SUPPORTING THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES City Editor Neil Martin talks to Great Point Media’s Commercial Director Dan Perkins, to find out how 2018 was for them and what beckons for 2019.
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t’s all too easy to forget that some of the top dramas you will have seen recently on television and cinema screens require funding, and that to achieve success in the area of raising finance for entertainment content, is no mean feat. One firm that leads the way is Great Point Media. To date, its senior management team has produced, financed and distributed over $2 billion of entertainment content, and has over 300 production credits in film and television collectively. Given its long and successful track record, it’s a surprise to learn that the Great Point Group (to include both the parent Great Point Media (GPM) and their FCA regulated subsidiary Great Point Investments (GPI)) is just six years old, having been established in 2013 by media industry stalwarts Jim Reeve and Robert Halmi, together with a highly experienced team of media focussed EIS professionals. Dan Perkins, Commercial Director and a “Big Four” trained chartered accountant, heads up the Great Point Group’s intermediary sales team having spent the past 10 years of his career managing alternative investments and working with UK based financial advisers to help educate investors and promote the best EIS, SEIS and BR qualifying opportunities the market has to offer in the media sector. GREAT POINT INVESTMENTS GPI is the FCA regulated subsidiary of GPM. It offers a strong and unique track record in the management of EIS qualifying media companies. At the time of this
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GB Investment Magazine · February 2019
interview, the Great Point Group manages and advises around £224 million of EIS and SEIS qualifying capital across more than 130 separate businesses with over 2,800 unique investments. More than 170 financial intermediary firms have introduced their clients to its funds, including some of the UK’s largest private banks and IFA networks. 2018 I begin by asking Perkins, how was the year that’s just been and gone? “It was a busy year on many fronts, with television production activity continuing apace across all of our live Select Television Production offers. Well-received shows aired during the year include ‘Kiri’ (Channel 4), ‘Lear’ (BBC / Amazon), ‘Save Me’ (Sky) and ‘The Cry’ (BBC). We also closed out our biggest single fundraise of £70 million at the beginning of the year and have been busy deploying funds with a number of projects produced by our investee companies recently airing include ‘Manhunt’ (ITV, 9pm 6, 7, 8 January, currently available on the ITV Hub) and ‘Brexit’ (Channel 4, 9pm 7 January, currently available on All 4) starring Benedict Cumberbatch.” GPM considers it has a number of USPs which marks it out in the sector. Not least is its unrivalled media sector knowledge, and network of industry relationships and strategic partners. Added to this is the proprietary deal flow and a number of ‘first look’ deals it has with industry bodies and leading institutions. There is also the firm’s broad investment approach which is designed
