Anton Studios takes minority stake in The Creatives
Anton Studios is taking a minority position as a partner and investor in The Creatives, the alliance of independent producers working across Europe, the U.K., Israel and the U.S., as reported by Variety on 30 September 2026.
The term matters. A minority position means a smaller stake without overall control. That control stays with the producers. All 17 producers in the group are shareholders and control the group.
Independent here means separate from the big studios. These are creator-led firms that develop and produce their own films and shows, often with partners abroad.
The Creatives started in 2021 as a long-term strategic partnership. Five years on, it is turning into a solidified company with a jointly owned holding structure. In plain terms, that is a shared parent organisation owned together by the members. The new company will be formally created at closing, the final legal step, after technical work expected to take a few months. Closing is normal in company deals. Lawyers and accountants complete the paperwork before the new structure takes effect.
Romain Bessi remains as chief executive. He stays in charge. His past sits squarely in French film and television. He led Newen Studios/Studio TF1 as chairman and chief executive within the TF1 Group until 2024. Before that he served as group chief operating officer of Studiocanal. Earlier still he was chief financial officer for the Canal+ channels in France and chief executive for Canal+ in the Nordics.
The roll call shows the reach. In France the members are Haut et Court and Unité. In Germany they are Komplizen and Razor Film. The group also includes Good Chaos in the U.K., Lemming Film in the Netherlands and Belgium, Maipo Film in Norway, Spiro in Israel and Masha in the U.S., according to Variety.
Anton Studios is led by Sébastien Raybaud. The size and price of its stake were not disclosed in the report.
What makes this stand out is the balance. The producers keep command. One outside backer joins for investment and partnership. For viewers, nothing changes on screen yet. The work is behind the camera, in who owns what and who decides what gets made.
