Testimonials

All

Springhill Merges with Fulwell 73, Gets $40M Growth Investment

ECI Partners Buys Croud // Valuation and EBITDA Multiples Estimate

Insignia Buys Veritone One and Oxford Road - RockWater

Insignia Buys Veritone One and Oxford Road // Makes $100M+ Podcasting Bet

TPG Buys Grandview, its 2nd Deal in Talent Mgmt Rollup - Website

TPG Buys Grandview, its 2nd Deal in Talent Mgmt Rollup

2024 State of the Union for Creator x Media Advisory

Whalar Buys Sixteenth, its 2nd Talent Co Acquisition

Whalar Buys Sixteenth, its 2nd Talent Co Acquisition

MrBeast Buys Vouch - A Signal of More Planned M&A - website

MrBeast Buys Vouch, a Sign of More Planned M&A?

New Engen Buys Donut Digital, Continues Agency M&A Rollup - Web

New Engen Buys Donut Digital, Continues Agency M&A Rollup

Dulcedo Buys Node + Revenue and Valuation Estimate

Dulcedo Buys Node // Revenue and Valuation Estimate

Informa Buys Vidcon + How to Fix and Valuation Estimate

Informa Buys Vidcon // How to Fix and Valuation Estimate

gen.video Buys Bounty + RockWater Advises on Sale - web

gen.video Buys Bounty // RockWater Advises on Sale

Wasserman Buys Long Haul Mgmt

Wasserman Buys Long Haul Mgmt // RockWater Advises on Sale

XSET Buys Illusive Media + POV on Digital x Gaming M&A - RockWater

XSET Buys Illusive Media + POV on Digital x Gaming M&A

Ziff Davis Buys CNET for $100M+

Ziff Davis Buys CNET for $100M+, Preps for More M&A

Stagwell Buys Tel Aviv-Based LEADERS

Stagwell Buys Tel Aviv-Based LEADERS, Marking 7th Acquisition in 2024

Publicis Buys Influential

Publicis Buys Influential for $500M + Valuation and Deal Waterfalls

EssilorLuxottica Buys Supreme for $1.5B

EssilorLuxottica Buys Supreme for $1.5B + Valuation Estimate

IZEA-Owned Hoozu Buys 26 Talent

IZEA-Owned Hoozu Buys 26 Talent, Expands in APAC

TPG Buys Untitled, Plans New Talent Management Co

TPG Buys Untitled, Plans New Talent Management Co + Valuation Estimate

LOST iN Raises $4M, Plans Travel Media M&A Rollup

LOST iN Raises $4M, Plans Travel Media M&A Rollup

Croud Buys Vert Digital, its 5th Agency M&A Deal - Thumbnail

Croud Buys Vert Digital, its 5th Agency M&A Deal

Complex Buys ‘Family Style’ + Our Valuation Estimate - Thumbnail

Complex Buys ‘Family Style’ + Valuation Estimate

Media M&A Rollup Leads to UPROXX Newco

Media M&A Rollup Leads to UPROXX Newco

PodX Buys Platform Media

PodX Buys Platform Media, its 7th Podcast Acquisition

Investor Alignment Growth Buys Stake in Wheelhouse

“MEG” Investor Alignment Growth Buys Stake in Wheelhouse

MrBeast Leaves Management Co Night + Learnings for Talent Reps - Thumbnail

MrBeast Leaves Management Co Night + Learnings for Talent Reps

Liberty, Wildcat Invest in Range Media

Liberty, Wildcat Invest in Range Media

Triller and AGBA Plan $4B Merger + Role of TikTok Ban

Triller and AGBA Plan $4B Merger + Role of TikTok Ban

Dude Perfect Raises $100M + Investor ROI Math - Website Thumbnail

Dude Perfect Raises $100M + Investor ROI Math

Endeavor Goes Private

Endeavor Goes Private for $13B + Valuation Multiples

ShopMy Raises $18.5M for Creator Affiliate Platform

ShopMy Raises $18.5M for Creator Affiliate Platform

Skillshare Buys Superpeer a Fan Monetization Platform

Skillshare Buys Superpeer, a Fan Monetization Platform

Loaded Buys GG Talent

Loaded Buys GG Talent, a Gaming Talent Agency

Will Ninja’s Almond Milk Brand Be a Success

10 Questions a Creator Must Ask When Launching CPG

Passes Gets $40M for new Direct-to-Fan Platform

Passes Gets $40M for new Direct-to-Fan Platform

2024 State of Creator x Media Economy Fundraising: Efficient Studios, Aggregators, AI Hype, Power Founders, Pay Advancers, et al

