Anton Studios Joins The Creatives as Partner and Investor

Fast-growing European studio Anton Studios has taken a minority stake as a partner and investor in The Creatives, transforming the producer-led collective into a formally consolidated group. The move establishes a jointly owned holding structure, marking the first time a European-rooted group of this scale in film and television is producer-owned.

Romain Bessi will remain CEO of The Creatives, which was originally launched as a long-term strategic partnership in 2021. The group comprises leading production companies across Europe, including Haut et Court and Unité in France, Komplizen and Razor Film in Germany, Good Chaos in the U.K., Lemming Film in the Netherlands and Belgium, Maipo Film in Norway, Spiro in Israel, and Masha in the United States.

Sébastien Raybaud leads Anton Studios, whose recent slate includes “In Love” starring George Clooney and Annette Bening, “Pumping Black” with Jonathan Bailey and Natalie Portman, and the crime thriller “My Darling California,” featuring an ensemble cast including Jessica Chastain and Don Cheadle. The investment is designed to reinforce the group’s financial stability and provide broader access to equity financing.

In an interview with Variety, Bessi described the formation of the consolidated company as the intended destination from the start. He explained that five years ago, producers sought to avoid buyouts while pooling their expertise through an informal monthly club. “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,” Bessi said. “But they didn’t know how to do it, which is when they reached out to me.”