A+E Networks Invests in Range Media Partners as Part of Production Deal

Alex Weprin
·3 min read
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A+E Networks is making a strategic investment in Range Media Partners as part of a wide-ranging deal that will include production and content partnerships.

Under the terms of the deal, A+E Studios, led by Barry Jossen, will serve as co-producer on scripted TV projects set up at Range. The companies already have a number of projects in development, including the drama series White House Doctor at Fox.

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The deal also gives A+E Networks and its associated studios, Six West Media and Category 6 Media, a first-look deal on factual and TV content. Range Media, meanwhile, will give A+E Networks access to its talent relationships for potential talent-led programming or content opportunities. Range Media clients include Bradley Cooper, Gabrielle Union, Benicio Del Toro, Danny McBride, Anna Kendrick, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, M. Night Shyamalan and Damon Lindelof.

The deal will also address “the growing desire for music-related unscripted projects, and grant Range Music the ability to provide high-quality music services for A+E Networks’ content and soundtrack needs,” according to the companies. Range Media’s music clients include Jack Harlow, Justin Tranter, Midland, HARV and Bazzi, among others.

Range Media Partners was formed in 2020 by former CAA agent and production executive Peter Micelli and a number of agents who left firms like CAA, UTA and WME to join the startup. Point72 Ventures, which was one of Range’s original investors, remains a minority partner in the company. Financial terms of the A+E Networks investment were not disclosed.

Range’s managing partners include Micelli, Dave Bugliari, Mackenzie Condon Roussos, Rich Cook, Michael Cooper, Susie Fox, Matt Graham, Sandra Kang, Rachel Kropa, Natalie Bruss, Chelsea McKinnies, Mick Sullivan, Byron Wetzel and Jack Whigham. The music division is led by Matt Graham, Jack Minihan, Tyler Henry, Melissa Ruderman, Chris Thomas and Evan Winiker, as well as Partners Michele Harrison, Greg Johnson, Rachel Douglas and Ace Christian.

A+E Networks president Paul Buccieri said in a statement announcing the deal that Range Media’s “passion and creativity in pursuit of unlocking global value for artists and fostering a forward-thinking culture of innovation aligns with our vision of the future.

“We were drawn to their impressive team and roster of entrepreneurially-minded talent and believe this investment will create strategic opportunities to accelerate the growth of our scripted and nonfiction content creation unit on a global scale,” Buccieri added. “Our investment underscores both our confidence in the trajectory of the industry and more specifically, the role Range will play within it. This alignment will enable diversification of our storytelling and content, amplify our efforts to shift from curator to creator, and bolster our ultimate goal to become a global IP powerhouse.”

Micelli added in a statement that his company was “privileged to be joined by the like-minded team at A+E Networks (some of whom we have worked with for decades), who share our passion for innovation, business strategy and compelling storytelling, as we enter this next chapter.”

The Raine Group and Joe Gangitano and Adrian Perry of Covington & Burlington advised A+E Networks on the transaction. Range Media Partners was advised by Robert Benson and Rahul Patel of King & Spalding LLP and the late Jerry Longarzo and Jeff Freid of Longarzo Vance Klevan Freid.

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