Wake Up

What Wake Up does

Wake Up Production is an independent French documentary film production company founded in 2021 and headquartered at 65 rue Michel-Ange in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The company specializes in documentaries and public utility fiction covering contemporary societal themes including education, technology, ecology, solidarity, and arts and heritage. Its film catalog of six titles includes 'L'Homme a mangé la Terre' (2019) on ecological crisis, 'On nous appelait Beurettes' (2018) on immigration narratives, 'École dans la forêt' (2022) on alternative education, 'What a Fantastic Machine!' (2023) on visual culture, 'Les Années SIDA' (2023) on the early AIDS epidemic, and 'Et si on levait les yeux?' (2024) on screen dependency in children. The most recent title was awarded the Grand Prix FIGRA 2024 and received the official 'Film d'utilité publique' designation from Acteurs Publics in 2025.

The company's core technology is documentary production supported by a network of experienced filmmakers (Jean-Robert Viallet, Axel Danielson, Maximilien Van Aertryck, Lise Baron, Bouchera Azzouz, Gilles Vernet, Anne-Charlotte Rouxel-Oldrà) and co-production partners including O2B Films, Les Nouveaux Jours Productions, and Sweden's Plattform Produktion. Distribution flows through three primary channels: broadcast partnerships with major French public broadcasters (ARTE, France Télévisions, Public Sénat), independent cinema distribution via Singularis Films, and a direct screening-debate service offering (projections-débats) that pairs films with filmmaker Q&A sessions, pedagogical kits, and workshops.

Wake Up generates revenue through production fees, co-production arrangements, broadcast licensing, and fee-based screening-debate events targeting schools (primary, middle, and secondary), public institutions (town halls, cultural centers), and enterprises. Production financing is anchored by institutional partners including CNC and Région Pays de la Loire. The company is led by co-founders and associate producers Guillaume Combastet and Alexis Bonon, with Germain Landier overseeing distribution. Five projects are currently in development, including a fiction drama series ('Pax Ecologica') that signals a planned format expansion beyond traditional documentary work.

Name

Wake Up

Legal name

Wake Up Production

Website

https://wakeupprod.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wake Up Production is an independent French documentary production company based in Paris that produces public utility films on contemporary societal issues and organizes screening-debate events for schools, public institutions, and enterprises, distributed via ARTE, France Télévisions, and Public Sénat.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Film Production

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADABAD

Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film & TV Production (Live-Action)

SECONDARYMPADABAG

Live-Action International/Co-Production & Service Production

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film & TV Production (Live-Action)

Keywords

• Documentary film production
• Public utility films
• Educational film distribution
• Screening-debate events
• Independent film company

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Film Production Services: Production of documentaries and public utility films, working with co-producers and broadcast partners. Revenue generated through production fees, co-production arrangements, and broadcast licensing.
2. Screening-Debate Events: Organizing projection-debate events for schools, public institutions, and enterprises. Includes filmmaker debates, pedagogical kits, and workshop facilitation as part of the service.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wake Up Production is an independent documentary film production company that creates and distributes "public utility" documentary and fiction films covering themes of education, technology, ecology, solidarity, and heritage. The company complements its film catalog with an educational screening-debate service (Projections-Débats) that delivers turnkey film screenings, director Q&A sessions, pedagogical kits, and workshops for schools, public institutions, and enterprises. Films are produced in co-production with broadcasters and partners such as ARTE, France Télévisions, Public Sénat, O2B Films, and Plattform Produktion.

