HarbourView Equity Partners — an alternative asset management company focused on investment opportunities in music, entertainment, media and sports with approximately $2.67 billion in regulatory assets under management — is leading a $30 million investment in award-winning studio Lion Forge Entertainment, further enhancing the company’s ability to fund and own its IP. The Steward Family and Polarity are investors in the round and continue to be the majority owners of Lion Forge Entertainment.
Lion Forge plans to use the invested capital to scale and expand its IP portfolio and premium franchise pipeline, reinforcing the studio’s core lines of business and fueling key organic growth initiatives across the studio’s business verticals.
“We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world,” said Sherrese Clarke, Founder & CEO of HarbourView. “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.”
“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,” said David Steward II, Founder & CEO of Lion Forge Ent. “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.”
Stephanie Sperber, President & Chief Creative Officer of Lion Forge Entertainment, added, “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.”
A mission-driven entertainment company founded by Steward, Lion Forge Entertainment focuses on global IP that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience. The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences, building on the success of earlier Lion Forge Animation projects including the Oscar®-winning Hair Love.
The studio’s content pipeline has surged in the last few years. Lion Forge’s latest series, Iyanu, has become a breakout cross-platform success on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, debuting as the No. 1 series among kids on Cartoon Network and ranking as a Top 10 Kids & Family series on HBO Max. Season 2 of the animated fantasy series, along with two feature films expanding its universe, have been greenlit by Cartoon Network and HBO Max. (Read more about the first movie, The Age of Wonders, in Animation Magazine‘s interview here.)
Lion Forge has a multi-year first-look deal with Nickelodeon covering animated series and features that has resulted in multiple projects in development, including Marley & The Family Band in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in partnership with Simon & Schuster, and Iron Dragon in partnership with Mostapes. Additional strategic partnerships include an alliance with Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, to develop series and features based on select children’s books.
The studio also recently joined forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the renowned novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film; set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube sensation Lostlings into a premium long-form series; entered into a first-look deal with Oware to identify and develop global kids & family and YA content; and is working with Rebel Girls to develop content around Rebel Girls Sports in the unscripted space.
HarbourView’s investment in Lion Forge accentuates the firm’s commitment to targeting the optimal execution for its growing LP base and comes on the heels of numerous major deals. Last month, HarbourView closed $500 million in debt financing from KKR through a private securitization backed by its diversified, scaled music portfolio. This latest financing expanded on the nearly $500 million in debt financing HarbourView secured in 2024 from KKR-managed insurance vehicles and accounts and other investors.
Additional deals closed by HarbourView recently include an $85 million investment alongside Bpifrance in Animaj, the French AI-powered media company specializing in kids & family entertainment, and a partnership with Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment, to finance a slate of Hip Hop biopics, starting with a Queen Latifah biopic, which followed an investment in Usher’s 2024 concert film Rendezvous in Paris.
Established in 2021, HarbourView Equity Partners has solidified its position in the industry, building a distinctly diverse portfolio featuring thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras and artists. With data analytics and value creation at its core, the firm seeks to deliver differentiated returns in partnership with the creative ecosystem. The firm has acquired over 70 music catalogs encompassing over 35,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.
The investment was facilitated by Participant Capital. Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management, who advised on the transaction.
