Zodiak Kids & Family France
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | |
| Founded | February 1990 |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Benoît Di Sabatino (CEO) |
| Parent |
|
| Website | www |
Zodiak Kids & Family France is a French animation company established in 1990 by Pascal Breton and Olivier Bremond. In 1999, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay joined forces with David Michel to broaden the studio’s animation portfolio. The current CEO leading the organization is Benoît Di Sabatino. The company has undergone several name changes, previously known as Marathon Productions, Marathon Animation, Marathon Media, and Zodiak Kids Studio France.
In September 2005, Marathon Media combined operations with the French branch of Bridgepoint Capital, a British private equity firm that owned TV production group Tele Images Productions. This alliance resulted in the largest production and distribution conglomerate in France, merging Tele Images’ subsidiaries GTV Productions and Adventure Line Productions, the latter recognized for producing Fort Boyard. Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel maintained ownership in Marathon’s animation sector. By January 2006, this merged entity adopted the name Marathon Group.
July 2007 saw the Italian investment firm De Agostini acquire Marathon Media along with its parent company, Marathon Group, from Bridgepoint Capital. This acquisition positioned De Agostini as a significant content producer within Europe.
In February 2008, Marathon Group purchased a controlling interest in KM Production, an independent French company specializing in entertainment shows and documentaries. Renaud Le Van Kim, KM Production’s founder, continued overseeing daily operations, thereby reuniting KM Production with Adventure Line Productions, another subsidiary under Marathon.
By May 2008, De Agostini expanded further through Marathon Group and Magnolia by acquiring Sweden-based Zodiak Television AB. This transaction created a global leader in production and distribution by integrating Zodiak with De Agostini’s existing television assets. The deal finalized in November 2008, with Zodiak Television AB rebranded as Zodiak Entertainment, encompassing subsidiaries such as Marathon Media and Tele Images.
In February 2014, David Michel, co-founder and general manager of Marathon Media, resigned from his position.