Lord of the Rings Deal
Lord of the Rings Deal
LOTR

CREDIT: THE SAUL ZAENTZ COMPANY

EXCELLENCE
"One Deal to rule them all"
Thomas Dey

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Syco
EXCELLENCE
"ACF's certainly got talent"
Ian Rosenblatt OBE

CREDIT: SYCO ENTERTAINMENT

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Bear Grylls
INTEGRITY
“You only get one chance
at life and you have to
grab it boldly”
Bear Grylls

CREDIT: BEAR GRYLLS VENTURES

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Paddington
INSIGHT
“Success doesn't come
to you, you go to it.”
Marva Collins

CREDIT: PADDINGTON AND COMPANY

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Pilgrim

CREDIT: PILGRIM STUDIOS

INSIGHT
“Success comes to
those who act!”
Henry David Thoreau

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Leftfield
INSIGHT
“The key to success is to
focus on goals not obstacles”
Unknown

CREDIT: LEFTFIELD ENTERTAINMENT

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Plimsoll Productions

CREDIT: PLIMSOLL PRODUCTIONS

INSIGHT
“Success is not final,
failure is not fatal:
it is the courage to
continue that counts.”
Winston Churchill

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Love Productions

CREDIT: LOVE PRODUCTIONS

INTEGRITY
“ When something
is important enough,
you do it even if the odds
are not in your favour”
Elon Musk

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Top Gear
EXCELLENCE
“Success comes to
those who act”
Henry David Thoreau

CREDIT: TOP GEAR

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

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ACF sell Left Bank to Sony Pictures Television

Wallander

ACF Investment Bank is pleased to announce the acquisition of Left Bank Pictures by Sony Pictures Television.

Thomas Dey (CEO) acted as lead Corporate Finance advisor to the shareholders of Left Bank Pictures. Media law firm, Wiggin LLP, led by Michael Brader acted as key legal advisor. ACF  is a leading International specialist advisory boutique that assists individuals and businesses wishing to maximise the value of people and intellectual property-based businesses.

If you are considering selling, buying or raising finance we have the expertise and track record to help you find the right solution.

Left Bank Pictures was founded in July 2007 by Andy Harries (CEO) and Marigo Kehoe (Managing Director) and is a BAFTA, RTS, Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning television production  company.

Left Bank Pictures is one of the largest drama producers in the UK. This is reinforced by Andy and Marigo’s relationships with leading writers, directors and on-screen talent to produce innovative feature films, television dramas and cutting edge comedies.

This transaction enables Andy and Marigo to continue to produce award winning programmes and lead Left Bank Pictures with the support of Andrea Wong and Sony Pictures Television. Left Bank Pictures is one of the UK’s leading producers of scripted television programming including;

Wallander – a detective drama series starring Kenneth Branagh which has won seven BAFTA awards.

Mad Dogs – a drama starring Max Beesley, Philip Glenister, John Simm and Marc Warren.

Strike Back – a hit action series produced for HBO Cinemax in the US and Sky One in the UK.

Cardinal Burns – a new comedy series for E4.

DCI Banks – a detective thriller on ITV 1.

Left Bank Pictures is also renowned for producing feature films including The Lady (Europacorp), The Damned United (Columbia Pictures) and All In Good Time (Studio Canal).

Sony Pictures is an international organisation involved in motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution and home entertainment acquisition and distribution.

This transaction marks a significant move for Sony into scripted production in the UK and enables them to distribute future content and potentially feature films for Left Bank Pictures.

Left Bank Pictures Programming

Wallander
Wallander
Strikeback
Strikeback

“ACF have been incredible throughout the process of the sale. No one should underestimate the sheer amount of knowledge and expertise required to undertake a sale, and Thomas Dey and the ACF team have walked us through with patience and understanding as well as a great sense of humour! ACF understood and took on board what our ambitions were for the Company, and never lost sight of what was most important to us – both creatively and business wise. Their handling of the deal itself has been superb. I could not recommend them more highly.”

