Studiocanal, the European powerhouse behind “Paddington,” has created a genre label dedicated to the development, production and distribution of horror, thriller, sci fi and action films and TV series.
The company has hired Jed Benedict, a well-known executive who previously worked for the U.K. distribution banner Elysian Film Group, to run the new label.
Benedict will be based in the U.K. and will be reporting to Ron Halpern, the EVP of global production. He’ll be spearheading the editorial line in genre content, and will also work with the French production team at Studiocanal.
Benedict’s “knowledge of content, his international network and his expertise in acquisitions, development and production make him the ideal profile to develop Studiocanal’s genre content,” said Studiocanal’s CEO Anna Marsh. “This new label will increase our presence in the market which has many dedicated genre enthusiasts we want to cater for, and it comes with high ambition to announce projects under Jed’s curation in the months ahead.”
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Benedict previously worked at Studiocanal U.K. from 2012 to 2020. He worled as senior acquisitions manager and helped build a line up which included Lenny Abrahamson’s “Room,” Morten Tyldum’s “The Imitation Game” and Kenneth Lonergan’s “Manchester By The Sea.” His acquisitions in the U.K. included David Mackenzie’s “Hell or High Water,” Thomas Vinterberg’s Oscar winning “Another Round” and Rose Glass’s “Saint Maud.” He then joined Danny Perkins’ CAA backed U.K. distributor Elysian Film Group, which recently acquired Hayao Miyazaki’s BAFTA winning “The Boy and the Heron” with Anonymous Content and Bleeker Street.
“I am so delighted to return to Studiocanal who have fully embraced the opportunity to create a destination for talented artists — established and new — with bold and daring visionary ambition,” said Benedict.
“The new genre label allows us the freedom of working in the shadows where we believe the genre film experience can be the most visceral, collective, and cathartic of any type of cinema,” said the executive, who pointed out the new label will focus on series and films “where storytellers need not run from the darkness.”
Benedict’s label will also exploring opportunities within Studiocanal’s sprawling library comprising over 9,000 titles and spanning 100 years of film history.
