Mediawan, Reese Witherspoon to acquire Hello Sunshine from Candle Media

Reese Witherspoon (left) and Pierre-Antoine Capton

France’s Mediawan is partnering with Reese Witherspoon to buy the American actress and producer’s media company Hello Sunshine back from Candle Media.

The deal, which comes around five years after Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media paid a reported US$900m for LA-based Hello Sunshine, expands Mediawan’s aspirations in the US market. It comes after the French company acquired a majority stake in Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment in 2023 and Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company earlier this year.

Financial terms were not disclosed but Mediawan said the transaction will enable Hello Sunshine to “explore a broader range of storytelling formats and distribution models, connecting in new ways with audiences around the world.”

Hello Sunshine launched in 2016 with backing from The Chernin Group. Over the past decade, the company has produced shows including Big Little Lies, The Morning Show, Where the Crawdads Sing, Little Fires Everywhere, Daisy Jones & The Six, From Scratch and The Last Thing He Told Me. This is in addition to building out the online literary community Reese’s Book Club, which has become a key part of its book-to-screen pipeline.

With the acquisition, Hello Sunshine joins a group of more than 100 production labels under the Mediawan umbrella, with others including See-Saw Films, Kinetic Content, Wiedemann & Berg, Palomar, Our Films, Drama Republic, Chapter2 and Chi-Fou-Mi as well as Plan B and North Road.

“Mediawan has built a global, independent studio by putting creators first. That has always been my vision for Hello Sunshine,” said Witherspoon, founder of Hello Sunshine. “I’m investing alongside Mediawan and joining Pierre-Antoine Capton and his teams because this is the perfect home for this new media landscape.”

“Led by a generational talent in Reese, Hello Sunshine has an extraordinary track record of telling premium stories through film and TV and forming strong connections with audiences through Reese’s Book Club,” said Mediawan Group co-founder and CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton.

“Bringing these creative brands together, giving producers access to a broader pool of talent, IP and resources, while preserving their independence is what differentiates Mediawan. It strengthens what we can offer both talent and buyers, and Hello Sunshine brings a distinctive creative identity and a direct audience relationship that makes the whole group stronger.”

Chernin, who is a board member of Mediawan, and Scott Manson, who is CEO of Mediawan in North America, said in a joint statement: “Reese and her team have built Hello Sunshine into the premier company for women’s storytelling, which makes it a powerful addition to Mediawan’s unparalleled portfolio. We see a tremendous opportunity to pair Reese and her team’s creative vision with Mediawan’s deep understanding of talent and global reach.”