Emmanuel Benbihy Email & Phone Number

Cascais, Lisbon, Portugal

Opening: January 2028.We are in the process of crafting an exquisite Family Entertainment resort, sprawled across a lush 10-hectare estate near the picturesque Cascais, Portugal.Our club will offer of world-class attractions, including hyperbowling, billiards that meet international competition standards, electric karting, and a vibrant roller rink. It will also house cutting-edge VR experiences, state-of-the-art sports simulators, karaoke & party rooms, and a thematic blacklight mini golf course. Catering to all age groups, the facility will feature an expansive Montessori nursery, sophisticated indoor & outdoor playgrounds, wellness & fitness amenities in a bamboo-made environment, and a relaxing business centre. It will include a gourmet French patisserie & specialty coffee shop, a main high-casual restaurant & bar, a futuristic Asian restaurant, and a Moroccan fine-dining rooftop.The architectural design of the resort will be a harmonious blend of nature-inspired aesthetics and retro-futuristic elements. It will be brought to life by a dream team of architects & engineers, adhering to the highest sustainability & regeneration standards. The resort’s symbiotic relationship with its natural surroundings will be its most compelling attraction.The ethos of the Elysium Club is holistic and inclusive, with a focus on inner harmony, reconnection with nature, and collective happiness. Our philosophy eliminates the need to choose between personal pleasure and the joy of others, fostering a community where both can coexist.A variety of indoor & outdoor performances will be thoughtfully curated, encompassing a diverse range of concerts, shows, cultural events, and debates throughout the year. These intimate experiences will be designed to foster learning, facilitate meaningful exchanges, and promote collective engagement about key topics of our time.The Elysium Club is designed to contribute to the development of its members while entertaining them.

Global

Building a global network of non-profits, media ecosystems & digital platforms in various cities around the world. Secured USD 9 million in brand sponsoring. Key cities: Rio de Janeiro, Delhi, Shanghai, Malmö, Rotterdam, Marseille.• Producing at high standards; Supervising development, financing, realization, production, communication & distribution.• Using digital technology & content to “spread love” with positive news & impactful activations starting with cities, by reconnecting urban citizens with their local culture, with other people of their city & nature.• Building the “communities of the people who love a city”; Exposing them to content that lifts their spirits, makes them feel proud & restores their sense of belonging; Engaging them with various facets of sustainability; Tracking data; Adjusting.• Developing partnerships with artists, institutions, corporate & private donators, local & international NGOs, prominent brands & creative industries; Boosting financing & viewership. • Leveraging resources & approaching top global influencers from all walks of life to stimulate content creation, digital engagement & community activation.My role was to share a vision, inspire, unfold & anchor a model, support & lead teams across the world, adapt to local cultures & legislations. To become financially self-sustaining, we took prominent partners & brands on a journey of social contribution to local life in a burgeoning & fast-changing digital world. I learned to identify these partners’ values, engage them into meaningful actions, execute & deliver digital campaigns that were impacting local urban life.

Miami

Feature-films produced: Paris, Je T’aime (2006) / New York, I Love You (2009) / Rio, I Love You (2014) / Berlin, I Love You (2019). Average film budget: USD 13 million.• Format creation & concept strategic design.• A-list talent sourcing, recruitment & management - Partnerships with US Talent Guilds validating the Cities of Love ‘collective feature-films’ format.• Development, financing, production (> 1,000 people), communication & distribution in 50+ countries.• Opening Film, Cannes Film Festival 2006, ‘Un Certain regard’ section, and selection in numerous A-list film festivals.• Set up of a licensing model - Creation of a strategic, legal & production guideline provided to international producers who acquire a license to produce a Cities of Love movie.Producing innovative films against all odds (Paris, Je T’aime - 22 directors, 29 writers, 25 sub-Producers, 17 cinematographers, 8 editors, 5 music composers), integrating or recruiting top international talents, communicating extensively before & after social media era, partnering with key players, launching prestigious events & selling globally... I learned the power of vision, determination, adaptability and hard work. The sky was the limit.Yet, the world was turning digital, and Cities of Love needed more than films.

