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Almost 20 years after creating producer and animation studio Blue Spirit, Eric Jacquot will soon leave the company. He will be replaced by Olivier Lelardoux, who just joined the company as Managing Director.
Olivier Lelardoux, who has been Studio Director and Associate Producer at Cyber Group Studios since 2005, has also directed more than 700 episodes of various animated séries, such as Gigantosaurus, Zou and The Chronicles of Zorro.
Blue Spirit explains that Olivier Lelardoux “will be in charge of developing Newen Kids & Family (Blue Spirit’s holding company, renamed at the start of the year), a unit dedicated to seeking out new talent and production companies, in France and abroad, in line with policy actively developed by the Newen group in other areas.”
The studio also adds that the transition will be as smooth as possible: “Olivier Lelardoux will take over responsibilities from Éric Jacquot in January 2023. After accompanying Olivier Lelardoux during the transition period, Éric Jacquot will leave the company, which he created in 2004, in June 2023.”
In addition to the arrival of Olivier Lelardoux, Blue Spirit also announced a new structure organized around four associate managing directors:
– Camille Gérard, director of productions at Blue Spirit since 2007, is appointed AMD of studios (Paris, Angoulême, Montreal) and head of executive productions (France and international).
– Sandrine Vellieux, who arrived in 2020, holds the position of CFO and is now AMD in charge of financial and administrative affairs.
– Frantz Delbecque, technical director, becomes AMD of Blue Spirit Lab, overseeing all technical resources and developments.
– Armelle Glorennec, CEO of Blue Spirit Productions, newly accompanied by Justine Francke, will now focus on delegate production (series and feature films), which has intensified in recent years.
Blue Spirit explains the reasons behind this new structure: “over the past 4 years, production has increased dramatically”. Three animated series are now produced at the same time (currently: Arthur and the Children of the Round Table, Alice & Lewis, Mille Bornes) instead of two. More series are being developped.
Moreover, Blue Spirit “has strengthened its development of feature films, some of which go into production in 2023. Four films are currently in development: “The Legend of (almost) King Arthur” directed by Jean-Luc François, “The Ballad of Yaya” directed by Cédric Babouche, “Cut and Run,” and “Colleen et Amélia” (in co-production with Syon in Canada).”
Last, but not least, “the Blue Spirit studios (Angoulême, Montreal and Paris) have experienced similarly strong growth with the manufacture of in-house productions, series helmed by French producers (Gigantosaurus, Samsam Season 3, Ernest & Célestine, Runes…), but also thanks to the executive production of ambitious international series such as Gremlins (Warner) and What if (Marvel). The studios employs over 300 people.”
For more information, you can check the official Blue Spirit website.
