Fred Kogel‘s contract as chief executive officer of Germany largest independent distribution-production company Leonine Studios has been extended until 2028, following an agreement between Kogel and Leonine’s corporate parent the Mediawan Group.
Kogel has been CEO of Leonine since 2019, when he founded the company together with KKR. Leonine became part of Mediawan in 2024, following a strategic partnership initiated in 2020.
Under Kogel’s leadership Leonine has evolved into the leading independent production and distribution group in German-speaking Europe over the past seven years.
Quirin Berg, who has been responsible for the content strategy of the fiction division of Leonine as chief creative- and co-chief production officer fiction since January 2020, will also be appointed deputy chairman of the management board of Leonine Holding GmbH on April 1.
Jochen Köstler, who has been executive vice president non-fiction and managing director of i&u Studios within the Leonine Group since January 2024, will join the management board of Leonine Holding GmbH as chief production officer non-fiction on April 1 and will be responsible for the entire non-fiction production division.
The management board of Leonine Holding GmbH is completed by Sarah Fischer, who continues in her role as chief people and sustainability officer; Max Wiedemann maintains his responsibilities as business development- and co-chief production officer fiction of Leonine Studios as well as head of AI Mediawan Group; and Bernhard zu Castell remains chief distribution officer, overseeing theatrical, home entertainment and audio distribution, the licensing segment as well as channels.
Kogel said: “I am delighted that we will be continuing on the highly successful path of Leonine Studios, the production and distribution group I co-founded. At the same time, I am looking forward to building on Leonine’s success in the future with Quirin and Jochen in their expanded roles, as well as Sarah, Max, Bernhard and our regional CFO Jens Mezger – my entire management team. In recent years, we have successfully tapped into additional potential thanks to our intensive collaboration with Pierre-Antoine Capton and the Mediawan Group. We will systematically continue to pursue this internationally successful course.”
Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founder and CEO of the Mediawan Group, said: “Our collaboration with Fred Kogel and Leonine Studios is truly strategic for Mediawan. At a time when our industry is consolidating, it perfectly illustrates what we have built: a global independent champion, driven by top-tier talent and a strong European vision. We are delighted to continue working closely with Fred and his teams and to further accelerate synergies across the group, such as ‘Weekend Warriors,’ Plan B’s movie adaptation of the film ‘Weekend Rebels,’ developed by Leonine Studios’ production banner Wiedemann & Berg Film – to develop more international projects and strengthen our growth together.”
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