Ron Meyer, Sophie Jordan Leading A Wave Of Change At French Indie Powerhouse Wild Bunch — Deadline Disruptors
26.05.2022 - 20:09
/ deadline.com
In a surprise move last November, veteran studio chief and CAA co-founder Ron Meyer and former beIN Media Group executive Sophie Jordan were named CEO and co-CEO of European indie powerhouse Wild Bunch AG. Together, the formidable leadership team will help steer the pan-European film, TV and media company into the next era of expansion.
It’s an interesting turn of events for Wild Bunch, which was originally founded by former StudioCanal executives in 1999 and spun off as a separate entity in 2002. It has consistently been at the forefront of the global indie film movement with strong ties to the Cannes Film Festival, having backed at least six Palme d’Or winners.
In 2015, it became a subsidiary of Germany’s Senator, which then rebranded as Wild Bunch AG. In 2019, it formed a standalone sales division, Wild Bunch International, overseen by Wild Bunch co-founder Vincent Maraval, someone with whom the company has long been synonymous (but who we have also heard has been mulling a rebrand). Wild Bunch manages a library of more than 2,500 titles and has positioned itself as a key player in direct electronic distribution via its VOD/SVOD service FilmoTV.
The company has had a turbulent run in recent years, with multiple refinancings including a €35 million credit line from Commerzbank in 2020. Today, Meyer says, “We have the funding to do what we need to do,” with a portion from global investment house Tennor Group and other “outside sources”. There are no plans to take the company public as of now.
In a 25-year run at NBCUniversal, Meyer guided the media conglomerate through the transition of six different ownerships. Jordan’s international expertise includes runs as an executive and board member at leading companies like Canal
The website popstar.one is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.