Olivier Lelardoux joins Blue Spirit as Managing Director. He arrives on March 1. 

He will take over responsibilities from Éric Jacquot in January 2023. After accompanying Olivier Lelardoux during the transition period, Éric Jacquot will leave the company, which he created in 2004, in June 2023. 

Olivier Lelardoux will notably be in charge of developing Newen Kids & Family (Blue Spirit’s holding company, renamed at the start of the year), a unit dedicated to seeking out new talent and production companies, in France and abroad, in line with policy actively developed by the Newen group in other areas. 

Since 2005, Olivier Lelardoux has been Studio Director and Associate Producer at Cyber Group Studios. He has directed more than 700 episodes of a dozen animation series, including Gigantosaurus, Zou and The Chronicles of Zorro. 

In line with growing activity, Blue Spirit recently reviewed its structure, which is now organized around 4 Associate Managing Directors: 

• Camille Gérard, director of productions at Blue Spirit since 2007, is appointed AMD of studios (Paris, Angoulême, Montreal) and head of executive productions (France and international).
• Sandrine Vellieux, who arrived in 2020, holds the position of CFO and is now AMD in charge of financial and administrative affairs.
• Frantz Delbecque, technical director, becomes AMD of Blue Spirit Lab, overseeing all technical resources and developments.
• Armelle Glorennec, CEO of Blue Spirit Productions, newly accompanied by Justine Francke, will now focus on delegate production (series and feature films), which has intensified in recent years.

Over the past 4 years, production has increased dramatically, with series including “Arthur and the Children of the Round Table, Season 2,” “Alice & Lewis, Season 2,” “Mille Bornes,” development of  the series “The Borrowers,” “Splat & Seymour, Season 2,” “Nightmares are in Trouble,” and “The Baker Street Four” in co-production with Folivari.  Blue Spirit works successfully with the largest major French and international channels, including TF1, France Télévisions, Canal +, Rai, ARD, Warner, and Globo.  

In parallel, Blue Spirit has strengthened its development of feature films, some of which go into production in 2023. Four films are currently in development: “The Legend of (almost) King Arthur” directed by Jean-Luc François, “The Ballad of Yaya” directed by Cédric Babouche, “Cut and Run,”  and “Colleen et Amélia” (in co-production with Syon in Canada). 

The Blue Spirit studios (Angoulême, Montreal and Paris) have experienced similarly strong growth with the manufacture of in-house productions, series helmed by French producers (Gigantosaurus, Samsam Season 3, Ernest & Célestine, Runes…), but also thanks to the executive production of ambitious international series such as Gremlins (Warner) and What if (Marvel). The studios employ over 300 people. 

Romain Bessi – CEO of Newen Studios 

“It has been a great privilege to work with Eric over the past 4 years and we are delighted he will continue to accompany Blue Spirit until mid-2023. The development of this company, which he has led on both creative and technical fronts, is exceptional. Blue Spirit now holds an essential place in the industry and, notably, has managed to earn the trust of global platforms while supporting major French players, producers and broadcasters. Eric has always been keen to prepare for the next steps in the best possible conditions and to find a structure that capitalizes on Blue Spirit’s talents while also strengthening them. He couldn’t have found a better choice than the arrival of Olivier Lelardoux, whose skills, experience and positive energy will accelerate the development of animation within the Newen group even further. 

Eric Jacquot – CEO of Blue Spirit 

“I leave the company in the hands of a wonderful team, who have been at my side for many years.  

Armelle, Camille, Frantz, Sandrine, everyone in Paris and across our different studios: it is through your talents and energies that this great studio was built. A huge thank you to everyone.  

A big thank you to Romain Bessi, Managing Director of Newen, for your unwavering support over the past years and your tremendous encouragement in accelerating our growth.  

My thanks to Eleanor for assisting us on the pre-sales of our projects and on the international studio projects.  

It is with pleasure and confidence that I entrust the keys of the Blue Spirit house to Olivier, with whom we have been talking and working for a very long time.  

He is a long-term director (Gigantosaurus 2 & 3 produced in 24 months), an artistic director, a producer, a studio director with a deep understanding and knowledge of the international market, as well as a firm grasp of the technological challenges to come.” 

Olivier Lelardoux –  New Managing Director  

“I am delighted to join Blue Spirit and the Newen group. Over the course of my many collaborations with Blue Spirit as a producer or director, I was able to appreciate the vision and professionalism of Eric Jacquot who, in association with Armelle Glorennec and her teams, has created a true jewel of French animation. It is a great honor for me to take up the torch and continue Eric’s work, to support the teams during the extensive transformation of our industry, and to explore new content and creative territories. It is also a privilege for me to work alongside Romain Bessi and together I look forward to forging new, ambitious and stimulating synergies within the Newen group.”