Julie Apperé Is Xilam New Talent Scout
Xilam Animation has appointed animation industry veteran of Julie Apperé in the newly created position of Talent Scout – Head of Talent Acquisition and Management. Reporting to president Marc du Pontavice and deputy chief exec officer Dorothee Lanchier, Apperé will oversee the strategic scouting of talent, support the mobility of artists whilst also strengthening and promoting the Xilam brand at markets, festivals and in schools. She’ll also play a crucial in the development of the group’s social policy by leading across all activations in support of the fundamental principles and values carried by the company, including the fight against discrimination, and the championing of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities.
Apperé joined Xilam in 2010 as assistant director on the first season of Zig & Sharko. She was assistant director on many of the studio’s productions and regularly involved in the development of pilots and teasers within the development department. In 2018, she began working in the production of the Moka series alongside Andrès Fernandez as director.
“For more than 10 years, Julie has been supporting Xilam’s creative teams with huge success as well as kindness and professionalism,” says du Pontavice. “An expert in animation production, with great interpersonal skills that give her access to a wide network of talent, Julie is a major asset in engaging and uniting teams of artists and technicians. Today, we entrust her with the responsibility of being both the entry point and reference within Xilam for all artists, to accompany their individual journey in the service of the Group’s collective projects. Xilam is committed to the value of talent and innovation for the success of our business projects.”
BBC’s Digital Initiative Will Lead to Linear CBBC Closure, Layoffs
A new digital-first initiative by the BBC will lead to the closure of smaller linear channels such as CBBC, BBC Four and Radio 4 Extra over the next few years, according to a speech made by BBC director general Tim Davie. The strategy will result in approximately 1,000 jobs eliminated within the BBC’s public-funded sectors of the BBC by 2025.
Davie pointed out that the CBBC is not expected to shut down before 2025, since the channel is still delivering shows at low cost. IN recent months, the children’s focused channel picked up Girls of Olympus from The Animation Band and RAI and Studio Ghibli’s Ronja the Robber’s Daughter miniseries. Phase one of the Beeb’s strategy is designed to yield US$628 million (£500 million) in annual savings that will be reinvested into making the BBC digital-led. The broadcaster is also planning to reinvest US$377 million (£300 million) to “drive a digital-first approach, through changes to content and output and additional commercial income.” Davie pointed out that the goal is to reach 75% of BBC viewers through the iPlayer service.
David Levine Leaves Moonbug Entertainment
Moonbug Entertainment’s CCO David Levine is leaving the London and L.A.-based studio. The veteran animation and kid space executive noted on LinkedIn that he is exiting the studio to “explore new areas” and was “looking forward to new adventures. Levine has been with Moonbug since December of 2020. Prior to Moonbug, Levine was the VP of Media Networks and Content for Disney in Europe and Africa, where he ovesaw local children’s channels and commissioned shows such as Evermoore, First Class Chefs, The Lodge and 101 Dalmatian Street.
In his LinkedIn post, Levine wrote, “It’s been a great experience leading the Moonbug Studio team, producing 25+ digital-first series, the original CoComelon, Blippi and Little Baby Bum series for top streamers like Netflix and Amazon Kids+; scores of albums, podcasts for Spotify and more; bringing content to kids worldwide in over 25 languages; and expanding representation in our content,” added Levine.
Moonbug was acquired by L.A-based Candle Media last November for a reported $3 billion. Last week, it acquired Singapore-based studio One Animation, the creator of the popular preschool series Oddbods. It also bought the Little Angel YouTube network in February. Moonbug also signed a deal with Florida-based theme park operator and events company Falcon’s Beyond, with plans to expand Moonbug-owned IPs into theme park experiences.
Les Femmes S’Animent Announces Sponsors for Franco-African Mentorship
Les Femmes s’Animent (LFA) announces that Netflix, Canal+, France Télévisions, Newen Studios Group, CITIA, the French Ministry of Culture, Region Réunion, and the French Embassy of Benin have pledged their support for its Franco-African mentoring program, A Woman’s Journey (Parcours de Femmes).
A Woman’s Journey is a mentoring program for women from France and Africa who want to create short animated films but are not part of, nor have access to the animation industry. Launched in 2021 by LFA (Les Femmes s’Animent, an organization which supports women in French animation), the aim of the initiative is to help six teams consisting of one author and one director to develop a film project, from concept to pitch at this year’s Annecy Festival.
The program consists of three masterclasses provided by industry experts: Anca Damian (directing and writing a short film), Corinne Destombes (Producing a short film), and Lucy Walker (Copyright); and remote coaching sessions with the mentors, who support the female creators throughout the project. The mentees then travel to Annecy where they receive a final pitch preparation coaching session with Ucka Ludovic Ilolo, before presenting their project to an audience of international professionals.
A Woman’s Journey seeks to create a collection of short films that support a personal feminist perspective of the world around them. The six projects – selected from 50 submissions – were encouraged to explore the foundations of feminist education and how to create a more egalitarian society. Their films should take a concrete and committed look at the world, and the relationship between men and women. Three of the teams are from France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Réunion, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and three from Africa (Benin, Gabon/Niger, Ivory Coast). This is the first LFA project to extend beyond France, honoring the focus on Africa at last year’s Annecy Festival. The broad geographical remit was in part inspired by the Manifesto for a Feminist Education by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi which advocates for “the moral urgency of imagining a different education for our children together, in an attempt to create a fairer world for women and men.”
