David Michel Buys Cottonwood Media Out Of Federation Studios

Kids TV veteran David Michel is buying back control of Find Me in Paris maker Cottonwood Media from Federation Studios.

The company is now back to full independence after 11 years in the Federation fold, with Michel and partners Cécile Laurenson and Zoé Carrera Allaix leading the operation.

Michel, the former Zodiak Kids boss who founded the business in 2014, is buying Federation’s entire stake, though Federation International will remain as the distributor of the producer’s catalog, which includes The Lady Grace Mysteries, Spellbound and Find Me in Paris. Federation will also have a first look at future Cottonwood projects. In total, Cottonwood has produced more than 120 hours of programming and 13 international series.

Cottonwood had initially become part of Federation (then Federation Entertainment) in 2015 and became a key Federation shareholder. Michel was a Federation co-founder alongside Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan, overseeing kids and family content.

After its exit from Federation, Cottonwood, known for kids and youth programs and co-productions, will now push harder on a creative strategy to co-produce YA content for the 16-25 and 18-29 age brackets.

“The opportunity arose for us to buy back Federation’s stake in Cottonwood,” Michel, Laurenson and Carrera Allaix said in a statement today. “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 wished Cottonwood “all the very best,” adding: “Cottonwood has produced some magnificent international hits over the years at Federation, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration on distribution.”

The news comes amid questions about the future of Federation Studios after the company’s leaders last January appointed Morgan Stanley, as we revealed at the time. No buyer has emerged since and the trail appears to have gone cold. We’ve approached Federation today for comment.

We’re hearing increasing numbers of sources talking about an incredibly tough business environment for French television companies, and with MIPCOM Cannes coming up in just over a week, chatter could intensify as the picture becomes clearer.