Fast-growing European studio Anton Studios has taken a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, marking a significant evolution in the independent film and television landscape. The group, which was first founded as a long-term strategic partnership in 2021, is officially moving into a solidified company structure featuring a jointly owned holding framework. Under this new model, The Creatives becomes the first European-rooted producer-owned group of its scale in the film and television sector, with seasoned executive Romain Bessi remaining at the helm as chief executive officer.
The Creatives consists of some of the leading independent production companies across Europe, alongside key international representation in Israel and the United States. The member companies include Haut et Court and Unité in France, Komplizen and Razor Film in Germany, the United Kingdom’s Good Chaos, Lemming Film operating in the Netherlands and Belgium, Maipo Film in Norway, Spiro based in Israel, and Masha in the United States. Together, these entities represent a powerhouse of creative talent, cross-border collaboration, and high-end storytelling.
Led by Sébastien Raybaud, Anton has established itself as a major financier and producer of high-profile international projects. Anton’s upcoming and recent slates feature major star-studded titles, including “In Love,” starring George Clooney and Annette Bening; “Pumping Black,” featuring Jonathan Bailey alongside Natalie Portman; and the high-profile crime thriller “My Darling California,” boasting an ensemble cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, and Don Cheadle.
The injection of investment from Anton into The Creatives reinforces the overall financial strength of the collective group while granting its members additional, reliable access to equity financing. The formal creation of the company is scheduled to take place at closing, following standard technical and legal steps that are expected to take a few months to complete.
Romain Bessi brings three decades of extensive executive experience across production, distribution, and broadcasting to his leadership role. Before taking the reins at The Creatives, Bessi built and led two major international studios: Newen Studios and Studio TF1. He served as chairman and CEO of Newen Studios within the TF1 Group until 2024. Prior to that tenure, he served as group chief operating officer at Studiocanal, chief financial officer for the Canal+ channels in France, and chief executive officer for Canal+ in the Nordic region.
Speaking exclusively with Variety, Bessi reflected on the long-term trajectory of the alliance, noting that establishing a fully consolidated company was always the primary objective.
“Five years ago, all of these producers decided that, because they didn’t want anyone to buy them out and they wanted to share their expertise and contacts, they would create a form of club, where they would informally meet every month and co-produce together,” Bessi explained. “They have now been doing this very successfully for years, and they decided that, because it was working so well, they would become a group.”
However, formalizing that informal club into a unified corporate structure presented a logistical challenge. “But they didn’t know how to do it, which is when they reached out to me,” Bessi said. “Of course, creating a group costs money, so during the last year and a half I was structuring the group and looking for an investor to bring some money into the holding company.”
According to Bessi, finding the right financial partner took over a year. Although The Creatives received several other offers from potential backers, the member producers maintained a strict set of demands regarding who would be permitted to enter as a financial partner.
“We wanted a European investor, not only because of the perception, but also because of regulation,” Bessi said. “They had to be European; they had to be someone who understands the industry—meaning that you can have good years and bad years, and you need to take some risk. That was very important.”
Navigating the market proved difficult because the governance and structural model designed by The Creatives is entirely unique within the modern entertainment industry. Unlike traditional corporate acquisitions where a single entity or individual secures a controlling majority of shares, all 17 producers within The Creatives remain shareholders and retain collective control over the group.
“It’s very unique. Usually, you have one person or company who gets the shares and the control. Because of that, some investors were a bit concerned about the governance of the group,” Bessi noted.
Furthermore, the collective established strict boundaries regarding the operational involvement of any prospective investor. “We wanted someone who would agree to take a minority stake and would not require distribution or sales,” Bessi added. “Then, of course, there was a valuation, which was important for the producers, and we wanted someone who would respect that valuation. Lastly, we needed someone we knew, and I knew Anton very well because it was created 15 years ago, to implement a state financing deal for Studiocanal. At that time, I was the CEO.”
With all agreements now signed and finalized, the producers have officially opted to partner with Anton, leaving the collective “ready to go.”
By “ready to go,” Bessi refers to the realization of the group’s overarching vision: to establish itself as the leading “one-stop-shop” production network in Europe for major international distributors and global streaming platforms. Bessi envisions The Creatives serving as the premier destination where these major buyers can gain seamless access to elevated content, prestige festival movies, and high-end television series.
“When they come to us, they suddenly have access to many talents, many projects out of many European countries,” Bessi said, highlighting the geographic and creative diversity embedded within the network. “It offers a wide diversity of very good foreign content. We have the scale of the group now. It’s strong enough and financially reliable, so it can be a very interesting one-stop shop for major companies instead of them going country by country to work with these leading producers.”
The executive emphasized that the overarching mission of the new corporate structure is to empower independent producers rather than encumber them with heavy-handed corporate oversight.
“Our goal is to accelerate and enhance the model so we can allow the producers to develop the project they want to develop, be ready, take more risks, gather the best talent and use each other’s connections,” Bessi said. “We want these people to do what they do best: to produce and attract talent.”
The creative pedigree of the producers comprising The Creatives is underscored by a staggering track record of international recognition. Collectively, work produced by the group’s member companies has garnered more than 140 awards at major international film festivals and industry ceremonies worldwide. This distinguished list of accolades includes a prestigious Cannes Palme d’Or and a Venice Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, alongside numerous Academy Award nominations and wins.
Signature lead-produced titles from the collective include Komplizen’s Academy Award-nominated feature “Toni Erdmann”; Haut et Court’s Palme d’Or-winning film “The Class”; Good Chaos’ globally charting “Sisu” films; Spiro’s Venice Grand Jury Prize winner “Foxtrot”; and Razor Film’s Oscar-nominated animated documentary “Waltz With Bashir.” Additional standout projects include Maipo Film’s Canneseries-winning series “A Better Man,” Unité’s multi-César Award-winning feature “Souleymane’s Story,” Masha’s hit international thriller series “False Flag,” and Lemming Film’s six-time Dutch Academy Award-winning drama “Sweet Dreams.”
