David Michel has bought out Federation Studios’ stake in Cottonwood Media, the kids-and-family content outfit he co-founded in 2014.
Cottonwood Media has been part of the Federation group since 2015, with Michel serving as a co-founder of the multi-genre French production and distribution company alongside Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan. He is now returning to independent status for Cottonwood, continuing to work with co-founders Cécile Laurenson and Zoé Carrera Allaix.
The company is now leaning further into YA content following its success in the teen drama space.
Under the deal, Federation International retains distribution to Cottonwood Media’s existing catalog. Federation also has a first look with Cottonwood for new productions.
In a joint statement, Michel, Laurenson and Allaix said: “The opportunity arose for us to buy back Federation’s stake in Cottonwood. This will help us continue our next phase of growth while being more agile. Also, with the recent industry revival of YA content and our desire to expand our offerings, we felt the timing was right. We continue to maintain excellent relations and a strong bond with our friends at Federation, particularly with regard to the distribution of our past productions.”
Breton and Uzan added, “Cottonwood has produced some magnificent international hits over the years at Federation, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration on distribution.”