Andy Harries, Chief Executive Officer and Marigo Kehoe, Managing Director Left Bank Pictures

“Andy and Marigo have created a tremendous business over the last five years which is amongst the very best and most successful scripted production companies in the UK. Sony’s stated intention to expand in the scripted arena together with their powerful distribution arm makes the studio an exciting home for Left Bank”

ACF Investment Bank

★★★★★ 5/5

What People Are Saying

“Since this was our first time working with an investment bank and raising capital for any of our businesses, I wasn’t sure what to expect. ACF has a great reputation and came highly recommended from several people that I hold in high regard. Overall, the experience working with Richard, Milos and Thomas was pure joy. They were the perfect partner for us, as they educated us as we were working through the process, they challenged us to think bigger about the scope and scale of our business, and they aggressively represented our business in the marketplace bringing multiple opportunities to us in a very challenging economic time. The partnership and guidance they provided was essential and they were extremely easy to work with. I only hope this is the first of many deals that we are able to execute together.”

Shawn Gee
Two One Five Entertainment

"ACF’s certainly got talent. Their team, led by the ever-tenacious Thomas Dey, delivered on their promises and introduced the perfect partners to achieve our goals."

Ian Rosenblatt OBE, Director
Syco Entertainment

"Given the complexities and importance of the rights at stake in our transaction, we interviewed several investment bank candidates at length before retaining ACF to guide our process.  We could not have chosen better!  ACF personnel were dedicated, creative, practical, responsive and deeply knowledgeable about the intricacies of the sales process. Over the months involved, Thomas, Richard, Tatiana and the rest of the ACF staff met with and worked skillfully and credibly with scores of potential buyers and with our own employees leading ultimately to a high value and very fair outcome benefitting both our company and the buyer. They have our deep respect and gratitude for a job so well accomplished"

Marty Glick, COO
The Saul Zaentz Company

“At this stage of 72’s development, there are great advantages and opportunities of joining forces with Fremantle. Their extensive international infrastructure and expertise will provide 72 Films with the platform to have our work seen across the world. We know and like their excellent team. And they offer us not only fantastic support but complete creative freedom so we can continue to work in the same way.

It’s been a real pleasure working with Thomas Dey and the whole team at ACF. They are brilliant at what they do. And alongside Matisse it’s been an incredible team behind this deal.”

Mark Raphael, David Glover, Founders and Chief Executive Officers
72 Films

“This exciting new deal between Broke and Bones and Netflix marks an exciting period of content creation, demonstrating the strong relationship between market leading creatives and the streaming platforms. ACF brokered the deal using our strong track record, experience and access in the UK and USA scripted markets. Premium content continues to lead the market with strong deals that ACF have closed including advising Mammoth Screen on sale to ITV, Neal Street to All3Media, Left Bank Pictures to Sony, Thinkfactory to ITV, Paddington Bear to Studio Canal, New Pictures to All3Media, and Carnival Pictures to NBC Universal.”

Thomas Dey, CEO
ACF Investment Bank

"It has been an incredible journey for Delbert and I to get to the stage where we can build out our adventure shows under our own Studio. We stand on the shoulders of many giants, the ACF team have been incredible guides through the process - at its heart this is about building the ultimate home of adventure programming worldwide."

Bear Grylls & Delbert Shoopman
The Natural Studios

"Critical Content has been a leading player in the unscripted space for the last decade, led by a first class team. Media continues to dominate the deal landscape, with content leading the pack. What a great start to 2022! Congratulations to the whole team."

Thomas Dey, CEO
ACF Investment Bank

"Boardwalk Pictures are one of the preeminent producers of premium content and this partnership with Shamrock secures Boardwalks positioning as a leading player in this market. Shamrock’s deep understanding and experience in the content space makes them great partners for Andrew and the team at Boardwalk. I look forward to seeing the growth and future success of this partnership."

RIchard Gray, Managing Director
ACF Investment Bank