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

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

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

previous arrow
next arrow

Leftfield Entertainment acquisition of Sirens Media

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

ACF Investment Bank is pleased to announce the  acquisition of Sirens Media by Leftfield Entertainment.  This deal marks  the creation of the first debt-only funded US super-indie.

ACF on the acquisition of Sirens and fund-raising for the transaction, which included a consortium comprising Barclays Bank, RBS Citizens and Sun Trust.

This deal signals the first step in an ambitious growth plan for Leftfield Entertainment, which will include the acquisition of further companies, as well as setting up joint ventures.

ACF is a leading International specialist investment bank with offices in London and Los Angeles, assisting individuals and businesses wishing to maximise the value of people and intellectual property-based businesses.

Our global track record in TV production and distribution is unrivalled and have advised on more than 40 deals in the sector including 6 of the leading deals in the US.

ACF’s deals include; the sale of Jeremy Clarkson’s and Andy Wilman’s stake in Top Gear to BBC Worldwide, BASE Productions and A.Smith & Co Productions to the Tinopolis Group, Left Bank Pictures to Sony Pictures, Left Right to Red Arrow and Gurney Productions to ITV plc.

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

Thomas Dey, Chief Executive Officer, ACF Investment Bank, acted as Investment Banker to Leftfield Entertainment.


Leftfield Entertainment has become one of the largest independent TV production companies in the US, producing nearly 600 hours and 900 episodes of cutting-edge and innovative unscripted programming.

Leftfield Entertainment’s programmes have continuously smashed ratings and  include: 8 series of the breakout hit show Pawn Stars and American Restoration, Counting Cars, Cajun Pawn Stars, Oddities, The Governor’s Wife, Guntucky and Swamp’d.

These programmes are aired on various major networks including; The History Channel, A&E, Bravo, Discovery and Lifetime amongst many others.


Sirens Media was founded in 2005 by producers Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton. It is a full-service production company dedicated to the creation of programming with a bold and innovative edge.

The company has produced hundreds of hours of award-winning and top-rated programming in the unscripted/reality/documentary space, including; hit docu-soap, Real Housewives of New Jersey, now in its fifth season, Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?, Panic 9-1-1 and Prison Wives for channels including; Discovery ID, WE, Oxygen, TLC and A&E.


Sirens Media top-rated programming

The Real Housewives of New Jersey
The Real Housewives of New Jersey
Panic 9-1-1
Panic 9-1-1

“In a little less than a year I was able to sit down with ACF and Thomas Dey and develop a strategy to realize my dreams of doing something bigger than just a production company and build an entertainment group. The acquisition of Sirens Media is the first of several steps in that plan. To be the first in the States to do a deal in this sector with bank financing was also something we could not have done without ACF’s leadership”.

Brent Montgomery, Chief Executive Officer, Leftfield Entertainment

“Thomas Dey and his ACF team are exceptional advisors to the entertainment industry.  I couldn’t have imagined facing our acquisition without them. ACF has seasoned professionals taking-on the accounting, negotiation, integration and financing functions and provides a one-stop solution to incredibly complex M&A transactions.  ACF’s extensive history and expertise in the entertainment sector, accessibility day or night and insight into making the deal work for both buyer and seller makes it one of the industry’s most strategic players for any company looking into an acquisition or sale.”.

Chris Valentini, Chief Operating Officer, Leftfield Entertainment

“ACF Investment Bank” are pleased to have advised Leftfield Entertainment on the steps of becoming the 1st debt funded  super-indie in the US with the acquisition of Sirens Media and fund-raising. This is a great strategic fit for two “like-minded” production companies both of which have built their companies into extremely successful producers of long running reality TV programmes, and have  an impressive development slate for future growth.  This is a landmark deal which creates a new US super-indie and is another exciting transaction in the vibrant US TV production sector ”

Thomas Dey, Chief Executive Officer, 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