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

CREDIT: SYCO ENTERTAINMENT

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

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

Shamrock Capital - Boardwalk Pictures credit
INSIGHT
“Stay true to yourself, never let
what somebody says distract
you from your goals.”
Michelle Obama

CREDIT: BOARDWALK PICTURES

INTEGRITY

EXCELLENCE

INSIGHT

Pilgrim

CREDIT: PILGRIM STUDIOS

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

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 advises Private Equity Firm Shamrock Capital Advisors on its investment in Boardwalk Pictures

Above: Welcome to Wrexham with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for FX

ACF are proud to announce its 5th deal in 6 months, as it advises private equity firm, Shamrock Capital Advisors, on its investment in Boardwalk Pictures.

Boardwalk Pictures is the multiple Emmy award winning TV production company and producer of hits such as Welcome to Wrexham, The Show-the making of the historic Super Bowl LVI halftime show, Chef’s Table, Cheer, Last Chance U, Val, The Black Godfather, The Big Brunch, Chasing Waves, We Need To Talk About Cosby and Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?.

Shamrock is a Los Angeles based investment firm and focuses exclusively on companies and creators that operate within the media, entertainment, content, communications, sports, marketing, and education sectors.


Boardwalk Pictures

Boardwalk Pictures is an award-winning production company that creates non-fiction, character-driven entertainment for audiences across the globe.

As creators and producers of some of the most recognizable premium television shows and feature films, Boardwalk Pictures continues to push the boundaries of unscripted entertainment.

The company was founded in 2010 by Andrew Fried. He is a multiple Emmy Award winner and has delivered nearly 30 projects for Netflix over the past 7 years.

Andrew has also been nominated for a Grammy award for his film We are Freestyle Love Supreme, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.


Shamrock

Shamrock is a leading investor and partner with growing companies, founders and creators globally and invests through two strategies: Growth Fund which makes majority and minority investments, including buyouts, growth equity and recapitalizations, in leading middle market companies across their target sectors, and Content Fund which invests in and/or finances entertainment IP and media rights across a diverse set of asset classes that includes film, TV, music, games, and sports.

Shamrock are experts in these markets with a vast network of relationships and a depth of knowledge that they leverage for the benefit of their portfolio companies and the management teams, founders, artists, and entrepreneurs with whom they can collaborate.

The company’s portfolio includes; Ad Results Media, Adweek, Silver Gate, AnswerLab, Branded Cities, Canopy Spectrum, Excel Sports Management, Giant Creative Strategy, The Original Harlem Globetrotters, Highwire, Ingrooves, and Screenvision Media.


Boardwalk Pictures Hit Shows

Chef's Table
CHEF'S TABLE | NETFLIX
Cheer
CHEER | NETFLIX
Last Chance U
LAST CHANCE U | NETFLIX
Val
VAL | AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
THE SHOW: CALIFORNIA LOVE - THE MAKING OF THE HISTORIC SUPER BOWL LVI HALFTIME SHOW
THE SHOW: CALIFORNIA LOVE - THE MAKING OF THE HISTORIC SUPER BOWL LVI HALFTIME SHOW

ACF Investment Bank

ACF Investment Bank is a global investment bank specializing in selling, buying, fundraising, and pre/post deal services for brands and businesses in the Media and Entertainment sector.

After two decades of transacting market leading deals ACF has grown to be the leading Mergers and Acquisitions advisor in the Media and Entertainment sector, having completed over 100 Media and Entertainment deals with a total deal value of over $6 billion.

Recent deals include the sale of The Lord of The Rings IP to Embracer Group, working with Syco Entertainment on the securitization of The Got Talent Franchise, the sale of 72 Films to Fremantle, and the sale of Paddington IP to Studiocanal.

If you are thinking of selling your company, buying a business, fundraising, securitizing your assets, or you are coming up to the end of your existing deal, and you would like to discuss options with us, please contact Laura.Cutter@acfib.com or call + 1 424 332 0450 to arrange a meeting with our team. You can also visit the deals page on this website to see our completed transactions to date.


Richard Gray

“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


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