The little animator from Casablanca has grown up well. At 57, Jacques Essebag, better known as Arthur, has become a formidable businessman. Its television production group satisfaction group has become the French leader in independent production, with new international ambitions.
The group, created in 2010, already has more than 1000 hours of programs to its credit. Satisfaction Group benefited from the experience of its founder who had previously worked as president of Endemol France. Its activities are classic, creation, purchase and sale of audiovisual programs. His first real success was the program “Friday, everything is allowed” broadcast on TF1, a concept that was successfully adapted in more than thirty countries.
WITH SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
This recovery marks a turning point for the group, transforming it into a leader. It was two years ago, Satisfaction Group bought Sony Pictures Television France whose catalog of around 120 programs included shows as popular as “Who wants to be a millionaire?” » or the « Z’Amours ».
This takeover is in line with an external growth strategy that had already been expressed through the takeovers of Ah Production!, La Grosse Équipe and Enibas. Beyond consolidating the group’s activities on French territory, the agreement with Sony Pictures Television has opened up a new opportunity to negotiate an international turn. The contract allows not only to benefit from exclusive access to the Sony Pictures Television catalog in France, but also and above all to facilitate the distribution of the programs of the French entity in Anglo-Saxon countries, in particular in Great Britain and North America, while Satisfaction is more positioned in Southern Europe.
In 2022, Satisfaction is continuing its partnership policy, this time with Webedia and Reworld Media, causing strong growth in the distribution of its catalog
2023, DECISIVE STEP
The future is strengthening on the international side for Satisfaction, which has just signed a new agreement with Sister, the group of Elisabeth Murdoch, the daughter of the famous press mogul Rupert Murdoch, and Yes Yes Media, Richard Bacon’s company, also a creator, animator and producer in the UK.
These two entities are already associated and are creating new programs, an opportunity for Satisfaction and for its new British partners, to which must be added Fulwell (James Corden) and Electric Hot dog (Jimmy Fallon). The market has evolved, the major television channels are in high demand for innovation, because the new platforms want to keep the exclusivity of their series and fiction, which forces other players to find and launch new successful concepts.
ARTHUR CAN DO IT ALL
The native of Casablanca, born in 1966, arrived in Massy the following year, has always worked in the media. Various radio events since his debut, then for entertainment programs have made him familiar to the French public who appreciate his smile and his humor. He admits that, if television brought him greater popularity, it was radio that formed and fascinated him.
A free radio of Massy, RFM, Skyrock, Fun Radio then Europe 1 are the flagship years of youth. He had his first experience as a producer with Planetarthur.com, in charge of the radio shows he hosted. Actor, humorist, he embarked on a theatrical tour with a one-man show in 2005, actor, he also participates in the play “Dîner de Cons”. An activity that was his first passion, before television captured his energies. However, he kept his promise to play in public for his 40th birthday, always in rooms with a human dimension.
30 YEARS OF CAREER
Arthur is also and above all a businessman who got into production by creating a company with Stéphane Courbit in the 90s. At the time, the latter worked with and for Christophe Dechavanne. Arthur wanted to get into production, Stéphane wanted to be on his own, the two men found themselves to set up projects together, hence the creation of Case Productions. The Endemol group and Case Productions join forces to create ASP Endemol.
Created in the process, the subsidiary Endemol France becomes essential in the French television landscape. The early 2000s corresponded to the advent of reality TV, it was the time when Arthur met John de Mol, the originator of the idea for what would become Loft Story. Arthur sells his shares in 2007.
The Endemol adventure is over, here is the birth of the Satisfaction group in 2010 after some investments in radio such as OÃœI Fm, sold in 2019.
At 57, the man has sometimes been a little scattered following his favorites, today it is clear that TV has once again become his favorite field. And the adventure is far from over, because Arthur has been able to create over time a group of 150 employees (including 2/3 women) whose objective he has set: to reach 500 million in turnover. within three years.
This article is originally published on entreprendre.fr