Cyber Group Studios promotes Michèle Massonnat, hires WBD’s Ben Abrass

Ben Abrass and Michèle Massonnat

Paris-based animation house Cyber Group Studios has promoted Michèle Massonnat to VP of sales and acquisitions and appointed Warner Bros Discovery’s Ben Abrass as head of digital.

Massonnat has over 20 years’ international experience in television, home entertainment sales, marketing and media rights distribution.

She was previously senior sales manager at Cyber Group, which she joined in 2018, before which she worked at companies including Futurikon, Newen Distribution, Gaumont Animation and Mediatoon.

In her new role, she is now managing Cyber Group’s sales in French-, German-, Spanish- and Dutch-speaking European countries in addition to Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Greece, Turkey, Portugal, the Middle East, Africa and Canada.

Abrass, meanwhile, was previously a creative strategist at Warner Bros Discovery, where he worked on digital-first projects. While there, he was selected to be part of a talent programme for the launch of HBO Max.

At Cyber Group, Abrass will oversee the company’s digital strategy, developing native content, creating new revenue streams with a focus on direct-to-consumer and Web3 and finding “new and innovative ways to engage and inspire viewers,” Cyber Group said.

Cyber Group, which has offices France, the US, Italy, Singapore and the UK, recently promoted chief operating officer Dominique Bourse to chairman and CEO, succeeding Pierre Sissmann, after the animation veteran stepped down.