Wheelhouse Entertainment said it has agreed to purchase a majority interest in Den of Thieves, the live-event, scripted and non-scripted production company responsible for producing MTV’s Video Music Awards and E!’s People Choice Awards.
Den of Thieves was founded by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager, and is known for producing the VMAs for 13 consecutive years and the upcoming People's Choice Awards (Nov. 10) for the second straight year. Other company productions include the "Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour” concert special for Netflix, the iHeartRadio Music Awards for Turner Broadcasting, the Radio Disney Music Awards on Disney Channel, The Gong Show on ABC, the Peabody Awards, and Ken Jeong’s Netflix Special “You Complete Me, Ho.”
The deal is expected to bolster both companies’ programming slates -- including on the live-event, concert and awards, and experiential marketing fronts – and via multi-platform original series and features, both scripted and unscripted. They will also pursue a range of content and media deals with talent across entertainment, sports and culture.
“What Jesse and Evan have accomplished is beyond extraordinary,” Wheelhouse CEO Brent Montgomery said in a press release. “...At a time of so much disruption in our industry, uniting with Den of Thieves not only allows us to scale instantly across the content and event landscape, it also offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with key brands, something we believe will be an integral force in media going forward. ”
The deal was brokered by Ed Simpson, chief strategy officer at Wheelhouse Group, and Evolution Media Capital.
