After 23 years in Paris, he created an animation studio in Marseille

Bubbling ambitions for series production and the local ecosystem

Artist at heart and project editor, Thierry Berthier develops his activity in Marseille from his new office in the Belle de Mai Media Center.

After 23 years spent in Paris, this specialist in youth animation series is currently juggling his own production projects with those of the local ecosystem. As a founding member of the SudAnim network, which now federates more than 100 professionals in the Southern Region, Thierry Berthier aims to grow the animation industry in Provence. He is mobilized to carry out a project of an animation cluster in the hypercenter of the city of Marseille gathering professionals, students and also open to the general public.

«In 2018, when I decided to move to Marseille, my entourage was perplexed, but in reality this choice was 100% a win-win for me,» says Thierry Berthier, who has been running Toon Factory with Maureen de Choiseul since 1999.

Upon his arrival, Thierry Berthier gave himself time to discover the creative industries ecosystem of Aix-Marseille. He continues to make weekly trips while being convinced of the opportunities of the territory. «Marseille is one of the few places in France where business can be exponential and not just in my sector. Real estate is still affordable and there is a real desire to set up projects,» he observes.

Although he still has a foothold in Paris with two sound recording studios and four employees on site, his trips to the capital have been reduced to one per month. The production part of Toon Factory has been closed and after a delay due to the health crisis, he opens in April 2022 Chromatik, in Marseille. This facility has both 2D and 3D animation technology and is run with two other associates Mathieu Morfin, the president of SudAnim, and Christophe Camoirano, a producer and director.

«The installation of the studio in Marseille within the Belle de Mai Media Center was an obvious choice given the DNA of this site dedicated to audiovisual and multimedia. Chromatik has taken up residence on a 300m2 set shared with two other players in the industry: Studio Animation and Cocoribou Films,» explains Thierry Berthier, who has received financial support from the Southern Region.

Start of recruitments for the Marseille-based studio

«The contracts we have signed allow us to have a visibility on the 2 years to come. With several other projects well underway, we are confident» says Thierry Berthier. For example, Toon Factory is currently working with Canal Plus to create 52 11-minute episodes based on the popular book "Ratatiner les monstres" and with France Televisions on a series for young children adapted from Preschool éditions.

Like Toon Factory, Chromatik's goal remains focused on children’s open-mindedness. An adaptation of Ducobu is also being considered. These creative projects will require recruitment in the region, with the opening of 10 positions for 10 animator-composer profiles on Toon Boom software. «The issue of schools is important for us. The number of students must increase in order to grow a pool of skills and talent,» explains Thierry Berthier, who is committed to the development of the industry and aims to create 20 jobs in production and other services.

Actor of the animation sector in Provence

First a founding member and treasurer of the SudAnim professional association, which has grown from 10 members to more than 100 in 1 year, Thierry Berthier is now spearheading the creation of a large-scale animation center in the hypercenter of Marseille.

«The vocation of this center will be to gather and attract professionals, to make the industry grow by training new generations in all 2D, 3D, stop motion and motion design techniques, in complementarity with existing actors. We would like to integrate two schools to provide excellent training, a sound production room, but also exhibition and reception areas for the general public» exclaims Thierry Berthier, who has begun to discuss the project with a number of partners and is preparing to submit a file as part of the France 2030 call for projects, "La grande fabrique de l'image". After following this project for the past year, Provence Promotion is happy to support Thierry Berthier’s growth and new animation studio here in the Provence Region.