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Polly Williams exits eOne to set up Federation’s UK operation
Federation Entertainment ramps up international expansion and English language content
For Immediate Release:
Paris/UK – Thursday 26th August 2021 – Federation Entertainment (Pascal Breton, Lionel Uzan) today announced the launch of a new partnership in the UK, as the prolific media powerhouse continues to extend its global reach.
Headquartered in London, the new operation is set up by Polly Williams (Managing Director) and Arielle Gottlieb (Creative Director), who join from eOne as partners with Federation in the new UK based company.
Polly and Arielle will focus on working with premium drama creators in making ambitious commercial content for a global audience. They are also keen to bring more female led content to the Federation slate.
With a slate of high-profile projects currently in development that will be announced shortly, the new UK venture will develop, produce and invest in drama content for TV and film. They will offer flexibility for creators beyond the traditional in-house production model and will be looking for co-productions, co-financing and distribution opportunities.
As Federation Entertainment continues to expand its operations, the media entity now boasts prodcos across France (Cottonwood Media, We Make, Cheyenne Federation, Mercer Productions, Empreinte Digitale), Los Angeles (Federation Entertainment of America, Picture Perfect FederationTV, Animal Federation), Rome (Fabula Pictures), Madrid (Fedent Espana), Berlin (Cottonwood MediaGmbh), and Tel Aviv (Drama Team).
Pascal Breton, President, Federation Entertainment said: “The UK has always been on our radar, but it was crucial we secured the right kind of creative talent to steer this new operation. Both Polly and Arielle are dynamic executives with impressive track records who will be able to bring exceptional, original content into the company. We are absolutely delighted to welcome them to our ‘federation’ network.”
Polly Williams added: “I am thrilled to be partnering with the brilliant Arielle in this new venture. We both think Federation is a very smart, exciting company. The opportunity to tap into their European networks with wonderful British writers and directors is very unique. Pascal and Lionel are incredibly inspiring and nimble, and we can’t wait to get going.”
Polly Williams was previously Head of Scripted for eOne where she built a diverse, premium slate with partners in the UK, Europe and the US. During her tenure she developed RUN for HBO, written by Vicky Jones and is currently exec producing Red Rose with Eleven Film for the BBC and Netflix. She brought Mam Tor/Tally Garner into eOne and backed her varied, distinctive slate with some of the UK’s top talent which are now in late stages of development with broadcasters. Polly also shepherded an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere which is now in late stage development and developed an adaptation of bestselling novel, A Gentleman in Moscow. Previously, Polly has worked as a producer and script editor in the UK with credits including Holby City, Lip Service and Hotel Babylon.
Arielle Gottlieb was VP of Scripted, eOne. In recent years, she developed and was the script executive on Dublin Murders (BBC, Starz) and script edited The Sister (ITV, HULU) for Euston Films. Prior to eOne, and over the course of her career, she has also script edited long-running British dramas such as Casualty and The Bill. Over the past decade she has worked in development, production and business affairs for companies in the UK and Canada including: Red Planet Pictures, Ink Factory Films, BBC, Nutopia and TVO.
Federation Entertainment has experienced exponential growth since it launched. The company behind international hits such as The Bureau, In Treatment, and Marseille also wrapped filming earlier this year with co-pro partners Slim Film+ Television on the series Around the World in 80 Days for the European Alliance of France Televisions, ZDF and RAI, as well as SBS Masterpiece and BBC, starring David Tennant (Broadchurch, Jessica Jones, Good Omens).
About Federation Entertainment:
Led by Pascal Breton and Lionel Uzan, Federation heralds a new breed of independent European studios, focusing on the creation, production, financing and distribution of high-quality original productions for the global marketplace. Federation Entertainment works with the best worldwide talents and partners in the industry to create a strong distribution portfolio as well as an array of premium international productions. Only eight years after its creation, the production and distribution studio based in Paris, Los Angeles, Rome, Madrid, London, Berlin and Tel-Aviv boasts 130 full time employees, a number which continues to grow monthly.
Active in the drama, kids & family, documentary and light entertainment space, Federation works with all platforms and major broadcasters in the market. Its rich portfolio includes major award-winning and international successes such as the cult spy series The Bureau (50 X 52’), the financial thriller Bad Banks (12 x 52’), the Netflix original hit series Baby (now 3 seasons), Find Me In Paris (78 X 26′), the premium live action hit for tweens, Partisan, (6 X 52’), Best series award at CanneSeries 2020, In Treatment, the adaptation of cult format BeTipul by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache for ARTE, Around the World in 80 Days starring David Tennant, produced for the European Alliance (France Televisions, ZDF, Rai), BBC and PBS Masterpiece; as well as Varane, Destin de Champion (Amazon Prime-Video), to name a few.
Media contacts:
Federation Entertainment – Valerie Tailland, Tel: +33 (0)6 82 57 06 09
Magena Media – Celine Xerri-Brook, Tel: +44 (0)7957 334 228
