Leading Hollywood dealmakers and M&A experts Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Jeff Sagansky and Faiza Saeed will join TheWrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman at TheGrill 2021, presented by WrapPRO, on September 29-30.
“Acquire or Die: Navigating the Era of Mega-Mergers & SPACS” will address the explosion of Hollywood mergers and the ramifications of ongoing industry consolidation. After WarnerMedia and Discovery, Amazon and MGM and the rise of special purpose acquisition companies (SPACS), is this the path to sustainability?
Mayer and Staggs recently announced plans to acquire Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine at a $900 million valuation as part of their yet-unnamed media venture, backed by Blackstone. SPAC pioneer Sagansky has co-founded seven blank-check companies within the last 10 years, making him a household name within the industry. Saeed is one of the industry’s go-to M&A advisors, having working with clients including Disney, Viacom and Time Warner.
For over a decade, TheWrap’s Grill event series has led the conversation on the convergence between entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges and opportunities facing content in the digital age. Tailored to a C-suite and high-level attendees, TheGrill presented by WrapPRO, delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and virtual networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.
This two-day event will be livestreamed September 29-30 and available exclusively on demand via WrapPRO, a member community for professionals in entertainment, media and technology.
Click here to become a WrapPRO member for access to TheGrill on-demand as well as exclusive entertainment coverage, insights and invites to virtual events/screenings throughout the year.
Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs are co-CEOs and co-chairs of the SPAC Forest Road Acquisition Corp II. Mayer, former TikTok CEO and Disney exec, was recently named chairman of DAZN Group. He and Staggs, a former COO and CFO of Disney and Spotify board member, continue to serve as senior advisors to their first SPAC Forest Road, which acquired the digital fitness brand Beachbody in February. Most recently, the pair acquired Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine for $900 million as part of their yet-unnamed media venture, in which the pair serve as co-CEOs, backed by Blackstone.
Over the past 10 years, Jeff Sagansky and his partner Harry Sloan have founded seven special purpose acquisition companies, which acquired and took public companies including Draft Kings, Skillz, a videogame competition platform, Williams Scotsman, America’s largest modular office space leasing company and Videocon DTH, Indian’s fastest growing direct to home pay TV provider. His latest SPAC, Soaring Eagle, IPOed in March 2021 raising $1.725 billion. Soaring Eagle recently announced it is merging with Gingko Bioworks, the leader in cell engineering.
Faiza Saeed is Presiding Partner of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. She advises on mergers and acquisitions and is widely recognized within the entertainment industry as a go-to advisor, having worked with clients including Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, Hasbro, DreamWorks and Amblin. She serves as a Trustee of The Paley Center and NewYork-Presbyterian and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a B.A. in Economics and Molecular Biology from U.C. Berkeley and a J.D. from Harvard.
About TheGrill:
For over a decade, TheWrap’s Grill event series has led the conversation on the convergence between entertainment, media and technology, bringing together newsmakers to debate the challenges and opportunities facing content in the digital age. Tailored to a C-Suite and high-level attendees, TheGrill delivers a unique series of curated discussions, industry panels and virtual networking activations that explore the ever-changing media landscape.
This two-day event will be live-streamed September 29-30 and will be available exclusively on-demand via WrapPRO, a member community for professionals in entertainment, media and technology. Click here to become a WrapPRO member to access TheGrill on-demand as well as exclusive entertainment coverage, insights and invites to virtual events/screenings throughout the year.
To learn more go to: http://thegrill.thewrap.com
Event sponsors include Gerber Kawasaki, KNOWN, City National Bank, Loeb & Loeb, Take-Two Interactive, RIAA, Sony and Lionsgate.
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