2024 State of Creator x Media Economy Fundraising: Efficient Studios, Aggregators, AI Hype, Power Founders, Pay Advancers, et al

UTA Buys JUV Consulting, a Gen Z Research and Marketing Agency Thumbnail

UTA Buys JUV Consulting, a Gen Z Research and Marketing Agency

2024 State of Creator x Media Economy M&A

2024 State of Creator x Media Economy M&A: Digital Darlings, Social Channels, MCNs, Live Commerce, Tools, Podcasts, et al

Buzzfeed Sells Complex for $109M

Buzzfeed Sells Complex for $109M + Notes on Valuation

2024 State of Agency M&A Part 1

2024 State of Agency M&A: Rise of Challengers, Hot Targets, New Buyers, and Deal Structures Explained

A3 Agency Shuts Down

A3 Agency Shuts Down After Selling Digital Division to Gersh + M&A Learnings

VidIQ - Creator Now - Website

VidIQ Buys Creator Now + Our Valuation Estimate

Robinhood Buys Chartr - Website

Robinhood Buys its 2nd Financial Newsletter, Chartr

DWNLOAD MEDIA REPORT 2024

The Case for Increased Investment In the Podcast Industry

Gersh Buys A3 Digital

Gersh Buys A3’s Digital & Alternative Teams

Brat Buys Crypt TV + More Digital Rollups

Brat Buys Crypt TV + More Digital Rollups

Stagwell Buys Team Epiphany

Stagwell Buys Team Epiphany, a “Culturalist” Agency

Buzzfeed to Sell Complex for $100M?

Jezebel Sells to Paste Mag

Jezebel Sells to Paste Mag + Cautionary Tale of Bad Sell-Side M&A

IZEA buys Hoozu and Zuberance

IZEA Buys Hoozu and Zuberance, Gets Influencer Agency and More

FazeWorld Raises $750k

Short-Form Studio FazeWorld Raises $750k

Conservative Creator Monetization Playbook

K-Pop and Latin Converge: Hybe Acquires Exile Music

Dulcedo Buys 2 Agencies: Influence+All Mgmt and Sundae Creative

Why Creators are Launching Investment Funds and Why Savvy Founders are Watching

K-Pop and Latin Converge: Hybe Acquires Exile Music

25 Influencer Rep M&A Deals + Challenges to 2024 Dealmaking

Movers+Shakers Sells for $50M to Stagwell

RockWater Q4 Market Update + How to Prep for 2024

Betches Media Sells for 13.8x EBITDA + Why Supergreat Is Shutting Down

Pophouse Avicii Exhibit + Business Model of Netflix Houses

WTF Just Happened to FaZe Clan?

Wasserman Buys 3 Talent Firms in 3 Weeks

Gersh and A3 Artists in Deal Talks + Electrify Raises $85M for YouTube Rollup

Wasserman Acquires Brillstein + Personalities as the Future of Sports Media

Wasserman Buys Brillstein: Combo Logic and Talent M&A Learnings

Spotify’s $1B Podcast Bet: Mistakes & Learnings

Podcasts’ New Playbook + Prepping for 2024 M&A

19 Influencer M&A Deals Since 2019 + Hasbro Sells eOne for $500M to Lionsgate

The Math for Digital IP Roll Ups + Was $300M for Barbie a Good Investment?

Complex Has a Buzzfeed Problem + How to Value Podcast Networks

Capital Merges with Labor (LIV / PGA) + No Consensus on Livestream Commerce

How to Navigate Culture Wars + Newsletter Launches a CPG Brand

Electrify Invests in Veritasium YouTube Channel, Fanatics Pays $150M for PointsBet US

How Deion Sanders Uses Social Media to Transform College Football

India Overtakes China + Ryan Reynolds Invests in Nuvei

Hollywood Is Betting on Fear + Savvy Games Acquires Scopely for $4.9 Billion

Ryan Reynolds Fast Follower Strategy

The Ryan Reynolds “Fast-Follower” Strategy

Path to profit

Path to Profit: Exec Playbook (Pt 2)

Why Magic Mike Should Launch a Skincare Brand + Temu Makes Waves at Super Bowl

2023 Exec Playbook

2023 Exec Playbook: Thrive or Survive (Pt 1)

Amazon Shelves Private Label Products in Favor of Ad Revenue + Thoughts on Airbnb Investing

Alt-Co-Xbox-Gaming

Who Wins as Layoffs Continue and Economy Worsens? This Week it’s Meme Publishers and Videogame Consoles

AI VTuber has 70k Twitch Followers, WWE Sale Rumors, and Formula 1’s ‘Drive to Survive’ Series Inspires Other Sports Leagues

What do Bob Iger and Vince McMahon Have in Common?

