Page 6 - ETA Team 2020 Year In Review Brochure

CORPORATE DEALS
Sheppard Mullin attorneys again played a role in connection with some significant corporate deals in 2020, including:
• Represented ICM Partners, a leading global talent agency dedicated to the representation of artists, content creators, broadcasters, authors, journalists and artisans in connection with a number of matters, including:
• Represented Lakeshore Entertainment, an independent film studio, in the sale of substantially all its assets, including its 300-title film and television library, to Vine LSE International, owner of Village Roadshow Entertainment Group. Lakeshore’s portfolio included Million Dollar Baby, the Underworld franchise, Runaway Bride, and The Ugly Truth, among others. The complex transaction structure presented opportunities for the firm to negotiate and advise on a variety of entertainment industry-specific corporate, transactional, and finance issues.
• Represented Sony Pictures in the sale of certain television networks serving the Southeast Asian and Korean markets to KC Global Media, a company launched by former Sony Pictures Television executives, Andy Kaplan and George Chien.
• Represented Mike Hopkins, chairman of Sony Pictures Television and former CEO of Hulu, in his move to Amazon to be its new head of entertainment, where he will oversee Prime video as well as Amazon’s TV and movie studios and report directly to CEO Jeff Bezos.
5 ENTERTAINMENT, TECHNOLOGY AND ADVERTISING 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
-The acquisition of London-based sports agency Stellar Group, creating ICM Stellar Sports, a new division of ICM Partners. Stellar Group is one of the largest sports agencies in the world, representing more than 800 client athletes across sports, including football, cricket, rugby and esports. The agency has about 130 employees spread among offices in the U.K. as well as Germany, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark and other countries.
- The sale of a minority stake in the company to Crestview Partners, a New York-based private equity firm that manages approximately $9 billion in assets.
- The acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of Primary Talent International Limited, a London-based music booking agency. Sheppard Mullin worked closely with UK counsel and closed the transaction on March 31, 2020 in the middle of lockdowns in both the US and UK.