‘Parallèles’ Maker Empreinte Poaches Cinétévé’s Top Producer Thomas Saignes (EXCLUSIVE)
Empreinte Digitale, the thriving Paris-based production company behind Disney +’s “Parallèles,” has hired Thomas Saignes, a well-established producer whose track record includes “Bad Banks” and “Parlement.”
Joining from Cinétévé, Saignes will be in charge of producing drama series and one-offs for streaming services and traditional TV channels, as well as spearheading Empreinte’s international co-productions.
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Saignes, who is based in Paris and lived a number of years in Montreal, Canada, has been actively involved in the financing and co-productions of films and series with international and European partners, notably Benoit Jacquot’s period movie “Farewell, my Queen.” Prior to Cinétévé, Saignes worked at the Luxembourg-based company Iris where he was involved in the ZDF-Arte series “Bad Banks” which Federation sold around the world. During his tenure at Cinétévé, Saignes collaborated with veteran producer Fabienne Servan-Schreiber and was a driving force behind several ambitious series, for instance Noé Debré’s political satire “Parlement” whose season 3 will soon launch on France Televisions; as well as the French-Italian series “Survivors,” and “Cuisine Interne,” an upcoming crime show set in the world of French gastronomy.
Headed by Raphael Rocher and Eric Laroche, Empreinte launched 19 years ago and currently ranks as one of France’s leading production companies. The banner, now part of Federation Entertainment, has built strong relationships with both streamers and TV channels. It has been a top purveyor of original shows venturing in genre – such as horror and science fiction — which are seldom tacked in France. The outfit’s recent credits include Thierry Poiraud’s “Infiniti” for Canal+, Quoc Dang Tran’s supernatural show “Parallèles” for Disney+, Charlotte Sanson’s “Les 7 Vies de Léa” for Netflix. Empreinte’s previous credits include “Marianne” for Netflix and “Missions” for OCS.
“Raphael Rocher has been a friend for the last 15 years and our first co-productions go back to 2009. I’ve always admired the steady and solid growth of Empreinte illustrated by their award-winning and daring productions,” said Saignes. “The duo formed by Eric and Raphael brought the company to an unmatched level of ambition and creativity,” said the producer.
Rocher described Saignes as “a passionate producer who is ambitious and extremely talented.” “We’re fan of his productions for the very start. It’s also been a long friendship which was born on the set of our first film,” said Rocher.
“(Saignes)’s talent, enthusiasm, creativity and vision are perfectly in tune with our ambition, energy and aspirations; and together we will bring Empreinte to reach a new milestone,” added Rocher.
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