A portrait of sales company Studio 100 International

“What is unique about us as the international arm of the Studio 100 Group is that we have our own animation studio, Studio Isar Animation, alongside our operations with the subsidiary Studio 100 Film being the movie sales agent of the company” Martin Krieger, CEO of Studio 100 International, observes

Founded in Munich originally under the name of Studio 100 Media in 2007, the company was able to acquire the rights and library of EM Entertainment to such iconic properties as MAYA THE BEE, HEIDI, and VIC THE VIKING and has since become one of the leading international players in the area of children’s and family entertainment.

In spring 2024, Studio 100 Media was then rebranded as Studio 100 International “because it really represents what we are doing as the international distribution, financing and production unit of the entire Studio 100 Group,” Krieger explains.

“Our strategy had always been to revitalize these brands by producing new series and movies around these characters, which led to the production of our first animated feature film MAYA THE BEE, released in cinemas in 2014,” Thorsten Wegener, Director Business Operations at Studio 100 International, recalls.

Since then, the company has been behind the production of another two MAYA THE BEE feature films as well as GIANTS OF LA MANCHA, and HEIDI – RESCUE OF THE LYNX, among others.

After initially concentrating on establishing itself as a production outfit, the company then decided that it would be best placed to also handle the international distribution of the rights to its productions.

“In a first step, we were only selling our own movies, but saw that there is definitely a demand for independent family animation movies aimed at the international market, so we then decided to take on third party titles as well,” Wegener explains. Productions by other animation studios to be found in Studio 100 Film’s sales line-up currently include 100% WOLF, 200% WOLF, and MY FREAKY FAMILY.

“Whenever we go into production on a movie or series, we’re thinking about line extensions in licensing and merchandising,” Krieger says. “What’s more, we have the possibility of extending the brand experience into the wider network of the Studio 100 Group because we have 11 theme parks which are also staging live shows. This is a real USP that we can offer as sales agent and co producer giving them access to this kind of a mini-major setup.”

“With our movies being in the budget range of 10-15 million Euros, the only way we can raise the finance is by working internationally in the classic independent way, looking for presales, using tax incentives, minimum guarantees and working with co-producers who bring in their own share of the financing,” Krieger continues.

“Given the challenges we are all facing in the market, it’s been increasingly important to join forces with established players in the industry because we are great believers in collaboration and creating projects and IPs with partners working in this field of family animation,” Wegener explains.

Thus, the company has forged strategic alliances with France’s Gaumont and Viva Pictures from the USA and acquired a stake in the Tenerife-based animation studio 3 Doubles Producciones in mid-2023.

Viva Pictures, for example, is a co-producer on two new productions FLAMINGO FLAMENCO and ON THE EDGE, while 3 Doubles will be a partner on the production of DOUGIE DOLITTLE, FLAMINGO FLAMENCO and ARNIE & BARNEY, the first major spin-off from the MAYA THE BEE franchise.

“We usually have a presence with stands at the markets in Berlin, Cannes, AFM, Hong Kong and Annecy and attend events like Cartoon Movie,” Krieger notes, adding that there is also a strong collaboration between Studio 100’s film and TV sales teams.

“It’s beneficial to have both content streams within the company because there are times when ideas come to us from the TV division which we can then follow up to develop as a movie project or vice versa,” he concludes.

Martin Blaney