Entertainment Industry Venture Capital Firms?

Media Rights Capital/Group is an interesting, newer independent content investor; Katalyst Media, run by Ashton Kutcher, is another interesting group that has come out fairly recently. Also, alot of the big agencies, like William Morris and CAA have their own in-house new media groups, that invest in entertainment based new media startups. Will look for a list of prior investments, can shoot it to you, curious myself.

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Thank you. I'm actually interning at a VC firm while I'm finishing up my degree (they focus on an industry not at all related to entertainment). I have a business model and a start-up all planned out, but since I'm so new to the industry I have no idea where to go with funding ideas. I could pitch my idea to the guys here because they invest in start-up funds, but they don't focus on the industry I am interested in starting my start-up in... if that makes any sense at all. :)

What do you mean by entertainment based companies? If we are saying film industry, Media Rights is focused on a specific type of production funding. If you mean Gap financing Grosvenor Park is more involved in the field, along with Legendary Pictures even more. If you are moving towards equity, WMA has a fund, Select Film Fund as well, Weinsteins have one as well (even though they had some issues as of late) and a few others. M/C Ventures was also involved in this space, but moved out recently. If you include Broadband TV you can move towards Columbia Capital, who invested in Ripe TV.

I guess I can keep going, but why don't you just answer more specifically to what it is you are looking for.

I'm looking more towards music and new media...

Traditionally private equity hasn't played too much in film finance; but I a few reccent high profile deals may begin to change that. Specifically the guys in Legendary which with the help of Christian Bale and 300 I would assume has turned out to be a great investment... The original guys in Legendary Pictures were ABRY Partners, M/C Venture Partners, Columbia Capital, Falcon Investment Advisors. I would also put Providence Equity and Clarity Partners on the list that would do entertainment VC.

Not sure if you are putting Music and New Media into one group, or you are trying to separate it out. Also you are being a bit too broad, music or new media meaning what? Content creation? Distribution platform? Ad managenment or distribution?

HIG Ventures did Batanga, sort of an iTunes type of deal, but focused on Hispanics. Hearst Interactive Media has done a lot of deals in the New Media space, Intel Capital, SoftBank Capital. So many to name really.

Elevation Partners, which boasts none other than Bono is also a media investor, though they deal mainly in the later stage I believe. Good luck with your business idea!

Do you guys think it's worth it to pitch my idea to the VC guys I work for, though they invest in a completely unrelated industry? I think I'm going to towards the end of this internship since I'm in good relations with them.