Superprod Group
Superprod Group is a French independent audiovisual production company that was founded in October 2010 by former Gaumont Animation executives Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner that develops, produces, and distributes animated & live-action series and films under their division and subsidiaries. Their main animation production division that is part of the group was Superprod Animation who produce traditional, CGI and hybrid projects.
History
Superprod Group was founded in October 2010 when it was originally established as an animation production studio after former Alphanim CEOs and executives Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner had depatured Alphanim after it was acquired by film & television production and distribution company Gaumont two years before.On May 7, 2013, Superprod Animation entered the distribution business by teaming up with investment firm Axone Invest to launch Superprod's own in-house international distribution division dedicated to distributing animation and live-action content named Superights Family Entertainment with Superprod's founders Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner managing Superprod's new distribution sales division alongside former M6 head of children's programming Morgann Favennec joining Superights as their head director of sales & acquisitions.
In September 2015, Superprod Animation expanded outside of their Paris-based animation studio by opening an animation production studio based in Angoulême to expand their animation production activities.
By July 2017, Superprod Group launched its digital arm named Superprod Digital and had appointed former Cyber Group Studios exec Carole Brin to head up Superprod's digital unit Superprod Digital as its chief digital officer of the newly created digital arm as Superprod Digital.
In February 2018, Superprod Group entered the American animation production market by establishing an US office based in Los Angeles to expand their international outfit with Superprod's former CFO Louise de Staël heading their new animation office
In June 2018, two years after Superprod Group acquired CGI animation production company Vanilla Seed, Superprod Group rebranded its Angoulême-based animation studio Vanilla Seed to Superprod Studio, reflecting their parent company's name for the rebranded Angoulême animation studio with the studio will handle all of Superprod's CGI productions. Three months later in September of that year, Superprod Group signed a three-year co-production partnership with recently-launch German animation studio Atmosphere Media to produce a state of six animated series and would be animated at Superprod's Angouleme-based Superprod Studio and at Atmosphere Media's Belgian studio Digital Graphics. Superprod and German animation studio Atmosphere Media would handle French and German-speaking rights with the former's distribution arm Superights handling international sales & distribution to them in other countries excluding Belgium. The two series were released part of Superprod's partnership with Atmosphere Media were That's Joey! and Anna & Friends.
In February 2021, Superprod Group announced that they've taken a majority stake in Milan-based Italian animation studio Red Monk Studio, marking Superprod's entry into the Italian animation production business with Red Monk Studio continued operating as a separate label from Superprod alongside its founders Lucia Geraldine Scott and Corrado Diodà which remained CEOs of the acquired company with former international sales manager of Superprod's division Superights Pedro Citaristi became managing director of Red Monk as part of the acquisition.
In late-September 2022, Superprod Group acquired New York-based American international production company The Co-Production Company to booster their American development and production activities with its founder Doug Schwalbe became president of Superprod's new American division Superprod US alongside former Cartoon Network executive Tatiana Krokar became the vice president of Superprod's American division.
In January 2023, Superprod Group announced that they've opened a new animation building in that same location as their expansion to its Angoulême-based production studio division Superprod Studio and their own Angoulême-based animation production studio along with the company developing their new pipeline deplay named 'Pipeline Flow' becoming the first European animation studio to use it based on Pixar's USD technology.
In December 2023, Superprod Group launched the 360 degree CSR policy division named Superprod Impact with a focus that aims its commitment to eco-responsibility to the French animation ecosystem that is provided by the France 2030 investment.
In April 2024, Superprod Group acquired Luxembourgish animation production studios Melusine Productions and Studio 352 to strengthen their animation production activities and their ability to produce and finance their animated series & feature films, marking Superprod's expansion into the Luxembourg production activities with Melusine founder Stephan Roelants continuing to lead Melusine under Superprod.
Two months later in June of that same year following Superprod's acquisition of Luxembourg animation productions studios Melusine Productions and Studio 352, Superprod announced their entry into the British production activities by teaming up with former Netflix EMEA & Nickelodeon International executive Alexi Wheeler who was attending the French 2024 Annecy International Animated Film Festival at that time to launch a UK-based live-action & animation production subsidiary named Wheel In Motion, giving Superprod a British production subsidiary with the new subsidiary will focus on its live-action and animated projects.
In November 2024, Superprod Group had partnered with London-based British rights & international media company Coolabi to develop and produce a CGI animated series based on Adam Blade's successful fantasy book series entitled Beast Quest which were originally published by Orchard Books in the United Kingdom, Superprod Group will produced the upcoming CGI-animated series Beast Quest through its in-house Paris and Angoulême-based animation production studios under the Superprod Animation division in its country of France alongside Superprod's three production companies which were British company Wheel in Motion, its American financial & production unit The Co-Production Company and its Rome-based Italian animation production unit Red Monk Studio while Coolabi's production arm Coolabi Productions will co-produce.
In February 2025 following Superprod Group's partnership with Watch Next Media back in October 2024 four months ago, Superprod Group under their distribution subsidiary Superights Kids & Family and Watch Next Media through its distribution arm Kids First Distribution announced a strategic merger of their own distribution catalogues and digital channels with Watch Next Media's production catalogue joining the catalogue of Superprod's own distribution subsidiary Superights became the biggest international distributor of children's programs as Watch Next's distribution subsidiary Kids First Distribution was renamed to Kids First Digital now focusing on their digital publishing activities with Superights will distribute Watch Next Media's future productions.
Divisions & subsidiaries
- Superprod Animation
- Superprod Films
- Superprod Impact
Filmography
TV series
Red Monk Studio
Films
Watch Next Media
Watch Next Media is a French animation production studio part of Superprod Group that specialises in producing animated TV series. It was founded on March 25, 2015, by former Tele Images Productions CEO & president and former Marathon Images CEO & president Philippe Alessandri had stepped his role at both companies four months prior in November 2014.Watch Next Media partnered with French animation production company Monello Productions in November 2017 to launch a joint venture distribution subsidiary based in Boulogne named Kids First Distribution, giving Watch Next Media their own in-house distribution subsidiary alongside Monello Productions reuniting Watch Next's founder and former Tele Images CEO & present Philippe Alessandri with former Tele Images producer & founder of Monello Giorgio Welter as Philippe leading the joint venture distribution subsidiary whilst Marie Lassal had been tapped to handle the joint venture distribution subsidiary as their head of sales; Watch Next would eventually take full control of the distribution subsidiary by acquiring the remaining 50% stake in Kids First Distribution from Monello Productions four years later.
In February 2025, following Watch Next's partnership with Superprod Group back in October 2024 four months ago, Watch Next Media merged its distribution arm Kids First Distribution into Superprod's distribution subsidiary Superights Kids & Family with Watch Next Media's production catalogue joining Superights, gaining control of the Watch Next Media programming catalogue became the biggest international distributor of children's programs as Watch Next Media rebranded its distribution subsidiary Kids First Distribution to Kids First Digital now focusing on their digital publishing activities with Superights now distributing Watch Next Media's future productions.