Federation hires for move into docs

The French production firm behind Netflix drama Marseille is shifting into documentaries and has appointed a former Canal+ and Black Pills executive to head the new division.

Myriam Weil

Myriam Weil becomes head of documentaries at Federation’s new division, which has been set up following its 2018 football doc Au Coeur de l’Épopée Russe.

It was coproduced with France’s Yvette Production and followed the French football team to their Fifa World Cup win last year, attracting seven million viewers on TF1, according to the prodco.

Weil and her team will focus on high-end productions with a global reach for all platforms, exploring subjects ranging from sports and music to lifestyle topics.

An agreement with Universal Music France has already been signed to develop a collection of documentaries on the most iconic artists of the music industry giant. It is being produced for an as-yet unnamed streamer and a French channel.

Weil started her career as a journalist for companies including Condé Nast before working for Canal+ and then Black Pills, the digital-focused streamer that offers youth-skewing content.

Pascal Breton, CEO at Federation, which is best known for its scripted shows such as Marseille and youth programmes like Find Me in Paris, described Weil as “a great source of curiosity and creativity.”

“Our challenge now is to produce premium documentaries which are successful and pertinent both for the French market as well as international platforms,” he added.

Weil said: “Viewers are eager for all kinds of documentaries as long as they are told in a moving and compelling way, especially when built upon previously unavailable material.

“I’m very proud to join the directors, writers and producers who have made Federation Entertainment a success, and to work with them on larger-than-life – but very real – characters and stories.”