Why investing in women-led entertainment projects is a smart move
Disney’s Marvel Studio’s “Captain Marvel” made its mark with its $153 million domestic debut and its $1.1 billion gross in theaters worldwide. But the female-led superhero box office smash, co-directed by Anna Boden, is the only high-grossing 2019 movie to include a woman lead writer, director or producer.
The film highlights why investing in entertainment projects led by women is a smart move. And Black Tulip Asset Management (BTAM) is seizing on that opportunity by launching the "Sisters First" ETP (exchange-traded product). The bond, which is more like a private equity investment than a traditional bond, will allow people to invest in media companies and film, television, and theater productions led by women and minority creators. BTAM, which is about to go on a roadshow to raise funds, expects to list the bond this month or early next in Europe.
“What we’re trying to do is take advantage of the fact that it’s actually a smart investment because all the data points to the fact that women-led [women directed produced, or written] content is actually more profitable than male led,” BTAM Managing Partner Oliver Gilly told Yahoo Finance’s On the Move.
Data from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, one of BTAM’s partner organizations, found that men outnumber women in key production roles in the entertainment industry by nearly 5 to 1. Women tend to make up only 7% of directors, 13% of writers and 20% of producers on a film or television program.
“It’s amazing that even though the women-led products are more profitable, there’s still a massive inequality in terms of the time of women on screen compared to the time of men which is mind-boggling,” Gilly noted.
In addition to teaming up with the Geena Davis Institute and other organizations, BTAM is also working with global investment company Sciath Group affiliate Sciath Entertainment, which is co-sponsoring the “Sisters First” ETP.
“We work with all the co-production partners to source best content and the best new writers within an ecosystem where perhaps women can feel safe within a women lead environment,” he said. “We team that up with the best of the AI engines that we use to use predictive analysis. Therefore, we’re reaching for that alpha by using that combination of the best of Hollywood and the best of Wall Street.”
Marabia Smith is a producer for Yahoo Finance On the Move.
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