Executive Changes Shake Up Vuelta Germany
In a notable shift within the German film sector, Dirk Schweitzer, the current CEO of MMC film studio, is stepping in as the interim leader of Vuelta Germany, part of Jerome Levy’s Vueleta Group. He will succeed Al Munteanu, who has held the position for just over a year.
Al Munteanu, who took the helm at Vuelta Germany following the merger between the German distributor Telepool and his own company, SquareOne, is transitioning to oversee SquareOne’s production arm, which he plans to rebrand as BriskPace Studios. Despite his departure, Munteanu will continue to be a shareholder in Vuelta and will function as a senior advisor.
During his tenure at Vuelta, Munteanu effectively managed the integration of several major entities, including SquareOne, Telepool, and EuroVideo. His strategic vision also led to the restructuring of Telepool’s international sales division, Global Screen, now falling under Vuelta’s French branch, Playtime. A crucial highlight of his tenure was securing a new booking and billing agreement with Constantin Film for their upcoming theatrical releases. The newly merged entity boasts an impressive library exceeding 1,000 titles available for German-speaking audiences, featuring acclaimed films such as The Imitation Game, Olympus Has Fallen, and the French blockbuster Intouchables.
“From the outset, Al was a leading architect of our strategy in Germany,” said Levy in a recent statement. “Vuelta Germany was instrumental in our 2024 acquisition of Telepool and the successful integration of the operations. While we will miss his leadership, we embrace his passion for production and wish him all the best for his future journey.”
Munteanu, reflecting on his time at Vuelta, expressed, “I am extremely proud of Vuelta Germany’s achievements under Jerome Levy’s stewardship and am certain of the continued success of this thriving pan-European production and distribution group of like-minded professionals. With my years of production, sales, and distribution expertise, I see only opportunity in these pivotal times for entrepreneurially-spirited, distribution-savvy producers to create outstanding work out of Europe.”
Before taking charge at MMC, Schweitzer amassed considerable experience at various renowned German media groups. His prior roles included CEO at Splendid Media, managing director at Tele-München Group, and head of program acquisitions and sales for RTL Group, a major commercial broadcaster in Germany.
Vuelta has been actively pursuing growth through acquisitions across Europe, bolstered by private equity backing. In addition to the German operations of SquareOne and Telepool, Vuelta’s portfolio includes The Indiana Production & Piper Film Distribution in Italy, Pan in France, WW Entertainment in the Benelux region, Scanbox Entertainment in Scandinavia, and Playtime, which houses Films Boutique, Film Constellation, Global Screen, and Be for Films.