Ciel Studios
EST. 2025 / INDEPENDENT
Ciel Studios
FILM · TV · DIGITAL · ORIGINALS
Independent entertainment studioLos Angeles · Paris · Tel Aviv
ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE · ORIGINAL STORIES — MADE TO MOVE ·
Our mission

Stories made
to move.

Ciel Studios develops and produces original stories across film, television and digital—combining timeless storytelling with an understanding of how stories travel across formats, audiences and borders.

What Ciel does

From first spark
to a life of its own.

Ciel Studios develops original ideas, builds projects around distinctive creative voices and guides them from development through production and beyond.

Each project begins in the format that serves it best, with the freedom to expand as audiences make it their own.

01

Film & Television

Original features and scripted series made with writers, filmmakers and talent we believe in.

02

Digital Originals

A direct-to-audience home for original stories, series and formats.

03

Commercials & Brand Partnerships

Concept-led campaigns, branded films and creative partnerships approached with the same care as our original work.

04

Music & Visual Culture

Music videos, visual albums and cinematic collaborations that bring an artist’s world to the screen.

DevelopmentProductionCreative DirectionTalent & PackagingAudience Strategy
Latest from CielFourteen tracks, one visual world
Black Midas cast and camera on setWatch the visual album ↗
01 / 2026Visual album

Black Midas

A complete visual world created for ZHU’s Black Midas—a 52-minute visual album with an individual film for each of its 14 tracks.

ArtistZHU
Ciel StudiosCo-production
Axelle AzoulayProducer

Behind-the-scenes photography by Keegan Burckhard

About us

Where stories
become worlds.

Ciel Studios is an independent entertainment company developing and producing original work across film, television and digital.

Founded by French-Israeli producer and director Axelle Azoulay, Ciel brings traditional production experience together with a direct understanding of how audiences discover, share and build relationships with stories today.

Some projects begin with an original idea. Others begin with a writer, filmmaker, performer or artist ready to build something larger. Ciel brings together creative development, production leadership and audience strategy to help each project find its strongest form—and the space to grow beyond it.

FounderProducer · Director · Creator
Axelle Azoulay, founder of Ciel Studios
AXELLE
AZOULAY

Behind Ciel

Axelle Azoulay is an award-winning French-Israeli producer, director and creator working across film, television and digital entertainment. She began acting professionally at five, appearing in more than 15 film and television productions in Israel and France before moving behind the camera. She has since produced more than a dozen films across the United States, France and Israel.

At American High, Axelle produced feature comedies for Hulu before co-founding and building American High Digital from the ground up. She discovered and developed its core cast, led its creative and production strategy and directed and produced original comedy—growing the network to more than 13 million followers and over 10 billion views in under three years. Its work earned a Webby People’s Voice Award and multiple YouTube Creator Awards, and she has served as a Webby Awards Executive Judge since 2025.

Axelle co-created and executive produced the original YouTube comedy Minimum Wage, which generated more than 30 million views before receiving a 28-episode Netflix series order. She directed the original series finale and continues as an executive producer on the adaptation. Her film credits include the #1 Hulu releases The Pizza Movie and Summer of 69, which received a Critics Choice Award nomination; Tribeca selection Never Change!; and Prom Dates, whose screenplay received a Writers Guild Award nomination.

Building on that trajectory, Axelle founded Ciel Studios at the intersection of traditional production and digital entertainment. Fluent in English, French, Hebrew and Spanish, she is now developing an international slate of original features, series and digital projects across the United States, France and Israel. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Axelle Azoulay directing beside a production monitor
Directing
Axelle Azoulay producing on the set of ZHU’s Black Midas visual album
Black Midas · Production
Axelle Azoulay with the complete Minimum Wage cast and crew
Minimum Wage · Original production
Axelle Azoulay collaborating with filmmakers on set
On set · Collaboration
Axelle Azoulay with the Summer of 69 team
Summer of 69 · Team
Axelle Azoulay with a collaborator at SXSW 2022
SXSW · 2022
Axelle Azoulay being interviewed on television about Summer of 69
Press · Summer of 69
Axelle Azoulay at SXSW 2025
SXSW · 2025
Axelle Azoulay holding a Webby Award
The Webby Awards

SELECTED FOUNDER WORK

MINIMUM WAGEYOUTUBE ORIGINAL → NETFLIX SERIES · CO-CREATOR · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER · WATCH ORIGINAL ↗ BACK TO SCHOOLMINIMUM WAGE SEASON FINALE · DIRECTOR · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER · WATCH EPISODE ↗ SINGLE IN FALLCOMEDY MUSIC VIDEO · DIRECTOR · PRODUCER · WATCH ↗ THE PIZZA MOVIEHULU · ASSOCIATE PRODUCER · SXSW 2026 OFFICIAL SELECTION · WATCH ON HULU ↗ THE LEGEND OF JUAN JOSE MUNDOEXECUTIVE PRODUCER · NEXT WAVE JURY PRIZE · WATCH TRAILER ↗ RAYMOUR & FLANIGANNATIONAL BROADCAST & SOCIAL CAMPAIGN · EXECUTIVE PRODUCER · WATCH SPOT ↗

Selected Screen Credits

NetflixHuluYouTubeThe Webby AwardsSXSWTribeca Festival

Press & Recognition

DeadlineMinimum Wage Receives 28-Episode Netflix Series Order2026 ↗Variety
Hulu’s Untitled BriTANicK Pizza Movie Rounds Out Cast With American High Comedians

Axelle Azoulay on building American High Digital and bridging digital entertainment and traditional film.

2025 ↗
Authority MagazineAxelle Azoulay: Inspirational Women in HollywoodProfile ↗

In Development

An active slate of original film, television and digital projects developed across formats and borders.

View the private slate Password required

Get in touch

Let's makesomethingthat moves.

Ciel collaborates with creators, artists, producers and partners across original development, production, directing and brand partnerships.