Remote

Animation series produced: Koan Season 0 (2021) by Pak Hou Chau (Macau), 5 episodes.Animation series co-written & developed: Koan Season 1 (2022), multiple directors, 8 episodes.Cutting edge animated anthology series that offer shattering perspectivs on existential concepts.Strategic Leadership:• Multimedia content strategy (animation, music, poetry, visuals, identity, events, etc.).• Multiple strategic researches & workshops about Blockchain technology and the future of the creative economy, intellectual property, brand developement / engagement / purpose, community building, film & music industries, asset tokenization (real estate), licensing, artifical intelligence, internet of things, etc.Productive & creative years positioning a company using blockchain technology to be at the forefront of a paradigm shift in the field of collective creation & democratization of licensing.

Shanghai, China

2015-2016• Production of 20 short-films with students from12 to 25 years old mentored by film professionals.• Partnerships with local & international schools.• Prestigious end-of-the-year awards ceremonies. Event host (1,500 members).• Support program for students entering established films schools from overseas (i.e. NYU, USC, etc.).• Mentoring program for aspiring directors on international Cities of Love productions.2017-2020• Organization of screenings (fiction) followed by 3-hour debates on key topics involving leading experts.• Moderated discussions with up to 100 audience members. “No social media policy.”• Shadow Director / Producer on TV commercials (Lancôme, Loro Piana, Honda, H&M).Working globally from Shanghai gave me a rich perspective on the world. I have been amazed at China’s ability to innovate and set new standards in the marketing & digital spheres. As a producer, I contributed by supporting aspiring content creators. As a strategist, I sustained the conversation by creating an arena for deep exchanges taking a work of fiction from another time as a starting point. As a passionate commentator & positive community leader, I shared hundreds of articles (WeChat) & wrote multiple texts meant to engage people in building a better future. Story-telling is at the crossroads of everything I do.

Paris Area, France

Advertising & Film - Production of multiple TV commercials, short films & music videos.Feature-film produced: Abjad - The First Letter (35mm, 2003) by Abolfazl Jalili (Iran).• Period movie (1979) shot in Iran at the peak of the war in Afghanistan.• Unique official international coproduction between France, USA, Iran, and Israel.• Official Competition, Venice Film Festival 2003; 10-minute standing ovation. In my first years as an independent & director-driven producer, I learned to operate within the frameworks of my industry: from creative integrity to market standards, from institutional constraints to investors’ expectations, from directors’ visions to team creation. Producing films & content is a deeply collective experience whose completion & success is rooted in the consideration of all participating interests.

Paris Area, France

Development of a non-denominational collection of 12 feature-length films inspired from the ‘parables’ of the New Testament (Bible) & directed by filmmakers from all over the world.• Development Fundraising (USD 800,000).• Talent relationships, recruitment & management.• Script development & moderation of a script-writing workshop.• Marketing & set up of a European Economic Interest Grouping of independent producers.• Festival & market participation.• Developed: Strokes of Fire (2002) by Im Kwon-taek (South Korea); Official Competition, Cannes Film Festival 2002.Passionate about film, I made my first steps developing scripts with directors from India, South Korea, Argentina, Georgia, Mexico, Japan, etc. I learned how to nurture a story and a creative relationship, and how to help directors achieve their vision... sometimes by making their work more accessible to all or by refocusing on their core intention. That project was my first transnational strategic production.

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

Specialized in analyzing the strategic development of Asian film industries.• Multiple travels to South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan & China.• Extensive reporting on film education, production & distribution.• Youngest speaker about the ‘Future of Asian Films’ at the 1997 Busan Film Festival.Educating myself about the film industry felt like the natural continuity of my passion for world cinema. During these years, I became convinced that the future of film, creatively and commercially, was in Asia, and I discovered my vocation: producing. My aspiration was to produce Asian films.

West Hollywood, California, United States

Paris, Ile-De-France, France

High-end restaurant dedicated to classical & world music.• Entrepreneurship, staff management, negotiations (inc. music rights), budgeting;• First cooperation with artists & music performers: top European talents in the classical music world.• Hosted concerts of Philippe Lavil, Rita Mitsouko, etc.

Deug, Japanese

Master'S Degree, Marketing & International Trade