Federation Entertainment sets up LA management and production outfit

French drama producer Federation Entertainment is looking to expand its US footprint with the launch an LA-based management and production company.

Juan Solá

Animal Federation will be led by producers Juan Solá, Nacho Manubens and talent manager Adil Chamakh. All three were born in Spain and have lived in LA for several years.

The new entity is a subsidiary of Paris-based Federation, which produces series including The Bureau, Marseille, Hostages, Bad Banks, Baby, Find Me in Paris and Around the World in Eighty Days.

Solá, whose credits include the 2018 feature Extinction and the upcoming Liam Neeson thriller Retribution, has produced alongside director Jaume Collet-Serra (Jungle Cruise, Black Adam) for several years, introducing European talent to the US market.

Manubens previously produced La Templanza, the first original series from Amazon Prime in Spain. Earlier this year, Solá and Manubens were producers on Netflix’s original film Las Niñas de Cristal, starring María Pedraza.

Nacho Manubens

Chamakh, who will serve as senior VP and head of management, has represented talent including Australian-American actor Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) and musician and actor Masego for all of his film and TV projects. Earlier in his career, he launched the talent management company Creative Room, specialising in representing diverse and multi-hyphenate actors and filmmakers.

At launch, Animal Federation’s client roster includes Love Victor’s Isabella Ferreira, Italian actress and model Alice Pagani and writer-director Lluis Quílez. The company’s primary focus is to represent diverse, multi-hyphenate and multilingual talent, the firm said.

The company is currently developing original content and adaptations based on IP from Federation’s library for the Latin American and US markets.

“Federation producers are already involved in launching the creations of a large number of European showrunners and directors. We had long been eager to help these talents grow into global names, including in the immensely competitive market that is Hollywood,” said Pascal Breton, president of Federation Entertainment, in a statement.

Adil Chamakh

“Following Nacho and Juan’s lead, we needed to find the right manager for the job, and Adil Chamakh is the perfect fit. His extensive experience both in Los Angeles and the major European capitals makes him an ideal person to manage their careers.”

The announcement of the new company comes five months after Federation revealed it would launch a new UK production company after securing a €50m (US$57m) investment from French private equity company Montefiore this month. Federation also teamed up with French producer Boreales to launch a documentary-focused joint venture in March.