Entertainment One (eOne) has acquired Round Room Entertainment, a New York-based live music production company. No financial terms were released. EOne, a Toronto-based entertainment content studio, said Round Room will join its global family of companies and expand its offering to artists and brands. Stephen Shaw, who founded Round Room in 2016, and Jonathan Linden will lead the affiliate. EOne is backed by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). CPPIB bought a minority stake in 2015 from Marwyn Investment Management for $290 million.
PRESS RELEASE
Entertainment One acquires Round Room Entertainment
Round Room Executives Stephen Shaw and Jonathan Linden Join eOne to Lead Live Business
(March 26, 2018 – New York, NY) – Entertainment One (“eOne”) has added live entertainment production to its ever-growing portfolio with the acquisition of Round Room Entertainment (“Round Room”), a premier live entertainment company, founded by Stephen Shaw in 2016. The deal, which will expand eOne’s comprehensive offering to artists and brands, was announced by eOne’s Chris Taylor, Global President, Music, with Round Room Co-Presidents Stephen Shaw and Jonathan Linden.
The deal brings together two teams that share a commitment to creating lasting experiences for audiences and fans around the world. Under the terms of the agreement, Round Room will join eOne’s global family of companies, supporting the development of IP for live shows and concert touring, as well as work with third parties to bring stories and artists to life in innovative experiential ways. Round Room will work closely with eOne’s artist management team to extend artists’ reach with audiences and maximize fan loyalty.
Shaw and Linden will serve as Co-Presidents of Round Room, reporting to Taylor who oversees eOne’s expansive music business, including artist management.
“Across all areas of music, we work with so many spokes on the wheel and live entertainment is such an important one. Adding Round Room to our team, with Stephen and Jonathan at the helm, is going to provide the capacity to expand the reach of our brands, touch more fans on a global scale, and further elevate our management roster,” said Taylor.
“We are very excited to join eOne and become a part of their global family, while continuing to grow our core roster,” said Shaw. “This is a very strategic move for both sides, and we look forward to working closely with Chris and his team to connect his extensive roster of artists with countless fans around the world.”
“Stephen and I are excited by the opportunity to bring live entertainment to eOne and expand Round Room into a global player. We are eager to work with Chris and his team and we can’t wait to get started,” added Linden.
Focused on live entertainment for family content and special events, Round Room brings an impressive new dimension to eOne’s artist and content monetization capabilities. Based in New York, Shaw and Linden bring with them wide-ranging experience across the live entertainment arena, having worked on tours for the Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey as well as Broadway productions including Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark and Rock of Ages. Shaw and Linden have a long history working together at Concert Productions International, Live Nation and S2BN Entertainment, all companies that were led by concert touring impresario, and former Live Nation Chairman, Michael Cohl. Prior to Round Room Shaw and Linden served at President and CEO respectively of S2BN Entertainment.
The acquisition builds on the two companies’ successful collaboration on the hugely successful PJ Masks Live touring experience, based on eOne’s preschool sensation PJ Masks and produced by Round Room, that completed its initial run of US dates in late 2017, selling over 150,000 tickets. The tour continues in 2018 with dates in Australia and the US.
Photo courtesy of Entertainment One Ltd