HarbourView Equity Partners has led a $30 million investment round in Lion Forge Entertainment, the animated and live-action studio behind Oscar-winning animated short, Hair Love.
The news arrives three months after HarbourView led an $85 million investment in Paris-headquartered kids and family content-focused entertainment firm Animaj. Animaj uses proprietary GenAI production tools and what it calls a “multi-platform franchise-building model”.
The Animaj deal came less than a week after HarbourView secured $500 million in additional debt financing from investment giant KKR, secured via a private securitization backed by its music portfolio.
It followed a previous $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, through a private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.
The latest investment adds to HarbourView’s growing portfolio of media and IP assets, which spans film, television, music, and content companies such as Mucho Mas Media and MACRO.
Established in 2021 by former Tempo Music CEO Sherrese Clarke with backing from Apollo Global Management, HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired over 70 music catalogs encompassing over 35,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.
The company’s portfolio includes music from T-Pain, James Fauntleroy, George Benson, Noel Zancanella, Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Nelly, Jeremih, Wiz Khalifa, Kane Brown, Full Force and more.
Less than a month ago, Billboard reported, citing sources, that HarbourView is close to completing a music rights deal with metal band Slipknot.
HarbourView reports to have amassed roughly $2.67 billion in regulatory assets under management.
Lion Forge Entertainment, described as “one of the few Black-owned entertainment studios of scale in North America,” is part of media and sports-focused firm Polarity.
The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids and family, young adult, and adult audiences.
Both the Steward Family and Polarity will retain majority ownership of the studio founded in 2019 by David Steward II.
Commenting on the deal, HarbourView Founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke said: “We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world.”
“This is a unique moment in the kids & family space and Lion Forge is seizing an opportunity to lean into its ability to tell compelling stories authentically and cultivate global franchises at scale.”
Sherrese Clarke, HarbourView Equity Partners
Added Clarke: “This is a unique moment in the kids & family space and Lion Forge is seizing an opportunity to lean into its ability to tell compelling stories authentically and cultivate global franchises at scale.
“This synchronizes with our vision of how the next generation of multiplatform media companies can grow – by introducing fresh images, ideas and paradigms that reflect the evolving world in which we live and creating culturally authentic and socially relevant content.”
“We work with incredible creators and exceptional IP, and the backing of HarbourView will allow us to develop and invest in expanding our library.”
Stephanie Sperber, Lion Forge Entertainment
Stephanie Sperber, President and Chief Creative Officer of Lion Forge Entertainment, said: “We work with incredible creators and exceptional IP, and the backing of HarbourView will allow us to develop and invest in expanding our library.
“Sherese and her team see what we see – an opportunity in the marketplace for premium kids, family and YA franchises, which motivates us to double down on what we believe we do best – create global content and build franchises.”
“This is a validating moment for our young company.”
David Steward II, Lion Forge Entertainment
David Steward II, Founder, Lion Forge Entertainment, added: “Sherrese is a trailblazing investor, leading a culture-driving company. Her knowledge and track record will be immensely additive as we continue to scale our company and properties.”
“This is a validating moment for our young company. The synergy between the shrewd investment strategy of HarbourView and the franchise-building blueprint at Lion Forge will enable us collectively to optimize opportunities at the nexus of entertainment, culture and content and grow into a category defining leader from a position of strength.”
Lion Forge plans to deploy the funding toward expanding its content library and accelerating development across its operations.
The studio has also formed partnerships with Penguin Young Readers to adapt children’s books and recently collaborated with Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin to develop an adult animated feature based on his novella A Dozen Tough Jobs.
Other projects by Lion Forge include a deal with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube film Lostlings into a long-form series; a first-look deal with Oware to develop global kids and family and young adult content; and a deal with Rebel Girls to create unscripted content.
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