Mergers & Acquisitions Deals for the Week of July 8, 2024

A roundup of notable M&A deals involving Southern California companies

Entertainment

Global private equity firm TPG Inc. acquired a 51% stake in Beverly Hills-based Untitled Entertainment LLC from Boat Rocker Media Inc. for $51.6 million CAD on June 28. The deal establishes a new talent management and representation agency for the investment company, which had previously invested in entertainment companies, including Creative Artists Agency, DirecTV, Musixmatch and Spotify.

With this transaction, Michel Pratte was named chief executive of the newly established company, and Eric Taitz was named chief operating officer. Pratte worked for Boat Rocker for over 15 years, while Taitz has been with the company since 2018.

“As the broader entertainment industry continues to evolve, a more complex landscape means more opportunities than ever for ambitious talent and their representatives,” said Pratte in a statement.

Latham & Watkins and Blakes Cassels & Graydon LLP served as legal counsel to TPG. Venable LLP served as legal advisors to Untitled’s founding partners Jason Weinberg and Stephanie Simon. LionTree Advisors acted as financial advisor, and Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP and Stikeman Elliott LLP served as legal advisors to Boat Rocker.

Deals

El Segundo-based Flipfit, which operates a social media shopping platform, acquired San Francisco-based Curated Inc. for approximately $330 million on July 9. Curated’s chief executive Eduardo Vivas will join Flipfit as chief operating officer. Curated owns and operates a platform that offers recommendations while shopping for experiences, products and services. It provides personalized recommendations, price comparisons and insider tips.

Curated was formerly known as Deal.com Inc. and changed its name in February 2021. The company was founded in 2017.