🎊Celebrating RockWater’s 2022 Client Wins and 28 Content Publishings

Whatnot’s 90% Market Share, MGA’s $500M+ Content Initiative, Discord Monetization

2022 FAST Revenue Tops $3.9B, MENA as the Next Growth Frontier, and Ronaldo’s $517M Deal in Saudi Arabia

🪨 More Than Great Content: The RockWater TLDR 🌊

50%+ Drop in China’s ‘Singles Day’ Sales, 4 Hr Lines for Dobrik’s Pizza, and Disney & Netflix’s Content Experiments

How Practical Are Livestream Shopping Applications for Whole Person Health & Wellness?

*OUR SERVICES*: RockWater Plus

How Elon Musk’s $8 Blue Checkmark Subscription Strategy is a $9B Opportunity for Twitter

Taehoon Kim — CEO of nWay on Raising $90M, Selling to Animoca, and Gaming x Web3

17 Curations – A Recap of Our “What We’re Reading” Series

Critical Open Letter to Zuck & Meta, Saudi Arabia’s $38B Gaming Investment, and Netflix’s Sub Rebound

*OUR SERVICES*: Globalization

Zach Blume — Co-Founder of Portal A on 2006 Web Series, the Wheelhouse Investment, and Building with Your Childhood Friends

eSports Revenue Potential in Creator Economy and Web3

eSports Revenue Potential in Creator Economy and Web3 (Pt. 3)

*OUR SERVICES*: Sales & Business Development Advisory

SKKY Partners & Night Capital, Pinduoduo’s US Launch, and YouTube Shorts Offers 45%

eSports Leagues and Game Publishers – Monetization Playbook (Pt. 2)

Why MrBeast Burger Will (Not) Kill Legacy CPG, Celeb Food App Flavrs Raises $7M from A16Z, and Is BeReal the Next Clubhouse?

*OUR SERVICES*: Zero Based Budgeting

Camila Victoriano — Founder of Sonoro on Building LA Times Studios, Latinx Podcast Innovation, and Following the Story VS the Medium

How eSports Revenue Models Will Drive the $600B Global Sports Market (Pt. 1)

TikTok as Gen Z’s Search Engine, the Rise of Recommended Media, and Amazon Drafts Dude Perfect for Thursday Night Football

*OUR SERVICES*: UX Optimization

Mike Grisko - Atmosphere CFO

Mike Grisko — CFO at Atmosphere on Raising $150M, Becoming a 2x Founder, and the Future of TV for Business

VidCon 2022 Insights, LIV Golf’s $405M Purse, and 4 Insights from the Web3 / Video Games Nexus

*OUR SERVICES*: RockWater Market Research

livestream commerce innovations

3 Innovations Social Incumbents Must Pursue to Win the “Livestream Commerce Wars”

$100M Kids Social Network Wins NBA Backing, Boxing Draws 2.4M Twitch Viewers, and Snapchat+ Arrives

Adam Rymer

Adam Rymer — CEO at OpTic Gaming on 1980’s Internet Nerds, Adapting to Napster, and the Future of Esports

*OUR SERVICES*: Organizational Structure

What New Tech Will Solve the Challenges for US Livestream Shopping?

ESPN Takes F1 Checkered Flag for $225M+, Smart UA for Creator Tools, and Meta’s Fashion Marketplace

*OUR SERVICES*: New Revenue Opportunities & Monetization Strategies

Livestream Commerce: How New Stakeholders Will Close the $436 Billion Gap with China

How Airbnb’s Redesign Will Grow Revenue for STVR Owners

The $100M fight for F1 in the US, $10B Growth in GameFi, and Tastemade / Pinterest Strike Million $$ Deal

*OUR SERVICES*: Go-To-Market Planning

Why Sticky Habits Will Unlock Billion $$ Potential of US Live Shopping Market

SUPER and Penny AI Raise $97 Million, Prada Launches NFTs + Discord, and Streaming’s Back-to-Basics

*OUR SERVICES*: Fundraising

James Creech Paladin CEO

James Creech — Paladin CEO on Selling to Brandwatch, Influencer SAAS, and Recasting Your Success

Creator Economy’s SAAS Winter, buywith Raises $9.5M, and 5 Keys to Web3 Survival

*OUR SERVICES*: Pricing Strategy

Team Coco Sells for $150M, a16z’s $5.1B Web3 & Gaming Bet, and Firework Raises $150M

5 FAQs On Livestream Shopping

Video Game M&A Watch List

*OUR SERVICES*: Buy-Side Advisory

Michael Cohen — CEO at Team Whistle on Wall Street to Digital, Scaling $0-100M, Leadership, and Exits

food media predictions

*A Chef’s Kiss*: How Food & Lifestyle Will Merge in 2022

Brendan Gahan — CSO at Mekanism on YouTube in 2005, Selling Epic Signal, and Your First 100 Drafts

2022 Prediction: Why Was $20B Invested in Sports Leagues and Teams in 2021? And What’s Next For this Soon-To-Be $825B Industry?

