Federation Entertainment Raises $18.4 Million to Expand in Key International Markets (EXCLUSIVE)
By Elsa Keslassy
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Pascal Breton’s Federation Entertainment, the Paris-based production and distribution firm whose credits include “The Bureau” (pictured), “Marseille” and “Find Me in Paris,” has raised 16 million Euros ($18.4 million) as it plans to expand globally and diversify.
The minority funding round was made with the financial institutions Bpifrance, BNP Paribas Développement, Amundi Private Equity Funds, Alliance Entreprendre and Entrepreneur Venture.
Under the helm of its founder and CEO Pascal Breton, and his partners, Lionel Uzan, David Michel, Serge Hayat and Stéphane Sperry, the thriving independent company is active in the drama, kids & family and light entertainment genres. The banner has offices in Paris and Los Angeles, and works with a wide range of streamers and networks.
Breton, who remains a majority shareholder in , said the new investors were a “consortium of solid, cohesive companies close to the audiovisual sector.”
“After having put in place a number of innovative financing tools for production and distribution, notably with Anton Capital, we are taking a new step to strengthen the Federation’s capacity for long-term development,” said Breton in a statement.
Breton said the funds will be used to “support the organic growth of (the company’s) investments in production and distribution while expanding (its) international presence (…) in order to become one of the leading European studios, with a very active branch in the U.S.”
Breton told Variety that Federation Entertainment will be making several company acquisitions in key markets, notably in the U.S. — where Federation is about to take a stake in a major company — as well as in Italy and Germany. In Spain, Federation is looking to form a joint venture with a banner. Breton’s company is also looking to expand in the U.K.
Federation Entertainment currently has about a dozen series with high-profile talent attached in the pipeline, notably “Ibiza,” a thriller created by Ryan Engle (“Rampage”) and Jaume Collet Serra, and “Bankers’ Wife,” a Europe-set financial thriller based on Cristina Alger’s upcoming U.S. book. “It was crucial for us to increase our resources in order to be even more competitive and finance the development, co-production and sales of ambitious series,” said Breton.
Nicolas Parpex, senior investment director in the creative industries division of Bpifrance who spearheaded the funding round, said “the funds raised, historic in their scope for a French audiovisual production company, will enable the Federation to continue its strong growth path and to bolster its international reach as well as its relationship with different platforms.”
Federation Entertainment announced last week that it has acquired a stake in Bouchra Réjani’s WeMake to diversify and start handling unscripted formats. Breton said Federation Entertainment also recently launched a premium documentary business with “Les Bleus 2018, Au Coeur de l’Épopée Russe” (“Les Bleus, the Heart of a Russian Epic”).
Back in May, Federation Entertainment joined forces with Sébastien Raybaud’s London-based Corp. to boost its production and distribution of international and French series.
