Award-winning French animation studio, Xilam Animation, has appointed Safaa Benazzouz as the SVP of media sales distribution for Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Southern Europe.
Benazzouz will report to EVP of global sales development Morgann Favennec and will be responsible for sales across Xilam’s portfolio of kids’ animations including Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko, Paprika and new series Mr Magoo and Moka.
Favennec commented, “We’re thrilled to be welcoming Safaa to the Xilam Animation team. Having worked closely with Safaa in her previous role, I know that her wealth of experience in maximising sales opportunities for kids’ animated content makes her the ideal candidate to continue accelerating our presence in Latin America, MEA and Southern Europe and identifying new areas of growth.”
Benazzouz will be based in Xilam’s head office in Paris and is to commence her role from 25 February. Benazzouz will also work alongside Céline Carenco, the SVP media distribution who handles the Asia-Pacific, Northern and Eastern Europe markets to continue expanding Xilam’s international reach.
Benazzouz joins Xilam from French kids’ distribution company Superights where she held the position of sales manager for Asia, Latin America, Spain, Middle East, Africa and In-Flight sales and was also involved in acquisitions and global strategies. She first joined Superights as a sales assistant when the distributor was first founded by Favennec in 2013, playing a key role in building the company and quickly progressing to her most recent position.
Benazzouz added: “I am delighted to be joining Xilam during this exciting time of expansion. As Xilam continues to build its colourful portfolio of internationally loved kids’ animations, I look forward to once again working closely with Morgann and the rest of the team to bring the studio’s content to new audiences.”