Lewis Silkin has advised Banijay UK on its investment in Immovable Studios, co-founded by Akala and Chanelle Newman
23 February 2024
Lewis Silkin has advised Banijay UK on taking a minority stake in Immovable Studios, co-founded by British hip-hop artist, author and social entrepreneur Akala and his business partner and talent manager Chanelle Newman.
The investment, made as part of the Banijay UK Growth Fund, will help Immovable Studios develop its premium content. The agreement includes a first-look distribution deal with Banijay Rights.
Immovable Studios has been involved in the production of a number of Akala-fronted TV projects including Poetry: Between the Lines, Akala’s Odyssey and Akala Presents: The Ruins of Empires all for the BBC. A docu-series based on Akala’s novel Natives, has also been commissioned by BBC Documentaries.
Lewis Silkin’s team was led by Corporate Partner, Simon Entwistle and Senior Associate, Joe Lythgoe.
Commenting on the transaction, Simon said:
We were delighted to support Banijay on this investment and are excited to see even more fantastic content from Immovable with their new partner. As always, it was a pleasure advising the Banijay team, and we look forward to working with them on future investments and acquisitions.
This follows Banijay’s recent acquisition of leading scripted producer The Forge, on which Lewis Silkin advised Banijay.