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Oscar-winning Lion Forge Entertainment has raised a $30 million investment round to expand its diverse animation and family content.
HarbourView Equity Partners (HarbourView) led the round with participation from The Steward Family and Polarity.
The new funding will help to scale Lion Forge’s IP portfolio and premium franchise pipeline, and fuel key organic growth initiatives across the studio’s business verticals.
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An Investment to Expand Opportunities to Diverse Creators
Lion Forge creates and produces live-action and animated films, television series, and consumer products. The Los Angeles–based entertainment company was founded by David Steward II, son of billionaire tech entrepreneur David Steward. Its studio earned an Academy Award for Hair Love and is behind Iyanu, the hit animated fantasy series airing on Cartoon Network and Max. The company also maintains strategic partnerships with Nickelodeon, Penguin Young Readers, Simon & Schuster, and the Bob Marley Estate, among others.
With approximately $2.67 billion in regulatory assets under management, HarbourView, founded by Sherrese Clarke, is leading the $30-million investment in Lion Forge Entertainment. HarbourView Equity Partners (HarbourView) is an alternative asset management company focused on investment opportunities in music, entertainment, media, and sports. This investment will enhance Lion Forge’s ability to fund and own its intellectual property (IP).
“We believe that content has the extraordinary power to influence the world,” said Sherrese Clarke. “This is a unique moment in the kids & 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.”
“This 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 and creating culturally authentic and socially relevant content.”
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HarbourView’s investment in Lion Forge underscores the firm’s commitment to delivering optimal execution for its growing LP base and comes on the heels of numerous major deals.
The global investment firm will use the invested capital to scale and expand Lion Forge’s IP portfolio and premium franchise pipeline, reinforcing the studio’s core lines of business and fueling key organic growth initiatives across the studio’s business verticals.
Last month, HarbourView closed $500 million in debt financing from KKR through a private securitization backed by its diversified, scaled music portfolio. This latest financing builds on the nearly $500 million in debt financing that HarbourView secured in 2024 from KKR-managed insurance vehicles and accounts, underscoring the firm’s commitment to delivering value for other investors.
More About Lion Forge’s Entertainment Company
Lion Forge is uniquely equipped to create and deliver genuine, diverse stories, and its 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.
It debuted as the number one 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, has just been greenlit by Cartoon Network and HBO Max.
Lion Forge also has a multi-year first-look deal with Nickelodeon covering animated series and features that have resulted in multiple projects in development. This includes Marley & The Family Band series in partnership with the Bob Marley Estate, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in collaboration with Simon & Schuster, and Iron Dragon in partnership with Mostapes.
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Additional strategic partnerships of the Los Angeles-based company 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 recently partnered with George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the novella “A Dozen Tough Jobs” into an adult animated feature film. The company also teamed up with TalesVision to expand the popular YouTube series “Lostlings” into a long-form series. Additionally, it entered a first-look deal with Oware for global content development and is collaborating with Rebel Girls on unscripted sports content.
HarbourView‘s investment in Lion Forge underscores the firm’s commitment to delivering optimal execution for its growing LP base and comes on the heels of numerous major deals.
Main Image: Sherrese Clarke and David Steward II. Image Credit: PRNewsWire
