Paris-based Federation Studios has hired Jérômine Ader de la Villardière (pictured) to spearhead international sales for its kids content.

She will work in the prodco’s distribution division as an international sales manager for drama and kids, overseeing business in Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the Middle East. 

Ader de la Villardière officially starts on September 1 and will report to Federation’s head of international sales, Sarah Zarka. She most recently worked as a sales manager at Parisian distributor Superights for six years, following a short stint as a distribution assistant at French studio Gaumont. Ader de la Villardière will replace Isabella Barsumian, who is departing Federation after five years to pursue new business opportunities. 

This new hire is well-timed, given that Federation’s distribution division is seeing a “rapid increase” in international sales activities. (It’s why the company also hired Ilan Sarfati to start as an international sales manager for documentaries this week.)

Federation has just closed a raft of sales for ZDF/Cottonwood Media live-action series Theodosia. BBC pre-bought the upcoming second season after season one’s strong performance on its platforms, and Catalonia’s TV3 picked up both seasons (52 x 30 minutes). 

The tween adventure show debuted last year on US streamer Max and quickly generated a lot of interest among international buyers with its premise about a young teen Egyptologist who uses magic to fight ancient curses. The latest channels to pick up the first season include Italy’s RAI, BYUtv in the US, Spain’s AMC Networks International and RTL Nederland for its Videoland SVOD.