Leonine Studios reshuffles leadership to solidify European media dominance
Leonine Studios has extended the contract of CEO Fred Kogel until 2028, ensuring continuity at the top of the German production and distribution group.
The agreement underscores Kogel's role in transforming Leonine into the leading independent studio in German-speaking Europe since its founding in 2019, according to the Munich-based company.
Kogel (pictured) established Leonine together with KKR and has led it through its integration into Mediawan Group, which began with a strategic partnership in 2020 and culminated in Leonine joining the European studio in 2024.
As part of the leadership reshuffle, Quirin Berg will be appointed Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Leonine Holding on 1 April 2026. Berg has overseen the fiction content strategy as Chief Creative and Co-Chief Production Officer Fiction since 2020.
On the same date, Jochen Köstler will join the Management Board as Chief Production Officer Non-Fiction. Köstler, currently Executive Vice President Non-Fiction and Managing Director of i&u Studios, will take charge of the entire non-fiction production division.
The Management Board will continue to include Sarah Fischer as Chief People & Sustainability Officer; Max Wiedemann, who remains responsible for business development and co-leads fiction production while also serving as Head of AI for the Mediawan Group; and Bernhard zu Castell, who oversees distribution across theatrical, home entertainment, audio, licensing and channels.
"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," said Kogel. "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 Mediawan Group, added: "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," he said. Capton highlighted joint projects such as Weekend Warriors, the Plan B adaptation of Leonine's Weekend Rebels, as examples of growing synergies.
Leonine Studios continues to operate as Germany's largest independent media company, producing and distributing premium content across film, series, social media formats, fiction and non-fiction. Its production brands include beetz brothers film production, hyperbole, i&u Studios, Leonine Documentaries, Madame Zheng Production, Odeon Fiction, SEO Entertainment, W&B Television, Wiedemann & Berg Film and Toon2Tango. The company also maintains a distribution business with an annual slate of 25 to 30 cinema releases and a library of more than 4,000 titles.
