French animation film maker and distributor Cyber Group Studios has acquired a majority stake in Bristol animators A Productions in a deal that will involve them collaborating on new content for a global audience.
Paris-based Cyber Group Studios, best known for its award-winning Gigantosaurus series, pictured, and A Productions will start jointly producing a new kids’ animated series, Digital Girl, this year. 
A Productions already boasts a strong reputation for producing award-winning children’s content for many major UK and US broadcasters and streamers.
It has worked with some of the world’s most iconic characters, with notable productions including JoJo & Gran Gran for CBeebies – the first UK pre-school animation to centre around a black British family – Love Monster and The Tweenies for CBeebies, and The Monster at the End of This Story, Sesame Street’s first-ever animated special for HBO Max.
Founded in 1985, it is headed by joint managing directors Katherine McQueen and founder Mark Taylor.
It said teaming up with Cyber Group Studios was part of its wider business strategy to expand into new global markets.
It will now invest in developing its own original content (IP) through its development arm, alongside its growing creative-led service work.
The studio will also invest in and benefit from Cyber Group Studios’ latest technology innovations, such as its real-time animation pipe, to create breakthrough new content.
Cyber Group Studios was founded in 2005 and has two production studios in France, one in Singapore, an office in Los Angeles and two strategic partnerships in Russia and China.
It produces its own premium kids and family content with the potential to be developed into global IPs.
It recently set up a major real-time production studio in Roubaix, France, and this year has a strong roster of 10 series in production and 10 in development for linear broadcasters and platforms across all age groups from pre-school to young adults.
In a joint statement, Cyber Group Studios chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse said: “We are thrilled to be able to join forces with Mark, Katherine and the whole A Productions team to develop cutting-edge new content for a growing global audience.
“The productions developed by A Productions over the years are of exceptional quality; a great asset for this exciting new venture.”
Katherine and Mark added: “We are delighted to be joining the Cyber Group Studios family and are excited about the new opportunities this will bring.
“By teaming up with Cyber Group Studios, we’ll be able to further expand the studio, supporting our ambition to become one of the largest and leading animation studios in the UK in a competitive and growing global market.
“In Cyber Group Studios, we’ve found a partner who will support us in continuing our commitment to making the very best creative and authentic content, as well as driving forward our strategies for diversity and inclusion and staff wellbeing.”
