SANTA MONICA, Calif., and
NEW YORK, Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Point Capital
Management, a media-focused investment fund run by Robert Halmi and Fehmi Zeko, today
announced it has signed a letter of intent with global content
leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) to build a major new
production facility in Yonkers, New
York, with Lionsgate becoming a long-term anchor tenant and
investor in the studio complex. As anchor tenant, Lionsgate
will have naming rights to the studio.
Construction on the Yonkers
site will start this November and the facility will be up and
running in late autumn 2020.
The $100+ million, full service, modern entertainment complex
will include three 20,000-square-feet and two 10,000-square-feet
stages, a fully operational back lot and the opportunity to create
a location-based entertainment property similar to what Lionsgate
has already established in China,
the Middle East and elsewhere
around the world.
A key investment partner and project developer is National
Resources. The company has operated in the New York area for 30 years and has tallied
over $1.5 billion of
redevelopment. National Resources has a wide range of
experience in design and construction, with projects including
automotive dealerships, warehouse facilities, municipal facilities
and retail stores. National Resources will be responsible for
all phases of design and construction of the studio complex.
The studio complex will be located less than 30 minutes from
Manhattan on the Hudson River in
downtown Yonkers. It is situated
along the newly created Saw Mill River Plaza and next to the new
Yonkers train station. The dynamic
growth and revitalization of the city will underpin the value of
the new facility and make it the premier tri-state venue for anyone
needing production facilities.
"We're pleased to partner with the Great Point and National
Resources teams on a modern film and television production complex
that will provide a great home for many of our content creation
initiatives," said Lionsgate CEO Jon
Feltheimer. "It's rare to find a studio facility in
such a prime New York metropolitan
area location, and we look forward to being at the center of film
and television production growth in the region."
Joseph Cotter, President of
National Resources added, "The City of
Yonkers has been very supportive of Great Point Capital's
efforts regarding the studio facility. The growth and
revitalization of Yonkers as well
as its proximity to New York City
make it an ideal location for a film studio."
"Given the dramatic rise in television production and the
shortage of studio facilities in the New
York area, a new, best-in-class production facility is an
ideal investment for Great Point Capital. We are very proud
that Lionsgate shares our vision and has come on board with our
project," Robert Halmi said.
"This is a game changer for the City
of Yonkers and is a testament to the ongoing revitalization
of our waterfront," said Yonkers
Mayor, Mike Spano. "Yonkers already hosts dozens of on-location
shoots every year with film days tripling over the last five years,
so building a permanent sound stage here makes perfect sense. We
are thrilled to have Lionsgate partner with Great Point Capital
Management and National Resources to make this happen."
Adviser to the fund is London-based Great Point Media Group, a
diversified media and entertainment company owned by Jim Reeve and Robert
Halmi (who will also be an investor in the new studios). It
has provided investment and arranged financing for more than 50
production companies, with clients including Lionsgate,
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Google, Sky, BBC, ITV, Universal, AMC,
Hallmark, Sony and Paramount.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
The first major new studio in
decades, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a global content leader
whose films, television series, digital products and linear and
over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the
world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership,
Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and
location-based entertainment, video games, esports and other new
entertainment technologies. Lionsgate's content initiatives
are backed by a nearly 17,000-title film and television library and
delivered through a global sales and distribution
infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with
original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special
emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the
Company's worldwide consumer base.
ABOUT GREAT POINT CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
Great Point
Capital Management is a media-focused investment fund
specializing in film and television infrastructure, concentrated on
investments in qualified economic opportunity zones. The
general managers are Fehmi Zeko and
Robert Halmi. They
are presently expanding into new studio investment/management
businesses in other locations in North
America and the U.K.
Fehmi Zeko has established a
record of helping global technology, media and telecommunications
clients build strong companies and deliver profitable growth
through landmark M&A, turnaround and growth initiatives. Fehmi
has led the banking strategies in global communications, media,
entertainment and telecom at Bank of America, Macquarie Capital,
Deutsche Bank and Citigroup. Fehmi has had consistent success
providing operating advice and capital to drive the completion of
hundreds of transactions and raising hundreds of billions in equity
and debt capital. He has built, led and/or expanded market sector
practices in leading institutions through long-standing corporate
relationships with clients such as Viacom, Lionsgate, Newscorp,
Fox, Time-Warner, Comcast NBCUniversal, Cablevision, Disney, CBS,
Yahoo, Facebook, Sony, Warner Music,
Thomson Reuters, Bertelsmann, Vivendi, Sprint, American Tower,
Apollo, Bain, TPG, KKR, TH Lee and Blackstone, among
others.
Robert Halmi is the founder of the Hallmark Channel and was
Chairman of Crown Media. Robert has been the Chief Executive
Officer of four public companies. As President and CEO of
Hallmark Entertainment, Robert transformed the business from a
small production company into one of the first modern studios, with
production, distribution and broadcast all in one company. Under
Halmi's leadership, Hallmark Entertainment produced over 2,000
hours of original content. Halmi is an active member of the Academy
of Television Arts & Sciences and serves on the board of the
International Emmy Committee. He is also Chairman of Great
Point Media, a U.K.-based media group, which will provide
synergistic opportunities for Great Point Capital Management.
ABOUT GREAT POINT MEDIA GROUP
Founded in 2013 by
Robert Halmi and Jim Reeve, Great Point Media specializes in the
development, investment, distribution and sales of intellectual
property in entertainment media. The U.K.-based company has
produced and helped bring to the screen such acclaimed films
as Damsel, Love After Love, The Party and
Lady Macbeth.
Jim Reeve is an Emmy-Award-winning producer with over 25
years of experience in the development, production, financing and
distribution of television programs and films, with numerous
credits including Foyle's War and Jack Higgins' On Dangerous
Ground. In addition, Jim is a leading authority on media
EIS and SEIS businesses and over the past decade has managed over
£500m worth of EIS investment in media content.
ABOUT NATIONAL RESOURCES
National Resources (NRE) has
a wide range of experience in design and construction in the
New York metro area, with projects
including automotive dealerships, warehouse/distribution
facilities, municipal and religious facilities and retail stores.
NRE is a specialist real estate development and investment firm
that focuses on the redevelopment of corporate and industrial
sites. In the past 30 years, NRE has built a solid foundation of
acquisitions, leasing and redevelopment with the unique value-added
dimension of sustainability.
They have redeveloped over $1.5
billion of projects with some of the world's largest capital
partners, while producing strong financial returns for investors.
Their established projects include the innovative iParks and
landmark Hudson River waterfront residences. Under the iPark brand,
NRE has transformed some of America's largest former industrial
sites into vibrant workplaces. During the past 15 years, NRE has
developed over eight million square feet of space in six states
while creating more than 20,000 new jobs in formerly vacant
spaces.
Media Inquiries:
Peter
Wilkes
|
Daniela
Sapkar
|
Lionsgate
|
Great Point Capital /
Great Point Media
|
Pwilkes@lionsgate.com
|
daniela.markoska@sapkarpr.com
|
(310)
255-3726
|
(646)
644-4418
|
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SOURCE Lionsgate