Dominique Bourse has been appointed Chairman & CEO of Cyber Group Studios, succeeding Pierre Sissmann. He was previously the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
“It is a great honor to follow in the footsteps of Pierre Sissmann, my partner since 1988, when we began nearly 14 years working together at Disney,” said Bourse. “After creating and managing the first European Entertainment & Media venture capital fund in 2000, since 2005, we have been developing an international group, now with 300 collaborators and partners, which has become a global player in the animation industry.
“Today, we are opening a new chapter in our story. Building on a solid foundation, a best-in-class management team, and driven by a phase of tremendous growth in the global market, the transition of leadership will be smooth. My ambition is for our company to enter the select circle of top independent global industry leaders.”
Sissmann commented, “I am extremely proud to have contributed toward creating a world leader in audiovisual animation programs with a great global team that has proven its capacity to innovate in both creative development and technology to develop the best programs. I leave it to Dominique Bourse, my partner of more than 30 years, to lead Cyber Group Studios and all its collaborators and artists to new heights and I thank him for all these years working together.”
While studio co-founder and longtime animation industry veteran Sissmann is officially retiring, he continues to work on the development of new series for the studio.
Founded in 2005 by Sissmann and Bourse, Cyber Group Studios is an international producer and distributor of animated programs for children. The company has created and developed a large catalog of original series, some of which, like Gigantosaurus, have become international franchises. While its series cover the complete range of animation styles and narrative genres, CGS believes the through line of all its projects (aimed at a global audience of children ages 3-12 and families) is a rich narrative experience supported by a strong musical component and technological innovation, thanks to the studio’s global talent pool, cultivated for many years.
Over the years, the company has internalized the value chain: It develops, produces and exploits its series’ media rights with linear broadcasters, streaming platforms and OTTs worldwide.
Cyber Group Studios also produces and/or distributes series owned by third-party producers, such as the production partnership The Walking Dead – Last Mile (Massively Interactive Live Event) with Skybound, Genvid Technologies and Meta in 2022.
The company leverages its intellectual properties with a global network of licensees and creates consumer products based on the characters in its series.
The group’s 300 employees are spread over three continents, with six development and/or production studios in France, the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Singapore. In addition, Cyber Group Studios has developed partnerships in other countries, including China (Gigantosaurus with CCTV) and Japan (collaboration with Square Enix on the Final Fantasy IX series). Over the past 17 years, the group has garnered multiple nominations and international awards.
“Our roadmap for the coming years is to continue our international development and the growth of our development/production platforms as well as to intensify our R&D strategy and digital business to offer ever richer and more immersive entertainment experiences. We will also enter the Young Adult segment,” said Bourse.
Learn more about the Group at cybergroupstudios.com.
