchandising deals.

In the wake of these changes, which provide new revenue streams and greater incentives for domestic production spend, French animation companies have been setting up new offices abroad, especially in the U.S. and Asia, and relocating their production activities to France. This move includes the construction of new studio facilities in burgeoning production hubs, in the South of France.

One example: Animation powerhouse Xilam decided to open two new studios in 2016 – in Lyon and Angouleme – and now operates four production studios in France, employing over 350 people.

Here, new distribution channels have proved a key factor. Founded in 1999, Xilam has an extensive library that enables it to generate around 40% of total turnover from library sales. Company president Marc du Pontavice expects that figure to rise to around 50% in 2016, driven by the explosion of new digital channels and platforms. In terms of international sales, 70% come from library deals.

Pontavice believes that factors driving his strong library sales include the creation of strong long-running brands, such as “Oggy” that has yielded 500 episodes, and short formats – 7 or 11 minutes – which are increasingly popular.

Xilam operates a popular multi channel network on YouTube – including channels Oggy and Zig & Sharko – with a total of over 200 million views per month, sparking significant advertising revenues.

Pontavice estimates that his revenues from AVOD platforms such as YouTube are comparable to revenues from SVOD platforms such as Netflix and Amazon.

TRIP is another driver. Clement Calvet, prexy of Superprod (“Lassie”) explains that when he heard of plans to launch the new support schemes in mid-2015, he decided to create a new production studio in Angouleme, that opened in September 2015 and currently employs 45 people, aiming to expand to 150 by the end of the year.

Superprod is currently working on four TV animation shows – “Geronimo Stilton,” “Pat the Dog,” “Wubby School,” and the second season of “Lassie,” co-produced with DreamWorks Classics. It is also prepping “Octopus Garden” and two animation features – “White Fang” and “Miles,” both co-developed and co-produced with Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions.

Superprod was founded five years ago. On the basis of its existing catalogue and brands, Calvet is planning to launch a YouTube channel, “We have to learn how to become a bit of a broadcaster,” he explains.

Samuel Kaminka, prexy of Samka (“Eliot Kid”) has just created a sister company in Angouleme that will work on current productions, including “The Sisters,” for M6, Canal Plus and RTBF, “The Wolf” for TF1, and hybrid live-action/animation series “Ray and Ruby” for pubcaster France Televisions. The Angouleme studio will employing around 100 people by mid-2017, he estimates.

CGI studio TeamTO (“Yellowbird”) recently opened an office in Beijing, to complement those in Paris and Los Angeles. One of the key goals is to adapt Chinese brands to the international market. It has experience: “Oscar’s Oasis,” based on a 30-second short created by South Korea’s Tuba was co-developed by TeamTO into a 78-part short-format series sold to Cartoon Network Latin America, Disney Asia and Netflix. The company is developing two feature films based on Chinese IPs, but can’t disclose the titles at present.

To take advantage of the new French tax rebate and CNC subsidies in late 2015 TeamTO revamped its production studio facility in France, in Bourg-les-Valence, near Lyon, increasing staff from 140 to 220.

TeamTO has actively courted foreign productions via Gaul’s TRIP international rebate scheme, including “Sofia The First,” for Disney Animation and Activision Blizzard’s “Skylanders,” both approved in late 2015 and currently in production.

In addition to revenues from SVOD platforms, TeamTO is generating significant revenues from video games based on its brands including “Angelo’s Rules,” which has sold 2.2 million units via the Google play store. TeamTO’s principals Corinne Kouper and Guillaume Hellouin, explained to Variety that they are about to launch a new skateboarding game, also based on the “Angelo’s Rules” franchise, for which they have high expectations. “You need a few strong IPs, that’s the key issue,” suggests Hellouin. “Even for operators with strong YouTube channels, they often make more than half their revenues from a single franchise.”

Kouper says that the new digital platforms, including games, are growing rapidly, but their core business continues to be to develop a hit for TV or in the cinema and then

expand – citing the example of “Angelo’s Rules” which has been sold to over 150 territories. “We will not modify the way that we produce in order to accommodate digital platforms. We feel that digital platforms serve to strengthen the brand and the IP. We have a strong feeling that digital is very flexible.”

TeamTO aims to reinforce its feature film production and is currently developing “The Artificials,” and “Snatches of Memories,” which it plans to co-produce with Canada and/or Belgium.

Founded 11 years ago, at present 80% of TeamTO’s turnover is derived from new productions and 20% from library sales. but Kouper and Hellouin believe, however, that the company is now entering a second cycle, in which library sales will progressively increase. The company recently began placing its videos on YouTube but has not yet established an active set of channels.

Hellouin emphasizes that competition between different digital platforms has put content center-stage: “10 years ago, the networks were the kings, but now content is the king. It’s very exciting for us. There’s a tremendous appetite for good content.”

Not all companies are rushing to launch studios or scale up their capacity. David Michel, president of Cottonwood Media (“The Ollie & Moon Show”), part of Paris-based production-sales powerhouse Federation Entertainment, is enthusiastic about the boost provided by the new rebate rates and CNC subsidy support but does not plan to develop an in-house production studio at present.

“When you have an in-house animation studio, you develop a company culture and a signature, but it limits your variety and your capacity to deliver the unexpected. The fast-changing market requires more agile companies that can work with different talents,” Michel argues.

Michel is focusing on a model in which over 50% of revenues are generated from outside France, and is also prepping his first CGI animated feature, which Michel hopes to finance solely within France.

Current projects include “The Ollie & Moon Show” for Sprout, Netflix and France Television, Franco-Canadian co-production “Squish,” for Gulli and Teletoon, and teen live-action series “Paris Opera Ballet” with ZDF & ZDF Enterprises.

And other challenges remain, such as the need for more regional support, Kamika argues. In conjunction with other producers based in Angouleme, Kaminka is lobbying for more streamlined regional support for animation in the wake of the fusion of three former French regions – Poitou-Charentes, Aquitaine and Limousin – into a single mega-region. Kaminka believes that equity investments by producers will be increasingly important in order to capitalize on new market trends and not just depend on pre-sales. He cites the example of feature film investment funds such as the one created by bank Natixis Coficine, of the Groupe BPCE, and believes that there is room for a specific investment fund targeting animation.