Studiocanal appointed Alex Hamilton and Katheryn Needham

Studiocanal, a CANAL+ subsidiary and one of Europe's leading film and series studios with worldwide production and distribution capabilities, announces two management changes, effective March 1st, 2025.

Alex Hamilton is appointed Chief International Officer Studiocanal. In this new role, working closely with all of the territory CEOs, Alex will oversee direct distribution and international operations across all of Studiocanal’s direct distribution territories in nine European markets: France, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Poland, as well as Australia and New Zealand. He will also oversee the Studiocanal Kids & Family business, which notably controls the "Paddington" IP.

The exec was appointed CEO of Studiocanal UK in 2020. In 2024, Studiocanal achieved its highest-ever box office share at the UK Box Office and established itself as the UK’s leading independent distributor. It also enjoyed a run of British film hits, including "Wicked Little Letters," "Back to Black," "Paddington in Peru," and "We Live in Time." Additionally, over the past 12 months, whilst grossing over £80m at the UK Box Office, Studiocanal has seen BAFTA nominations for "The Apprentice," "Hard Truths," and "The Outrun," following on from nominations last year for "Past Lives" and "The Old Oak."

Before joining Studiocanal, Alex was President, International, Film and Managing Director of Entertainment One UK. From 2008 to 2019, Alex spearheaded eOne UK’s film business and oversaw the growth of the UK group from a theatrical startup into the country’s leading independent distributor, with eOne grossing over £725M at the UK Box Office alone during his tenure. From 2016-2019, Alex oversaw eOne’s film operations outside of North America as President of International, Film.

Meanwhile, Katheryn Needham is promoted to CEO Studiocanal UK, replacing Alex Hamilton, who has held the position since 2020. She has held the position of Managing Director Studiocanal UK since the beginning of 2024 and was previously the Interim CEO of Studiocanal Kids & Family (ex-Copyrights) for 18 months, in addition to her responsibilities as Head of TV, Digital & Business Development within Studiocanal UK.

During her time at Studiocanal Kids & Family (ex-Copyrights), Katheryn successfully shepherded the licensing, merchandising, and retail business of the "Paddington" brand into the Studiocanal group. Prior to that, Katheryn was instrumental in launching Studiocanal Presents streaming channel, which showcases the best of the studio’s library on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ platforms in the UK, as well as being responsible for securing Pay deals for the UK theatrical releases.

Anna Marsh, Studiocanal CEO and CANAL+ Deputy CEO, referred to the new appointments: "I am delighted to announce the promotions of Alex Hamilton as Studiocanal's Chief International Officer and Katheryn Needham as CEO Studiocanal UK. Their in-depth knowledge of the industry, passion, and commitment to Studiocanal and the CANAL+ group is second to none. Alex will oversee all direct distribution territories and our Kids & Family entity, further progressing Studiocanal's global ambitions to leverage synergies with CANAL+, and solidify partnerships with industry players operating locally and worldwide. After almost two decades in delivering excellent results for the UK business, Katheryn was Alex’s natural successor to continue to shepherd the UK's leading independent distributor," commented.