Funding Round will Help Accelerate Wheelhouse’s Expansion via Talent Acquisition and M&A
NEW YORK, April 25, 2024 — Wheelhouse, an independent content and talent platform, announced today its first outside capital raise. The round, led by investment firm Alignment Growth, will enable Wheelhouse to build an infrastructure that attracts industry-leading talent and accelerates growth via strategic acquisitions. As part of the transaction, Alignment Growth Partner Jeff Bewkes joins the Wheelhouse Board of Directors.
Today, Wheelhouse is comprised of several production companies, including Spoke Studios, Campfire, Butternut, Wheelhouse UK and DNA. It also has production partnerships in place with Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and Chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media. Wheelhouse’s marketing, digital, audio and management arms complement its production capabilities, creating a multi-faceted flywheel uniting all parts in one ecosystem.
Wheelhouse’s television and streaming series include Netflix’s King of Collectibles with Executive Producer Peyton Manning, Buying Beverly Hills and recent #1 Netflix hit romcom Players; Hulu’s Secret Chef with David Chang, the EmmyÒ-winning WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn and the upcoming Got to Get Out; Max’s Smartless: On the Road; and Roku’s Celebrity Family Cookoff with Executive Producer and star Sofia Vergara, among others. In 2023, Wheelhouse sold 20 series that are in various stages of production for networks and platforms including Netflix, Hulu, Roku, Paramount+, HGTV, Food Network and OWN.
The Wheelhouse-Alignment Growth deal was spearheaded by Alignment Growth Partner Kevin Tsujihara, Wheelhouse President & General Counsel Rob Lia and Chief Strategy Officer Ed Simpson, who leads M&A.
Wheelhouse was founded in 2018 by repeat founder and CEO Brent Montgomery. Prior to starting Wheelhouse, Montgomery founded and sold Leftfield Entertainment to ITV in 2014.
Said Montgomery, “We are building Wheelhouse as a collective of global creatives who not only shine on their own, but truly want to partner with one another across labels and divisions so we’re thrilled that Alignment’s investment will allow us to supersize our efforts engaging talent in front of and behind the camera.”
Jeff Bewkes, Founding Partner at Alignment Growth, added, “We are excited to partner with and support Brent, a seasoned operator and a magnet for the best talent in non-scripted. His success in the space is unparalleled, and his team is well-positioned to build Wheelhouse into one of the preeminent names across the industry.”
About Wheelhouse
Wheelhouse is a content and talent platform founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Brent Montgomery, the founder of Leftfield Entertainment, and former ITV America CEO. The multi-faceted business encompasses Wheelhouse Entertainment (which includes production entities Spoke Studios, Campfire, Butternut, Wheelhouse UK and DNA, as well as physical production partnerships with Chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media and Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot), marketing arm Wheelhouse Labs, digital division Wheelhouse DNA and talent management company Additive Creative Partners. Wheelhouse’s television and streaming series include Netflix’s King of Collectibles with Executive Producer Peyton Manning, Players and Buying Beverly Hills; Hulu’s Secret Chef with David Chang, the Emmy-winning WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn and the upcoming Got to Get Out; Max’s Smartless: On the Road; and Roku’s Celebrity Family Cookoff with Executive Producer and star Sofia Vergara, among others. Wheelhouse maintains operations in NYC, Los Angeles, Stamford and London.
About Alignment Growth
Alignment Growth invests in growth-stage companies across media, entertainment and gaming (“MEG”) globally. Alignment Growth seeks to drive value creation in partnership with its portfolio companies by leveraging its team’s senior executive operating, strategic and dealmaking experience at global Fortune 500 MEG companies.
SOURCE Alignment Growth
