With the support of the Mediawan audiovisual group he co-founded, the dynamic businessman has purchased land and buildings at a former air base near Reims with the aim of turning it into a major film location.
Champagne! A European “Hollywood” wants to set up shop near Reims…
Behind this ambitious project is businessman and billionaire Xavier Niel.
He plans to transform nearly 50 hectares acquired on July 22 on a former air base in Champagne into a “center of excellence for European cinema.”
The future “Studios de Reims”—as they will be called—will be dedicated to the production of films, series, documentaries, and other digital content. They could be operational in the medium term, with the first sets expected to be delivered by the end of 2026. However, they will not be completely finalized before 2031.
The project is expected to create 250 to 300 local jobs.
Xavier Niel could well succeed once again. In his private life, the husband of Delphine Arnault always seems to be one step ahead.
Serial entrepreneur
Already a millionaire at the age of 24 thanks to… Minitel rose (a pornographic service company via the famous little box that was a huge hit in France before the arrival of the Internet), he is now best known for his activities in telecommunications as the founder of Free and Iliad (owner of numerous operators). But he has also invested in the media (notably as co-owner of Le Monde), in the hotel and leisure industry (the Lys-Chantilly golf course, the 5-star hotels L’Apogée Courchevel and Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France, etc.), the US Créteil football club, and Kyuta, a research laboratory that aims to become the European leader in open source artificial intelligence.
In 2010, he co-founded the Kima Ventures fund, which invests in start-ups, and in 2017 he launched Station F in Paris, the world’s largest incubator for start-ups. He is also behind the 42 school, which opened in 2013 and offers free training in programming and digital technical professions, open to all without the need for qualifications.
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