The Lewis Silkin team was led by Barnaby Stokes, Legal Director, Corporate, with principal support from: Ayesha Chanda, Associate, Corporate; Matthew Rowbotham, Partner, Tax; Jeremy Summers, Consultant, Intellectual Property; Richard Moore, Partner, Employment; James Stables, Associate, Employment; and Leah Glover, Managing Associate, Banking.  Davis & Gilbert, New York, provided US legal support.

Commenting on the deal, Barnaby Stokes said: “We were delighted to advise the 59 shareholders on this deal, drawing on our wide-ranging experience of selling creative businesses to complete a complex transaction for them on a demanding timeline.  This is an exciting step for the 59 team, providing them with the platform to deliver ever more ambitious projects.”
Lysander Ashton, 59 CFO and one of the majority shareholders said: “It was an absolute pleasure working with the team at Lewis Silkin who guided us through this complex and multifaceted international deal, with charm, diligence and dedication.”

Based in New York and London, 59 is a multi-award-winning interdisciplinary studio that conceives, directs, designs and delivers ambitious, large-scale story-driven artworks, stage shows, events and immersive experiences.

59’s recent work includes Vogue’s “Inventing the Runway”, and David Hockney’s Bigger & Closer (Not Smaller and Further Away), both of which were designed for the Lightroom venue in Kings Cross, London; Sting’s sold-out “My Songs” residency in Las Vegas; and collaborations with performers and musicians including Nitin Sawhney, Anne Nikitin and David Bowie.

Journey Group was formed in 2022 and designs and delivers multidimensional experiences which it says “transform how people perceive, engage, and interact with, the world”.  Journey's recent work in includes two floors of permanent exhibition space in the Empire State Building, New York; and “Sphere” in Las Vagas.  It is backed by the private equity firm Growth Catalyst Partners.