As I delve into the fascinating tale of Pierre-Alexandre Muley, the visionary behind Federation Entertainment, I am struck by the sheer magnitude of his accomplishments and the depth of his wisdom. His journey is not just a testament to his business acumen but also a reflection of his unique approach to life and creativity.
Noted equally for his knack for extraordinary events, entrepreneurial skills, and artistic prowess, Pascal Breton, a French businessman and music producer, is marking a significant achievement in the 11-year journey of his Paris studio, Federation Studios. This milestone is the debut of “The Agency,” an anticipated American adaptation of “Le Bureau des Legendes,” starring Michael Fassbender. Pascal Breton executive produced this project alongside George Clooney, and they are jointly distributing it internationally with Paramount Global Content Distribution.
Previously, Federation Studios had distributed Eric Rochant’s popular spy series “Le Bureau des Legendes” far and wide, but kept the intellectual property (IP) for themselves. This move enabled them to secure a profitable deal with Paramount for the remake, and they will continue to be involved as co-distributor and executive producer.
Born with a spirit of disruption, Breton pursued an academic career following his PhD in political science, where he presented a visionary thesis suggesting that television had significantly transformed the dynamics of political life. After teaching at the renowned Sciences Po Paris, he shifted gears into politics, supporting socialist presidential candidate Francois Mitterand in the 1980s. Together with Olivier Bremond, he established Marathon Entertainment in 1990. This marked his entry into television production, where he quickly made a mark by producing popular French TV shows like “Sous le Soleil,” a soap opera set in Saint Tropez that has been widely distributed globally, and the limited series “Dolmen,” which set all-time ratings records on TF1.
In 2013, following the sale of Marathon to Zodiak Media, Breton established Federation Entertainment (later renamed Federation Studios), a groundbreaking European television studio super-indie. Here, he assembled a team of new leaders from the film and TV production sector, including Rochant and Lionel Uzan, who joined as co-founder and managing director respectively. David Michel, another Marathon alum, also became part of this dynamic leadership team.
Apart from “Le Bureau des Legendes,” Federation has produced a variety of popular shows, such as:
10 years ago, Federation began with a humble, almost craftsman-like mentality and minimal resources. Unexpectedly, we grew this massive entity, taking on one project after another, eventually hiring producers. As our projects multiplied in France, we expanded to the United States and Italy. The success led us to continually reinvest and grow further. Breton shares this story from his elegant Haussmannian office on Rue Royale, Paris, where he continues to be actively engaged in almost every project daily.
Initially, Breton established Federation primarily through personal investments. Later on, financial institutions from France like BNP Paribas and Bpifrance began offering support. In the year 2021, Montefiore Investment became the first significant shareholder of the company.
Today, Federation has established a network of around 30 brands and locations across various countries – France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the UK, US, and Israel. They currently manage approximately 1,064 titles (either produced or acquired), which equate to about 2,000 hours of top-tier fictional content, along with some youth programming and animation offerings.
As a film enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that in 2021, Montefiore provided us with the financial boost we needed to expand. Now, we’re all systems go, poised to accelerate the growth of our Federation even faster. Furthermore, I’ve been strategizing about opening up additional capital. This could be for raising funds or supporting our ongoing growth journey. And who knows? Montefiore might just be replaced by new partners in the future.
The market is currently stable, but Federation holds significant promise due to its ability to fulfill a gap in the industry. Specifically, it caters to small producers and broadcasters who struggle to operate independently,” he notes, emphasizing that the company has consistently experienced a 25% annual growth rate. He further projects a 25% increase in both annual revenues and profits for the years 2025 and 2026. In 2025 alone, Federation Entertainment plans to deliver around 40 series and 31 films. Last year, Reuters estimated the company’s valuation at approximately €500,000; however, Breton now suggests it has grown to roughly €600,000. Federation Entertainment is part of a thriving ecosystem of French production and distribution groups, spearheaded by entrepreneurial ventures like itself, as well as larger corporations such as Mediawan and Banijay.
