Folivari’s new division sets off on a global mission
Melissa Vega at French studio Folivari International discusses the newly formed business’s strategy and its mission to secure global partners.
Melissa Vega
In the year of its 10th anniversary, French animation company Folivari is expanding its presence across the globe with the launch of distribution arm Folivari International. The new division will distribute Folivari’s content around the world, while securing financing and pre-buys for new shows with international appeal.
Leading Folivari International, which was formed in January, is co-founder and head of distribution and acquisitions Melissa Vega, who was previously acquisitions and international sales manager at French studio Dandelooo. Vega is currently managing the new division herself but hopes to bring someone else to the team in the coming year and a third person within the next three years.
As well as distributing and helping to fund Folivari’s content, Folivari International is also acquiring programmes from third-party producers, which it is actively seeking.
“The goal is to find creator-driven content that is funny and smart, in that order, that comes from everywhere and can be appealing to any market and any region. That’s the idea when we look for acquisitions,” Vega says.
Folivari International currently has three book-based shows on its slate that are in development. Nino Dino (52×7’), which is being produced for France Télévisions, is a 3D animated preschool series about a little temperamental T-Rex and his friends. Vega has already secured some pre-buys for the show, which is slated to begin production at the end of this year.
The Baker Street Four is aimed at six- to 10-year-olds
The Baker Street Four (12×26’), for Canal+, is a 2D and 3D animated series aimed at six- to 10-year-olds about three friends and a cat who help the detective Sherlock Holmes with his investigations in Victorian London. Folivari International is looking for pre-buys and collaborators to board the project.
The third series, Kiki & Ailen (52×13’), is a 3D animated comedy series about two naïve young extraterrestrials who misconstrue every situation they encounter on Earth, triggering one disaster after another, which their adopted duck friend must then avert. Folivari International is seeking a commissioner for the project.
Acknowledging that there are currently “very few spaces in the market for unknown IP,” Vega says Folivari International will be looking for ways to collaborate and coproduce with partners internationally in order to raise the bar for the content it delivers.
“In Europe, we are already used to coproducing, but if we are able to collaborate with international players, whether it be production companies or pre-buys from broadcasters, we can bring the content to another level. It will be more international, more appealing and can reach a wider market as well,” she says.
Kiki & Ailen follows two naïve young extraterrestrials
Discussing launching a new business amid the global economic downturn, when buyers are cutting budgets and commissioning less, Vega is optimistic that things will improve as they have done in previous times of crisis.
“This is a cycle. I’m a big optimist. We know the international markets and big players haven’t settled yet, so things may still change. Maybe in a year-and-a-half hopefully we will have a better idea of where we will be going and what the players will want in terms of commissions,” the exec says.
“The main challenge we are facing is that kids are consuming content in a different way. That’s the big thing. So we have to bring content to kids in a different way – be where they are and be conscious of what kind of content and what way of telling the story is appealing to them.”
Vega will be attending TV markets throughout the year to meet partners and forge new partnerships.
The exec’s objectives for the foreseeable future are to hire new recruits to the team, acquire more content to build out the slate, get more projects into production and development, and secure commissions for and deliver its current projects.
To achieve this, Folivari International will be seeking people and companies to collaborate with. “That’s our goal – finding great partners we can have a long-term relationship with,” Vega says.
