Xilam Animation Appoints Caterina Gonnelli as EVP, Content

French studio, Xilam Animation, has just announced the appointment of Caterina Gonnelli as executive vice president of content. She will work alongside executive vice president, content, Jean Brune, overseeing all editorial content, increasing the company’s slate, and conducting development to address market needs. Gonnelli’s expertise in the worldwide market of kids’ content will help strengthen Xilam’s reach across distribution channels and platforms in the five continents.  Gonnelli will be based in Xilam’s Paris head office and will report to CEO Marc du Pontavice.

Prior to Xilam, Gonnelli was Disney’s director of acquisitions and co-productions for the Disney Channels EMEA. She joined The Walt Disney Company in 2012, initially focusing on local acquisitions and productions for the French market. Her role expanded over the years to include multi-territory pre-buys and co-productions across the EMEA region for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior. Gonnelli previously held positions including development executive and creative producer at independent French production companies.

“We are thrilled to add such a remarkable talent to Xilam’s top executives,” commented du Pontavice. “Caterina has built a very strong profile over the years from development to production, from acquisition to programming, at one of the world’s most prominent kids’ studios. Such invaluable expertise will boost Xilam’s response to a very fast-growing market towards premium kids’ content.”

“Xilam Animation has established an impressive, diverse and engaging slate of projects for kids and their families,” added Gonnelli. “I’m thrilled to be joining Marc and the team at this exciting time of growth as the company gears up for major new series launches, including Oggy Oggy for Netflix, and to continue shaping the company’s vision and content offering.”

Source: Xilam Animation