Jerome Levy’s Vuelta Group, a private-equity-backed European studio, has acquired German production and licensing giant Telepool from Westbrook, the U.S. outfit controlled Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Vuelta will merge Telepool with Munich-based SquareOne, the German producer/distributor it acquired last year. SquareOne CEO Al Munteanu, head of Vuelta Group Germany, will take over the running of the merged company, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
Telepool has one of the largest rights libraries in Europe, with German-language rights to more than 1,200 titles, including such features as The Imitation Game, Drive, Olympus Has Fallen, Lone Survivor and French hit Intouchables, as well as Westbrook-produced features like Oscar-winner King Richard. Upcoming features include the Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man and Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War sequel, Lords of War, starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård.
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, who took over as CEO at Telepool two years ago, will leave the company.
Vuelta will merge Telepool with Munich-based SquareOne, the German producer/distributor it acquired last year. SquareOne CEO Al Munteanu, head of Vuelta Group Germany, will take over the running of the merged company, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
Telepool has one of the largest rights libraries in Europe, with German-language rights to more than 1,200 titles, including such features as The Imitation Game, Drive, Olympus Has Fallen, Lone Survivor and French hit Intouchables, as well as Westbrook-produced features like Oscar-winner King Richard. Upcoming features include the Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man and Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War sequel, Lords of War, starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Skarsgård.
Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann, who took over as CEO at Telepool two years ago, will leave the company.
- 5/8/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
European production and sales studio Vuelta Group has bought German producer Telepool from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.
The deal, struck through Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a combined business operating under the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the combined group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles such as Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the recently released One Life. It will form part of the growing Vuelta Group, which in July last year we revealed had formed through the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm, announced the news today along with Munteanu.
The deal, struck through Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a combined business operating under the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the combined group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles such as Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the recently released One Life. It will form part of the growing Vuelta Group, which in July last year we revealed had formed through the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm, announced the news today along with Munteanu.
- 5/8/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
German distributor-producer SquareOne Entertainment, part of rising European film studio Vuelta Group, has acquired German film and TV production, distribution and licensing company Telepool, which was owned by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.
The news was announced Wednesday by Vuelta Group chairman Jerome Levy and CEO of SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany Al Munteanu.
Munteanu will spearhead the newly combined entity under the SquareOne banner with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
The newly combined SquareOne entity will boast a library consisting of over 1,200 titles such as “Drive,” “Intouchables,” “The Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Imitation Game,” “Lone Survivor,” “Book Club,” “Transporter 3,” “King Richard,” “Maurice the Tomcat” and the recently released “One Life” among others.
“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of the leading global content houses and we are proud of the work we did with the company,” said Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada.
The news was announced Wednesday by Vuelta Group chairman Jerome Levy and CEO of SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany Al Munteanu.
Munteanu will spearhead the newly combined entity under the SquareOne banner with Michael Heyd serving as CFO/COO.
The newly combined SquareOne entity will boast a library consisting of over 1,200 titles such as “Drive,” “Intouchables,” “The Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Imitation Game,” “Lone Survivor,” “Book Club,” “Transporter 3,” “King Richard,” “Maurice the Tomcat” and the recently released “One Life” among others.
“For over 60 years, Telepool has been one of the leading global content houses and we are proud of the work we did with the company,” said Westbrook CEO Kosaku Yada.
- 5/8/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy and Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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