The wins keep coming for Lion Forge Entertainment.
Less than two weeks after the first feature film adaptation of its critically acclaimed top-rated animated youth series “Iyanu” premiered on HBO Max, HarbourView Equity Partners announced it will be leading a $30 million investment in the award-winning studio.
“This is a validating moment for our young company,” said Lion Forge founder and CEO David Steward II, a St. Louis native.
He said the combined strengths of HarbourView and Lion Forge will “enable us collectively to optimize opportunities at the nexus of entertainment, culture and content” and become a leader in the industry.
HarbourView is an alternative asset management company that invests in the business worlds of music, entertainment, media and sports. It acquires and manages assets and businesses, with a focus on intellectual property.
With about $2.67 billion in regulatory assets under management, HarbourView says its resources strengthen its ability to fund and own intellectual property.
“This is a unique moment in the kids and 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,” said HarbourView Founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke. “This [investment] 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.”
The investment was facilitated by Participant Capital. Although HarbourView is the lead investor, the Steward family and its media company, Polarity, will keep majority ownership of Lion Forge Entertainment.
Lion Forge, one of the few large-scale Black-owned production companies in North America, develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids and family, young adult and adult audiences. It is building on the success of earlier Lion Forge Animation projects, including the Oscar-winning short “Hair Love,” and remaining committed to its mission of delivering genuine, diverse stories.
“We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world,” Clarke said.
Lion Forge’s content pipeline has surged in the last few years. The studio’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 is a Top 10 Kids & Family series on HBO Max. Season 2 of the epic animated fantasy series, along with two feature films expanding its universe, have just been greenlit by Cartoon Network and HBO Max.
They have a multi-year first-look deal with Nickelodeon covering animated series and features that has resulted in multiple projects in development, including the “Marley & The Family Band” series, 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.
Lion Forge 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 its 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 and family and young adult content; and is working with Rebel Girls to develop unscripted content around Rebel Girls Sports.
Established in 2021, HarbourView Equity Partners has built a distinctly diverse portfolio featuring thousands of titles spanning numerous genres, eras and artists. “Sherrese is a trailblazing investor, leading a culture-driving company,” Steward said. “Her knowledge and track record will be immensely additive as we continue to scale our company and properties.”
The firm uses data and strategic insights to generate strong returns while working closely with the creative industry.
The company has acquired over 70 music catalogs encompassing over 35,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.
“We work with incredible creators and exceptional IP, and the backing of HarbourView will allow us to develop and invest in expanding our library,” said Stephanie Sperber, president and chief creative officer of Lion Forge. “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.”