Mediawan's Moment: How A French Producer Became A Magnet For The Storytellers Behind ‘Adolescence' & ‘Slow Horses'

Yahoo

20-05-2025

EXCLUSIVE: Ask Elisabeth d'Arvieu about the movies that inspire her and she suddenly sparkles with enthusiasm. 'The Godfather, obviously,' the Mediawan Pictures CEO offers, before reminiscing about childhood memories of 'all the Hitchcocks' and Brian De Palma's early work. By this point, she's late for her next appointment, but can't help unspooling a list that spans Parasite and Emilia Pérez, the latter of which she has seen three times. 'I've been obsessed with movies since I was a little child,' d'Arvieu laughs.
It's a small window on what is making Mediawan magnetic for some of the world's top creatives, not least Brad Pitt's Plan B and Florian Zeller's Blue Morning Pictures. Those within the group talk animatedly about the light-touch leadership of d'Arvieu and CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton, as well as the simple, straightforward creative conversations they share. 'They are good people in it for the right reasons,' says Roanna Benn, co-CEO of Drama Republic, the U.K. producer behind Netflix hit series One Day.
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Founded a decade ago, Mediawan may not be the young pretender it once was, but it remains a disruptor. The company enters the Cannes Film Festival with a couple of fresh feathers in its cap: Plan B's Netflix smash hit Adolescence, which reframed the conversation around male violence; and its latest acquisition, See-Saw, the British-Australian production company behind Slow Horses and The King's Speech.
Deadline understands that Mediawan's 51% stake in See-Saw values the company at around £100 million ($130 million) after it posted revenues of £116 million last year. See-Saw's joint CEOs Emile Sherman and Iain Canning says the current market 'rewards companies with access to larger producer networks' and they felt an 'immediate creative and cultural affinity' with Mediawan.
Thomas Dey, the CEO of ACF, the investment bank that brokered the See-Saw deal, describes the Heartstopper producer as being quietly multifaceted. He points to its bases in London and Australia, its film and TV slate, and its 'treasure trove' of IP, which includes The NeverEnding Story, a franchise currently being readied for a big-screen revival. 'Some of the buyers came in and almost learned about how [See-Saw is set up],' Dey adds.
When asked for her elevator pitch to potential new partners, d'Arvieu launches into a 10-minute monologue in which she espouses 'complete independence,' finance for IP buys, a sales arm that can bridge funding gaps, and direct access to Mediawan's leadership team. Mediawan also tends to acquire with cash and share options, an uncommon offer that it hopes incentivizes production partners to strive for group growth. Plan B's co-president Dede Gardner says: 'They've been supportive and very true to their word. When we first met, they said: 'We just want you guys to keep being you and doing what you do.' They've honored that.'
'A couple of years ago, we were not the first studio [sellers] would think of,' d'Arvieu continues. 'Now, as we've been growing and building our reputation in the market, more of them reach out to us naturally.' Dey, who regularly deals with all the major European production groups, says Mediawan was firm but fair in negotiations. 'We did all our dancing and waving our hands, and they cut through the middle of it,' he says.
Mediawan's website says it was founded with one goal: to 'create a space where creativity could thrive.' But what does commercial success look like? D'Arvieu is emphatic that Mediawan does not have a revenue target like some rivals (maybe wise after Fremantle's €3 billion—$3.4 billion—target was kicked into the long grass earlier this year). After combining with German giant Leonine Studios in 2024, Mediawan revealed that it had sales of €1 billion, which is less than a third of its French compatriot, Banijay. D'Arvieu says private equity backers, including KKR, 'continue to support' and are not looking for an exit after investing as part of Mediawan's de-listing from the Paris Euronext in 2020. Others note that five years can be a point at which venture capitalists get itchy feet.
'KKR wants to send a message that scale will bring higher margins,' says François Godard, a senior media analyst at Enders Analysis. 'The M&A scene will continue to be dynamic, so we can expect Mediawan to keep growing.' The company refinanced last year, raising a €500 million loan and a €225 million revolving credit facility, which analysts say will fund acquisitions. D'Arvieu says Mediawan is unlikely to embark on a shopping 'frenzy', but will instead target partners that share the same 'artistic vision as us'.
D'Arvieu spoke to Deadline on the day that Cannes unveiled its 2025 official selection. Mediawan has two titles in the mix: Bono: Stories of Surrender, Plan B's Apple TV+ documentary about the U2 frontman; and Sylvain Chomet's animation The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol. D'Arvieu says the latter is 'super exciting' because it speaks to Mediawan's DNA, melding a talented (and Oscar-nominated) director with a French cultural icon, the late writer and director Pagnol. And with that, d'Arvieu's mind is once again in the movies.Best of Deadline
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