StudioCanal’s Buet joins Newen

TF1-owned Newen Distribution has appointed the former president of international distribution and marketing at StudioCanal as its chief distribution officer.

Rodolphe Buet

Rodolphe Buet has joined Newen to support its growth strategy and the development of its European and international projects.

Under Romain Bessi, MD of Newen and president of TF1 Studio, Buet will focus on bringing together the activities of Newen Distribution and TF1 Studio.

The company wants to create a leading European distribution business spanning fiction, TV films, animated series and documentaries, created by top European and North American producers both within and outside the TF1 group.

Buet will supervise Newen Distribution, which is led by MD Malika Abdellaoui, and the commercial activities of TF1 Studio, with international sales headed by Sabine Chemaly and French and Francophone TV sales led by Coralie Chave.

Buet will also work with teams from Reel One, led by Tom Berry. The group will be supported by a 20-strong sales team located in Paris, London, Montreal, New York and Buenos Aires.

As part of Newen’s international expansion, Buet will help develop programmes produced by the group’s subsidiaries, with financial backing from Anton Capital. He will also secure distribution deals with third-party producers.

European producer and financier Anton agreed to invest up to €35m (US$39m) in the French firm’s slate of drama, documentary and animated projects last year.

Buet has previously led the French and international distribution teams of major groups including StudioCanal, Global Road and On Animation.

At StudioCanal, he led commercial activities in fiction and cinema on various major projects, including the features Paddington and Shaun the Sheep plus series such as Baron Noir and The Five in coordination with its TV production subsidiaries. He was most recently president of international films at On Animation.

Founded in 2008, Newen Group was acquired by TF1 Group in 2015. The Paris-based firm has since become one of France’s leading producers and distributors, responsible for more than 1,000 hours of content a year. Its sales arm has a catalogue featuring more than 6,000 hours of programming.