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Anton Studios Invests in The Creatives
Confirmed
In Short: Fast-growing European studio Anton Studios is taking a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, a move CEO Romain Bessi calls a 'natural step' for the company.
CEO Romain Bessi announced that Anton Studios will take a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, a move he describes as a 'natural step' for the leading European group, which will now become 'a one-stop shop' for commissioners and distributors.
Bessi said it took over a year to find Anton Studios, highlighting the uniqueness of the arrangement. 'It’s very unique. Usually, you have one person or company who gets the shares and the control. Because of that, some investors were a bit concerned about the governance of the group,' Bessi explained.
The new model will see The Creatives become the first European-rooted producer-owned group of its scale in film and television, with Romain Bessi remaining as CEO. The group, founded in 2021, unites nine production companies from across Europe and the US.
Anton Studios, led by Sébastien Raybaud, has a strong track record with projects such as 'In Love,' starring George Clooney and Annette Bening; 'Pumping Black,' starring Jonathan Bailey and Natalie Portman; and the crime thriller 'My Darling California,' featuring Jessica Chastain, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, and Don Cheadle.
The investment by Anton Studios reinforces the financial strength of The Creatives and provides additional access to equity financing. The Creatives will be formally created at closing, following technical steps expected to take a few months.
Bessi brings three decades of experience in production, distribution, and broadcasting, having built two international studios in Newen Studios/Studio TF1 and Studiocanal.
The Creatives had several other offers, but they had a number of strict demands for whoever would come in as a financial partner. The group's 17 producer-founders behind the nine production companies hold collective control across a combined slate.
The move by Anton Studios to invest in The Creatives comes as the Swiss luxury group Richemont is also undergoing succession planning, with Johann Rupert's son Anton Rupert appointed as non-executive co-deputy chairman, sharing the role with Bram Schot.
What this adds
The investment by Anton Studios in The Creatives reinforces the financial strength of the group and provides additional access to equity financing.
The move by Anton Studios to invest in The Creatives comes as the Swiss luxury group Richemont is also undergoing succession planning, with Johann Rupert's son Anton Rupert appointed as non-executive co-deputy chairman, sharing the role with Bram Schot.
Background
Fast-growing European studio Anton Studios is taking a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, a move CEO Romain Bessi calls a 'natural step' for the company.
What's confirmed
- CEO Romain Bessi announced that Anton Studios will take a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, a move he describes as a 'natural step' for the leading European group, which will now become 'a one-stop shop' for commissioners and distributors.
- Bessi said it took over a year to find Anton Studios, highlighting the uniqueness of the arrangement. 'It’s very unique. Usually, you have one person or company who gets the shares and the control. Because of that, some investors were a bit concerned about the governance of the group,' Bessi explained.
- The new model will see The Creatives become the first European-rooted producer-owned group of its scale in film and television, with Romain Bessi remaining as CEO. The group, founded in 2021, unites nine production companies from across Europe and the US.
- Anton Studios, led by Sébastien Raybaud, has a strong track record with projects such as 'In Love,' starring George Clooney and Annette Bening; 'Pumping Black,' starring Jonathan Bailey and Natalie Portman; and the crime thriller 'My Darling California,' featuring Jessica Chastain, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, and Don Cheadle.
- The investment by Anton Studios reinforces the financial strength of The Creatives and provides additional access to equity financing. The Creatives will be formally created at closing, following technical steps expected to take a few months.
- Bessi brings three decades of experience in production, distribution, and broadcasting, having built two international studios in Newen Studios/Studio TF1 and Studiocanal.
- The Creatives had several other offers, but they had a number of strict demands for whoever would come in as a financial partner. The group's 17 producer-founders behind the nine production companies hold collective control across a combined slate.
- The move by Anton Studios to invest in The Creatives comes as the Swiss luxury group Richemont is also undergoing succession planning, with Johann Rupert's son Anton Rupert appointed as non-executive co-deputy chairman, sharing the role with Bram Schot.
What's still developing
- The Creatives was founded in 2021, and unites nine production companies: the UK’s Good Chaos, France’s Haut Et Court and Unité, the Netherlands’ Lemming Film, Norway’s Maipo, Germany’s Komplizen and Razor Film, Israel’s Spiro, and Masha from the US.
- The group, first founded as a long-term strategic partnership in 2021, is moving into a solidified company, with a jointly owned holding structure.
- Investors have been asking for more clarity on the issue since Richemont reshuffled its senior management in 2024, per Bloomberg 's report.
- Johann Rupert, the South African billionaire who has long kept a tight grip on luxury group Richemont, is finally giving investors a clearer picture of what comes next.
- The move gives investors their clearest signal yet that succession planning is underway at the Swiss luxury group, which owns some of the world’s best-known jewellery and watch brands, including Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.