RODOLPHE BUET IS THE NEW CHIEF DISTRIBUTION OFFICER OF NEWEN

French production company Newen has appointed former Studiocanal and Global Road executive Rodolphe Buet as Chief Distribution Officer. He will be responsible of combining the activities of its distribution operation and those of sibling TF1 Studio, and will work under Romain Bessi, Managing Director of Newen and President of TF1 Studio.

Newen said that the main goal is to create “a leading European distribution business with a wealth of diverse and high-quality content, with fiction, TV films, animated series and documentaries” from European and North American producers, from both within and outside of the group.

Buet will supervise Newen Distribution, led by Malika Abdellaoui, and the commercial activities of TF1 Studio. The latter’s international sales are headed by Sabine Chemaly, with French and Francophone TV sales led by Coralie Chave.

He will also work closely with teams from Reel One, the Canadian production outfit that was acquired by Newen last year, which is led by Tom Berry and a 20-strong sales team, who are based in offices in Paris, London, Montreal, New York and Buenos Aires.

His arrival marks the latest development in Newen’s strategy, which is using its Reel One deal to crack the English-speaking market and exploit European IP in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.