European manufacturing and gross sales studio Vuelta Group has purchased German producer Telepool from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.
The deal, struck by Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a mixed enterprise working below the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.
Monetary phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed, however the mixed group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles similar to Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the not too long ago launched One Life. It can kind a part of the rising Vuelta Group, which in July final yr we revealed had shaped by the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based worldwide gross sales agency Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. non-public fairness agency, introduced the information in the present day together with Munteanu.
“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of many main world content material homes and we’re pleased with the work we did with the corporate, stated Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada. “We’re grateful to Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann for her management over the previous two years. Her respect from the artistic group has been instrumental in Telepool’s success.”
“The brand new and expanded firm might be energetic throughout distribution and manufacturing,” stated Munteanu. “The mixed entity allows SquareOne to supply German-speaking audiences a robust and diversified slate of theatrical releases going ahead, throughout a number of genres — from ‘smarthouse’, comedies, and actioners to high-end household leisure: The Final Breath, Lords of Battle, Hellboy, Dealer Homefront 2, and Bambi being the primary out of the gate.”
Westbrook´s EVP of Company Improvement, Ryan Ascencio, stated the U.S. firm was “comfortable to have discovered the best accomplice for Telepool with the Vuelta Group and want all of them one of the best as they proceed their imaginative and prescient to develop their new and vibrant media powerhouse. We’re wanting to proceed our collaboration on our initiatives going ahead.”
Amongst Telepool’s belongings is worldwide gross sales division International Display screen, which outlets the likes of animation productions The Superb Maurice and Luis and the Aliens, dramas together with The Collini Case and The Convention, and new titles similar to World Battle II drama Stella – A Life and canine journey Lassie – A New Journey.
“I’m excited to see the distinctive positioning of International Display screen work hand in hand with the know-how of the Playtime gross sales group to cowl a bigger spectrum of initiatives in acquisitions and enhance our collective influence available on the market,” stated Nicolas Brigaud Robert of Playtime. “At present, Playtime and its subsidiaries have seven movies premiering on the Cannes Movie Pageant with The Seed of the Sacred Fig by Mohammad Rasoulof within the Official Choice in Competitors, each The Marching Band by Emmanuel Courcol and Assembly with Pol Pot by Rithy Panh in Cannes Premiere, Black Canine by Guan Hu in Un Sure Regard, Apprendre by Claire Simon in Particular Screenings, Animale by Emma Benestan within the Critics’ Week and Eephus by Carson Lund within the Administrators’ Fortnight.”
For Telepool, the sale comes simply over two years after we revealed Westbrook had taken full management of the enterprise, together with the 50 p.c stake beforehand owned by Swiss financier Elysian Make investments.
Outgoing Westbrook CEO Higuchi-Zitzmann stated: “I’m pleased with every part we achieved at Telepool. My honest thanks go to my unbelievable colleagues, our excellent content material companions and to Westbrook, with whom I’ve labored so productively. I want the great workforce of execs and the brand new house owners of the Vuelta Group Germany solely the easiest. I’m satisfied that Telepool will proceed to be in one of the best palms.”
Extra follows.