France’s Mediawan buys ‘significant’ stake in Brad Pitt production label Plan B
Paris-based studio Mediawan has acquired a “significant” stake in Brad Pitt’s LA-based film and TV production outfit Plan B.
Brad Pitt (photo: Glenn Francis via CC)
The acquisition is part of a strategy for Mediawan, which is led by CEO and co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton, to expand its presence in the US market.
The investment is being made through the newly created entity Mediawan US, which will handle future business dealings in the American market. Financial terms were not disclosed but a report from CNBC said Mediawan acquired a 60% stake in Plan B.
Plan B’s film credits include World War Z, 12 Years a Slave, Selma, The Big Short, Moonlight, Okja and Minari, while it has produced TV series such as The Underground Railroad (Amazon), High School (Amazon Freevee), Lego Masters (Fox), Feud (FX) and forthcoming show Three Body Problem (Netflix).
The US company is led by founder Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, who are all partners.
“This partnership will allow us to create a unique artistic link between Europe and the United States through which we and Plan B will develop premium independent content, providing a global platform on which the world’s greatest talent can continue to thrive,” said Capton.
Pierre-Antoine Capton
Pitt, Gardner and Kleiner added: “As we enter the next chapter in our evolution, we are excited at the possibilities this partnership affords as we maximise our reach toward an increasingly global audience with a broad range of films and television series across all platforms, genres and mediums.”
Mediawan, co-founded in 2015 by Capton, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse, is backed by private equity firms including New York-headquartered KKR and LA-based Atwater Capital. Vania Schlogel, founder and managing partner at Atwater Capital, has been appointed to serve as chairwoman of the board at Mediawan US, while Capton will be the CEO.
Globally, Mediawan has investments in more than 60 production labels across France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Finland and Senegal, among others. It also holds a “significant” stake in Blue Morning Pictures, the production company founded earlier this year by Mediawan with filmmakers Florian Zeller and Federica Sainte-Rose.
Shows produced under the Mediawan umbrella include Call My Agent! for France Télévisions and Netflix, Hugo Blick’s The English for the BBC and Amazon and That Dirty Black Bag for AMC. Upcoming titles include Django for Canal+ and Sky and One Day for Netflix.
