Nicolas Atlan to Lead Animation at Gaumont

PARIS/LOS ANGELES: As part of its efforts to expand its animation division, Gaumont has appointed former Splash Entertainment co-CEO Nicolas Atlan as president of animation, and Terry Kalagian as VP of creative for animation.

In their new positions, both execs will work out of Los Angeles under Sidonie Dumas, CEO of Gaumont, and Christophe Riandee, Gaumont’s vice CEO. Atlan will split his time between the Los Angeles and Paris offices. He will collaborate with Cecile Gaget, Gaumont’s president of sales on the movie side; Gene Stein, president of Gaumont Television in the U.S.; and Erik Pack, president of international distribution for Gaumont Television. Paris-based Pierre Belaisch will continue to serve as president of animation with a focus on European TV shows, and will now report directly to Atlan.

Atlan had been serving as co-CEO of Splash Entertainment since February 2014, when the company was rebranded from Moonscoop. He was also the president of Kabillion, Splash’s VOD platform for kids. Kalagian previously served as VP of business development for Rainmaker Entertainment. She has also worked for Mattel, Marvel, Starz Media and Cartoon Network, among other companies.

Riandee commented: “Having worked in both Paris and Los Angeles, Nicolas has an excellent track record in the world of animation. While at Splash Entertainment, he produced and sold Kulipari: An Army of Frogs to Netflix and the animated feature film Norm of the North to Lionsgate. He is the perfect executive to blend our European and new U.S. animation divisions, as well as helping Gaumont expand into the arena of animated feature films and increase its production activity on the television side. I welcome Nicolas to the team along with Terry, whom with 20-plus years of experience will be a great addition to Gaumont.”

“Growing up in France watching many of Gaumont’s well-known productions, and now witnessing all of the company’s recent success in the U.S., I am very proud to be a part of the team and to be given this tremendous opportunity to expand its animation division,” added Atlan. “I am grateful and proud of my time at Splash Entertainment and especially my close relationships with Mike and Liz Young, and the entire team. I wish them all much continued success.”

Gaumont plans to expand its animation activities into the U.S., building its animated feature film division and increasing activity in animated series.