Sean Parker Investing in Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital

Dave McNary

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Technology entrepreneur Sean Parker has made a “significant” investment in Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital special effects company.

Parker and Jackson made the announcement jointly. They did not disclose the size of Parker’s investment or the specific role he would play.

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“I’ve long admired Peter Jackson’s and Fran Walsh’s work, and the ground-breaking VFX and animation that Weta Digital has created over the last two decades,” Parker said. “The visionary leadership, imagination, and technical expertise of Weta Digital was vital to the creation of Academy Award winning films such as ‘Avatar,’ ‘King Kong,’ and ‘Lord of the Ring.’ I look forward to helping grow Weta Digital and I’m excited to partner with Peter, the leadership of Weta, and its incredibly talented team.”

Jackson said in a statement, “Sean Parker brings an invaluable expertise that will fortify Weta Digital from a technological perspective, while also focusing on its growth as an industry leader. As I have gotten to know him, I have been extremely impressed with his curiosity, intelligence and passion.”

Weta was founded in 1993 in Wellington, New Zealand, to produce the digital special effects for Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures.” The work performed at Weta Digital has received six visual effects Academy Awards, 10 Academy Sci-Tech Awards and six visual effects BAFTA Awards. Recent projects include “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Mortal Engines,” “Avengers: Infinity Wars,” “Avengers: End Game,” “Game of Thrones” and “Umbrella Academy.”

Parker was the co-founder of Napster at age 19. In 2004 he joined with Mark Zuckerberg to develop Facebook and served as Facebook’s founding president. He is also the founder and president of the Parker Foundation, which announced a $250 million grant to form the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Jackson was a supporter of Parker’s Screening Room, a venture Parker unveiled in 2016 with music executive Prem Akkaraju that involved the manufacture of set-top boxes designed to let customers view new films at home the moment they opened in theaters with a $50 charge.

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