Cottonwood Media hires Manon Ardisson as Head of Fiction

Cottonwood Media has appointed BAFTA-nominated producer Manon Ardisson to the newly-created position of Head of Fiction, effective immediately. This new appointment is in line with the new phase in the production company’s growth as it hones in on primetime and YA fiction content. Reporting to co-founders David Michel, Cécile Laurenson, and Zoé Carrera Allaix, Ardisson will cover all aspects of fiction: from development through to filming and post, and will also be responsible for hiring the respective creative teams at each stage of the production process.

With a solid track record as an indie producer, she has worked on a variety of fiction content such as the BFI backed BAFTA nominated, "BIFA" winning feature film God’s Own Country by Francis Lee. She co-produced the Venezuelan feature films "La Soledad", and "La Fortaleza", both by Jorge Thielen Armand.

Manon also co-created the "Mother Tongues Award", a development initiative for UK-set feature films in a language other than English (with the support of sales agent Charades, and UK distributor Curzon). The initiative’s first production "Kneecap" about the Irish-language rap band of the same name, premiered last month at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival, and went on to win an Audience Award.

David Michel, President and Co-Founder, Cottonwood Media said: “Live-action has been an incredible growth area for us, and for a while now we have been considering the primetime and YA space. Manon has a great track record for working on some incredible films, and we feel she will greatly contribute to the augmentation of our premium live-action slate for the global marketplace over the coming years.”

Manon Ardisson commented: “I have spent over a decade working in the UK, and since returning to Paris some time ago, I am now looking forward to this next stage in my career. Cottonwood Media has an incredible reputation globally, and I am confident that over the coming months we are going to forge some great creative partnerships, and take the fiction side of the business to a whole new level.”