David Michel, President & Co- Founder Cottonwood Media and MD, Federation Kids & Family.
The executive director and co-founder of the subsidiary company of Federation Studios, talked with Prensario about his new tween series, their current and future plans.
Cottonwood Media, a subsidiary of Federation Studios, created by David Michel, Zoé Carrera AllaixandCécile Lauritano, creates, produces and invests in premium, talent-driven content with a focus on bringing together North American and European audiences. The company specializes in a small niche of the kids and family live action market: high concept, high-end production-value properties with budget on a par with primetime series. Now, they present Spellbound, a tween series with a truly international cast and crew.
‘This is a high-end, big budget live action tween series shot in a cinematic style that employs similar production values to those seen in many prime-time series, which visually makes it stand out. Spellbound (26 x ½ hrs) combines ballet, magic, witchcraft, and mystery, but with inclusion and diversity at the heart of the production. The ballet world in particular has historically been dominated by none BIPOC dancers, but the world is changing (and rightly so) and things are evolving, so we wanted to find a talented dancer as the lead protagonist who could contribute to breaking stereotypes’ said David Michel.
Spellbound is produced by Cottonwood Media in co-production with Opéra de Paris and ZDF Studios, and leading international broadcasters Hulu, ZDF, and France Télévisions. Also, some of the creatives on the production have some impressive credits: FYI Executive producer is Renaud Mathieu (Emily in Paris, Patriot), Series Lead Director is Alexander Jacob (Theodosia, Hollyoaks), and directors include Annie Bradley (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Expanse).
Spellbound – © 2023 Cottonwood Media– ZDF – ZDF Studios – Opera National de Paris. All rights reserved. Photography by Jair SFEZ.
‘Our co-producers were involved previously in the three seasons of Find Me in Paris. Their trust and the success of that previous hit was what brought them to green lighting Spellbound last year. With production complete, both Federation Kids & Family and ZDF Studios who are handling worldwide sales will be presenting the series to buyers during MIPTV 2023’ added David Michel.
Spellbound’s character ‘Cece’ (Hailey Roman) is also a role model for all girls regardless of ethnicity who dream of joining a ballet school. The storyline sees a vivacious 15-year-old locate from a small town in the US to France to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School, where she’s on top of the world. But things turn upside down when she discovers a book of family spells in her Aunt Ginger’s apothecary and she unknowingly casts the antidote to a protection spell that has been hiding her identity since she was a little girl. Besides the dramatic and intriguing elements, the storylines in Spellbound are relatable to teens worldwide such as exploring school challenges, relationships, rivalry, romance, comedy, and more.
‘We cast a wide net in the U.S, UK and Canada, and found Hailey who was perfect for the lead role. Hailey was passionate about dance, a fantastic actress, and most importantly, credible as a Paris Opera ballet dancer. With an international cast, Spellbound offers a fresh perspective on ballet, with the added excitement of a magical twist. Besides the cast, with all our productions we seek out talent from a cross-section of the industry worldwide so we end up with a truly internationally diverse talent pool from the writer’s room through to directors, and executive producers’ said Michel.
To produce these properties, Cottonwood Media needs a strong line-up of co-production partners as broadcasters and platforms. But this is also about financial engineering and the ability to manage international crews in multiple territories, over long production periods.
The company’s future plans include subsequent seasons for their ongoing series, as well as brand new, high concept properties for the target demographic of 6 -12 year old, and their parents. They are also in the process of developing YA titles.Today they are looking at a good mix of live action and animation properties, all in line with their values as a company: focusing on a small number of high-budget curated properties; strong female leads; and prime-time quality storytelling.
