Cottonwood Media’s huge win: Independence after 11 years
Kids TV veteran David Michel is buying Federation Studios’ entire stake in Cottonwood Media, the studio behind “Find Me in Paris,” making the company fully independent again after 11 years inside the Federation group, Deadline reported Thursday, Oct. 1. Michel co-founded Cottonwood Media in 2014 with Cécile Laurenson and Zoé Carrera Allaix, who will continue to run it with him.
The details of the Cottonwood Media deal
Federation International will keep distributing Cottonwood’s existing catalog, which includes “The Lady Grace Mysteries,” “Spellbound” and “Find Me in Paris,” and Federation will get a first look at the studio’s future projects, according to Deadline.
“The opportunity arose for us to buy back Federation’s stake in Cottonwood,” Michel, Laurenson and Carrera Allaix said in a joint statement reported by Deadline and Total Licensing. “This will help us continue our next phase of growth while being more agile.” The three added that a recent industry revival of young-adult content and their wish to broaden the slate made the timing right, Deadline reported.
Federation co-founders Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan wished the team well. “Cottonwood has produced some magnificent international hits over the years,” they said, according to Total Licensing, and they told Deadline they look forward to continuing to work together on distribution.
What it means for fans and projects
Cottonwood Media has produced more than 120 hours of programming across 13 international series in live action and animation, according to Total Licensing. Its live-action shows include “Find Me in Paris,” which ran three seasons, and “Theodosia,” while its animated work includes “20 Dance Street,” “The Ollie & Moon Show” and “Squish!,” along with the animated feature “Around the World in 80 Days.”
The studio built its name on premium English-language teen drama for global buyers. Now it plans to push into young-adult co-productions aimed at viewers ages 16 to 25 and 18 to 29, so its next wave of projects should skew older than its earlier kids slate, even as Federation keeps distributing back-catalog titles.
Background
Cottonwood became part of what was then Federation Entertainment in 2015, when Federation bought a majority stake in the studio and Michel joined as a founding partner and head of kids and family programming and sales, according to Variety.
The sale comes as questions surround Federation Studios’ own future. Federation hired Morgan Stanley in January, and no buyer has emerged since, Deadline reported. Deadline said it had reached out to Federation for comment on the Cottonwood deal. For more industry news, visit our TV and streaming section.
What’s next
Cottonwood Media now operates as a fully independent producer focused on growing its YA slate, while Federation International stays tied to the studio’s catalog through distribution and its first-look arrangement. Find more studio and production stories in our entertainment news coverage.
Reporting from Deadline, Total Licensing and Variety contributed to this story.