Variety’s Dealmakers of 2023: Hollywood’s Dealmakers Kept Industry on Course in a Turbulent Year

variety.com:

For editorial inquiries, please contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com and Sharareh Drury at sdrury@variety.com. PartnerStubbs Alderton & Markiles Besides advising a host of A-listers in their business transactions, Akselrud is known as a go-to corporate dealmaker.

This year he was closely involved in financial and/or acquisition transactions for more than a dozen digital media companies and sports equipment retailers, and represented the late Leonard Cohen’s estate in its catalog sale to Hipgnosis Song Management.Rebounding post-strikes: At first, “people were focusing on budgets and wanted to manage their expenses in what was looking like — and actually ended up being — an extended period.” Then, as happened with COVID, “everyone realized that there was a lot of work that could be accomplished to advance their corporate transactions and invest in the future of their brands or entrepreneurial initiatives, knowing that the strikes would ultimately end.

It caused a flurry of activity [that] continuesto accelerate,” Akselrud says. Founder, Chairman, CEOAllen Media Group Allen and his dedicated team continued their prolific dealmaking reign during a year filled with turmoil and occasional paralysis.

AMG’s free streaming service, Local Now, launched three NBC News FAST Channels as well as a Washington Post FAST Channel, while launching the new court series “Equal Justice With Judge Eboni K.