French independent animation studio TeamTo has appointed Marco Balsamo as its president and CEO, following the company’s acquisition by Italy’s Riva Studios Productions SRL in December 2024. The 33-year-old Italian-American filmmaker and entrepreneur will now oversee TeamTo’s operations, balancing executive and creative responsibilities while positioning the studio for growth.
Co-founded by Balsamo and Tara Sibel Demren, the Italian production company partnered with Jay Oliva of Lex & Otis and investor Peter Bekkerman, to form a new ownership group with the purpose of securing the studio’s long-term future.
One of Balsamo’s key initiatives as CEO will be to diversify the studio’s production slate, ensuring it remains a competitive force in the industry. He will work closely with Oliva and Demren to develop bold new projects. Beyond his executive role, he will take on expanded creative responsibilities, serving as a showrunner, writer, and director across multiple projects.
Under its new leadership, the studio will expand its creative slate with a lineup of original IPs from Riva, broadening its reach into adult animation and 2D animation. It is currently developing Akira’s Flying Wheelchair, Junichiro Jackson, Yellow Cello and the Sea of Memories, The Adventures of Amir Hamza (based on the legendary South Asian epic), Cradle: Unsouled, Era: The Legend of Lugh, and Corvus Belli’s Infinity: Paradise Lost.
Balsamo commented, “This studio has built a remarkable legacy, and we’re committed to ensuring its long-term success. We also want to expand our reach to international partners, strengthen our presence in the global animation industry, and establish TeamTo as a leader in both original content and premium production services.”
Post the acquisition, Riva retained 90 per cent of the animation studio’s employees, ensuring continuity while stabilising operations. The new management structure includes long-term TeamTo executives Clélia Santi (head of studios, Paris, now located at 20 Rue de la Pierre Levée), Carole Toledo (head of studios, Valence), Jean-Baptiste Spieser (chief technology officer), Olivier Plazas (art director), and Fanny Weber (executive producer).
Some other key roles include Demren and Oliva as executive producers and Balsamo as producer, with further creative appointments to be announced in the near future.
Balsamo and Demren were aware of TeamTo’s financial situation, and had been exploring ways to save the studio from bankruptcy since early June 2024. Then a chance meeting with Oliva in New York in mid-October, just four days before the bid deadline led to their decision to acquire the studio together. With time running out, the group submitted their bid to the French court just 24 minutes before the deadline, securing TeamTo’s future.
Balsamo added, “The way this deal came together, so serendipitously, so quickly, still feels surreal. In an industry where animation studios are struggling, talented animators are being laid off, and decades of work are at risk of vanishing, we couldn’t let a studio with TeamTo’s pedigree be lost. We’ve always championed the independent spirit of filmmaking, and TeamTo embodies that same spirit. I couldn’t ask for a better team with whom to embark on this adventure.”