Looking ahead to the future development of Federation, Breton expresses his intention to significantly increase their English-language content production, ultimately striving for a goal of 10 series per year through remakes, original productions, and collaborations with partners in the U.K. and U.S. Some recent endeavors in this area include the British series “I, Jack Wright,” co-produced by Federation Stories and Polly Williams, written by Chris Lang, which is set to be showcased at Content London. In terms of expanding beyond its current boundaries, Breton plans to establish two to three new companies each year over the next three years, with a focus on regions such as Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, and Germany.
Breton had excellent timing when he introduced Federation, as streamers were about to make their grand entrance in France. Netflix, which launched in 2014, marked the beginning of this trend and significantly transformed the local television environment. This surge in streaming services led to a high demand for scripted content, paving the way for the arrival of Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and other similar platforms.
Over the past decade, there’s been an unprecedented interest in French fiction that wasn’t present earlier. From the 1990s through the 2010s, American series held almost exclusive sway over the French market, he notes. Apart from a few special cases, French and international series were seen as quite obscure, even “marginal hits,” like “Sous le Soleil” and “Dolmen.
Everything shifted drastically as the torrential wave of streaming services and fiction consumption surged, providing us with an excellent opportunity to ride the crest. Breton points out that while I had two decades of production experience under my belt, our startup status allowed us flexibility. My collaborations were primarily with younger showrunners and producers, many of whom had ventured into film through their own companies such as Cheyenne Federation, Empreinte Digitale, Robin&Co, and Bonne Pioche. To expand into the U.S., Breton partnered with Patrick Wachsberger, a highly respected industry veteran from Lionsgate, best known for producing Oscar-winning films like “CODA,” “La La Land,” and “The Hunger Games.” Together they formed Picture Perfect Federation.
Initially, Federation drew attention in France when it was announced as the producer of Netflix’s first original French series, “Marseille,” well before its 2014 release within the country. Subsequently, Federation made another mark with “Le Bureau des Legendes,” a series that deviated from common French crime dramas and police procedurals, offering instead a fresh take on sophisticated espionage thrillers, which resonated strongly with local viewers and gained international acclaim.
At that particular point, the French market was less unified compared to its current state, which provided an opportune moment for Federation. They were able to recruit top-tier talent like Rochant and independent producers during this period, offering guidance on deal-making matters. The emergence of streaming platforms added a layer of complexity, empowering these creators to negotiate favorable terms due to their newfound leverage.
He notes that our mission has consistently been to empower talent with the vision, drive, and essential resources, and to share what they produce. Producers are skilled at creating quality scripts, assembling cast members, and selling their work to television networks. However, they often struggle with securing additional funding, finding co-production partners, arranging pre-sales, and obtaining minimum guarantees.
Before streaming platforms shifted towards a less restrictive method of licensing, opting for a more adaptable approach, Federation was forward-thinking by introducing a “hybrid” financing strategy for series. This innovative approach allowed them to secure funding not only from traditional broadcasters but also from platforms like Netflix.
Ever since our company was established, we’ve produced 14 original series for Netflix and 13 co-productions, but what I notice is a trend where streaming platforms tend to pay less while retaining numerous rights, sometimes even leaving a window open for television broadcasts. This shift in strategy significantly alters the nature of our interactions with streaming services,” he explains, further noting that among the 14 original sales, some were fully purchased by Netflix, while others are under the ownership of Federation.
Breton explains that French TV channels like TF1 and France Televisions often collaborate with Federation on high-budget TV series because they struggle to finance them independently. In some cases, these channels even reach out to Federation for series produced by others, asking if they could contribute a third or 40% of the financing. Breton goes on to say that sometimes they may reply that it will be challenging, but if there’s a streaming platform involved, pre-sales, and a substantial minimum guarantee, they can make the project happen.