Product overview

Wake Up is an independent production company founded in 2021 that produces and distributes documentary and fiction films of public utility. The core product portfolio consists of documentary films organized around thematic pillars (education, technology, ecology, solidarity, arts & heritage), distributed through theatrical releases and broadcast partnerships with Public Sénégal, ARTE, and France Télévisions. The company complements its film catalog with a screening-debate service offering that provides integrated pedagogical packages including school screenings, director Q&As, educational kits, and workshops for schools, municipalities, and businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Et si on levait les yeux ? Documentary on screen addiction and digital wellness, directed by Gilles Vernet (2024), inviting viewers to lift their heads from screens and reweave social bonds. Produced by Wake Up Production, broadcast on Public Sénat. Intended for schools, public institutions, and broadcasters as a pedagogical resource.
• Les Années Sida, à la mort, à la vie Documentary directed by Lise Baron (2023) on the early years of the AIDS epidemic, recounting the crisis, its losses, and the activism of those who confronted it. Produced by Les Nouveaux Jours Productions, broadcast on France Télévisions. Distributed for educational and broadcast audiences.
• What a Fantastic Machine! Documentary directed by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck (2023) exploring the camera as a distorting mirror and how images shape human gaze, desires, and fears. Co-produced by Plattform Produktion with Wake Up Production, broadcast on ARTE. Theatrically distributed by Singularis Films.
• École dans la forêt, une révolution verte ? 52-minute documentary directed by Anne-Charlotte Rouxel-Oldrà (2022) on alternative forest-school education, following children, parents, and educators in an outdoor pedagogical adventure. Produced by O2B Films, broadcast on Public Sénat.
• L'Homme a mangé la Terre 98-minute documentary directed by Jean-Robert Viallet (2019) offering an alternative history of technical progress and the era in which humanity is destroying the planet. Produced by Cinéphage Productions, ARTE, and Les Films du Tambour de Soie; broadcast on ARTE.
• On nous appelait Beurettes 52-minute documentary directed by Bouchera Azzouz (2018) portraying the first generation of women of Maghrebi descent born in France. Produced by O2B Films, broadcast on France Télévisions.
• Projections-Débats (Screening-Debate Service) Turnkey educational screening and debate service for schools (primary, middle, high schools), public actors (municipalities, cultural and social centers), and businesses. Each package pairs a Wake Up documentary with director Q&A sessions, pedagogical kits, and workshop facilitation to enable structured civic dialogue on contemporary societal themes such as screen addiction, ecology, image culture, and historical epidemics.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Public SénatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench public broadcaster and parliamentary channel. Broadcast partner for multiple Wake Up productions including 'École dans la forêt' and 'Et si on levait les yeux?'. Provides distribution platform for public utility documentaries.
• O2B FilmscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company co-producing several Wake Up films including 'École dans la forêt' and 'On nous appelait Beurettes'. Olivier de Bannes leads O2B Films as producer.
• Singularis FilmsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partner for independent cinema releases. Handles theatrical distribution for select Wake Up titles including 'What a Fantastic Machine!'
• Plattform ProduktioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish production company co-producing 'What a Fantastic Machine!' (2023) with Wake Up. Led by Axel Danielson and Maximilien Van Aertryck.
• Les Nouveaux Jours ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction company producing 'Les Années SIDA' (2023) with Wake Up. Maël Mainguy and Morgane Carriou as producers.
• ARTE FrancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFranco-German public broadcaster. Major broadcast partner for documentaries including 'L'Homme a mangé la Terre' and 'What a Fantastic Machine!'. Key distribution channel for European audience reach.
• France TélévisionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrench public broadcasting group. Broadcast partner for 'On nous appelait Beurettes' and 'Les Années SIDA'. Major national distribution platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Quark Productions: French production company producing documentaries and factual content for broadcasters including arte and France Télévisions. Closely comparable in scale and commissioning focus.
• Elephant Doc: French documentary production company specializing in feature docs and series for ARTE, France Télévisions, and international broadcasters. Closely mirrors Wake Up's broadcast-driven, public-interest documentary focus.
• ZED (Zed Productions): Leading French independent documentary and unscripted production company. Directly comparable as a French doc producer with broad broadcast partnerships and international co-production experience.
• Troisième Œil Productions: Mid-sized French documentary production company with established broadcast partnerships. Comparable in producing socially-themed documentaries for public broadcasters.
• Les Films d'Ici: Veteran French documentary producer with strong auteur relationships and ARTE/France Télévisions ties. Comparable as an established French documentary outfit focused on socially-engaged non-fiction.
• Agat Films & Cie: Independent French documentary and fiction producer working with prominent auteurs. Comparable in scale, business model, and broadcast-led distribution approach.
• Singularis Films: French independent distribution company focused on auteur documentaries and theatrical releases. Comparable as a distribution partner for socially-engaged French documentary titles.

Broad incumbents

• Haut et Court: Established French production and distribution company with documentary and fiction slate. Comparable as a French content producer/distributor with shared broadcaster relationships, but broader in scope and scale.
• ARTE France: Public Franco-German broadcaster that commissions and co-produces many of Wake Up's projects. Comparable as an industry counterpart in the French documentary ecosystem, but operating as a broadcaster/commissioner rather than independent producer.

Emerging players

• Petit à Petit Production: Independent French production company working in documentary and animation. Comparable as a small French production house with public broadcaster ties, though smaller in catalogue.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wake-up-prod

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wake Up