LeBron James (right) and Maverick Carter participate in a Q&A following the Los Angeles premiere of the STARZ original series “Survivor’s Remorse.”
Matt Sayles | Associated Press
SpringHill Co, the entertainment company of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has agreed to a merger of equals with Fulwell 73, the British TV, film and music production company behind “The Kardashians” and “Carpool Karaoke,” among others programme.
The deal was led by SpringHill co-founder Maverick Carter and Fulwell 73 co-founder Ben Winston, who have been friends for ten years after being introduced by veteran television producer Tom Werner, the two told CNBC. Carter will serve as co-chief executive officer of the combined company, along with Fulwell managing partner Leo Pearlman.
SpringHill, which focuses primarily on sports content, produced the 10-part “Starting 5” Netflix A sports documentary that follows James and other NBA players throughout the 2023-2024 season, and a 2022 sports comedy movie “Hustle” starring Adam Sandler. Carter said the deal would give James’ company the scale to strike bigger deals with media companies and streaming platforms.
“(Fulwell) is producing shows that we’ve always wanted to be able to do, but as far as doing unscripted production around the world, we just don’t have the ability,” Carter said. “Now the jealousy is gone.”
Carter and Winston first started talking about the merger about 13 months ago after having dinner together in a parking lot, Winston said. Winston said the combined company will use SpringHill’s New York-based brand consultancy Robot to create other business opportunities with its TV series and movies.
“This is just a smart way to run an entertainment company in 2024,” Winston said of SpringHill’s merging of commerce and content.
The combined company will be backed by investors including Fenway Sports Group, RedBird Capital Partners, UC Investments, Nike, Epic Games, Main Street Advisors and Eldridge Industries. As part of the deal, existing shareholders will invest an additional $40 million to fuel growth plans, the companies said in a news release.