According to Breton, it’s not common in Europe for television productions to secure global financing with only half of the budget coming from commissioners. However, the company is committed to producing long-lasting TV series that generate consistent income. Interestingly, they have recently expanded their horizons to include movie production as well. Notably, they’ve established a film distribution division led by Sabine Chemaly.
Breton describes himself as a passionate small-scale creator who delights in his work, and he transitioned into entrepreneurship to elevate his business further. As he found success, he realized the necessity for entrepreneurial thinking, “When your craft flourishes, you must adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.” He also emphasized the importance of comprehending the commercial logic behind one’s endeavors, appreciating its worth, and managing global distribution rights. Many creators, however, may lack the inclination or skills to handle such business aspects; they excel more at producing engaging series.
In “The Bureau des Légendes”, Federation significantly contributed to the financial aspects, negotiations, and distribution, which were handled by producers Alex Berger and Rochant under their production company TOP.
Breton explains that unlike other producers who might have given rights to Canal+, we chose to keep ours. This decision allowed us to sell the remake rights to Paramount and produce the U.S. version today. He further notes that when we initially created the show for Canal+, we had to invest €2 million of our own funds to retain those rights.
Regarding the agreement with Paramount, Breton explains, “This is an excellent arrangement since Federation serves as a producer and retains some rights. Meanwhile, we’ve managed to hold onto certain territories, which we are marketing to Paramount – specifically, France and Poland, where Canal+ has acquired the series.
From day one, nurturing talent and fostering entrepreneurship have been the cornerstone of my approach at Federation. Rochant, a friend I’ve known for over three decades, was among the first to join me in this venture. He presented his idea for “Le Bureau des Legendes” in a brief, compelling pitch that instantly resonated with me. I recall Eric stopping mid-pitch and saying, “I see you’ve watched ‘Les Patriotes’. I know exactly what I want to do now. You’re right; it’s the perfect moment, and we’ll make this series together.
Today marks a significant milestone as Eric Rochant has joined Federation as a partner, he shares. Although being an entrepreneur isn’t typically in his character, he’s embraced it because his passion lies in French filmmaking and writing. Now, he’s not just a creator but also a producer and director of various series.
Breton is keeping a keen eye out for fresh talents as well. One such new addition to their team is Leo Becker, who used to be an intern handling script reviews, but has now advanced to become part of the acquisition squad and is working on some of the company’s most daring English-language ventures.
His skills were exceptional, so we encouraged him to produce a series if that was his desire. He’s now working on exciting English-language projects. He penned a modern take on ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, which we’re collaborating with Vertigo on, and he expressed interest in adapting Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’. He even managed to attract some big names for the project,” Breton commented. He admittedly reads around five books weekly to search for potential adaptations.
To thrive in a fiercely competitive market filled with abundant content, Breton advises focusing on pursuing “the most prominent intellectual properties, brands, and ventures that have the potential for maximum visibility.
For this purpose, our newest creation is called Federation IP360 – an internal platform designed for discovering, purchasing, and marketing intellectual property. Its aim is to foster collaboration among team members as well.
According to Breton, it’s been observed that every producer, whether based in France or abroad, has a handful of unique ideas that could appeal to others. By leveraging such innovative concepts, not only can significant time be saved, but you might also discover hidden treasures. One of these intriguing ideas is the critically acclaimed series “Toulouse-Lautrec,” conceived by Fanny Riedberger, which was inspired by her personal experiences teaching disabled students in an inclusive high school.
He commented that when she began creating the series, we were thoroughly impressed and said to ourselves ‘This is exceptional!’ Subsequently, we decided to market it in the U.S., where we have an established partnership with a prominent American group. We also presented it to our Italian company, which then sold it to RAI, who are now producing it for them. Currently, we’re engaged in advanced discussions about adapting it for Germany as well!
At the end of the day, Breton says, “Federation is a lot about sharing.”
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2024-11-29 16:18