2022 Prediction: Riches in Niches and the 40% of Non-Whites (Podcast Pt 1)

*OUR SERVICES*: RockWater FP&A Advisory

Production Studio M&A Watch List

web3 predictions

2022 Web3 Prediction: Digital Goods with High Consumer Utility Will Rise to the Top

2021 Year In Review: Sticky Acceleration and Birth of the “Ownership Economy” (Podcast)

Sarah Penna — Creator Launch Exec at Patreon on Her $15 Million Exit, Marrying a YouTuber, and Betting on Creators

How Future IP Investments Will Super-Serve Under-Served Audiences, Like the 40% of Non-Whites

2021 Year In Review: Sticky Acceleration and Birth of the “Ownership Economy”

Dev Sethi — Head of Sports at Instagram on Launching a Sports MCN, Athlete Creators and NIL, and Metaverse Fandoms

The US-China $295 Billion Livestream Gap

Amazon Eyes 10 Figure NFL Media Investment, Multi-Million Dollar Digital Land Sales, and TikTok x Buzzfeed

Nike’s 7 Metaverse Trademarks, Fox’s $100M NFT Fund, and the Launch of Goldbelly TV

Brian Volk-Weiss — CEO at The Nacelle Company on Netflix’s 1st Streamer Deal, Betting Big on Comedians, and Toy Shopping Therapy

Cameo Buys Represent and 3 Market Entry Strategies for Content x Commerce

The $1.7B Through Line Between Rent The Runway’s IPO and Lipstick King’s Livestream Sales

Why the “Creator Economy” is Now Worth $104 Billion (and Counting…)

NTWRK + Whatnot Raise More $$, and Twitter Commerce Rumors

Sky Mavis Valued at $3B, LeBron James’ SpringHill Sells Stake at $725M Valuation, and Coinbase Enters NFT Market

Creator Fund Watch List

Doug Bernstein — GM at House of Highlights on AOL’s “Digital Mailroom”, Sports Fandoms, and Pitching Social Media M&A

The Future of Creator Funds and Tools

Patreon Invests 8 Figures Into Original Content, Netflix Acquires Game Studio, and Golf’s Pandemic Growth Story

Why MGM Sold for 28x EBITDA and How Private Equity Will Fund the “Bullet Makers” of the Streaming Wars

Whatnot Unicorns @ $1.5B Val, Gucci Sells $10M of Clothing on Roblox, and Linkedin Launches $25M Creator Program

Fashion Tech Investment Watch List

Alison Eakle — EVP at Shondaland on Netflix Pacts, Bridgerton, Promotions After 30, and Motherhood

Naomi Shah — CEO of Meet Cute on Raising $6M During COVID, Leaving VC, and Rom-com Podcasts

Hello Sunshine Sells for $900M and High-Priced Studio M&A

Netflix Shop and 4 Ways Streamer-Led Commerce Will Evolve

The Audio Wars: Buyer-verse Expansion (Pt 2)

The Audio Wars: No End In Sight

Dan Levitt — Founder and CEO of Long Haul Management on $6,000 Salaries, Disney’s Big Miss, and Cracking YouTube SEO

From 9-Figure Cash Grabs to Redefining Sport: The Evolution of Creator Competitions

Kids Screen Time: Crossing the Chasm and New Revenue Models

1H 2021 Celebration

16 Podcasts, 13 Writings, and Celebrating 1H 2021

Food Media x Commerce Watch List

Damian Pelliccione — CEO of Revry on Launching a Queer TV Streamer, 4x Founder Diversity, and Grassroots Power

Paul / Mayweather and the Growth of Sports Creator Competitions

Etsy Buys Depop for $1.6 Billion and the Rise of Resale

Sports Betting x Media Watch List

How Media Operators Capture the $60 Billion US Sports Betting Market

Whatnot Raises $50M and the Future of Livestream Commerce

Matthias Metternich — CEO of Art of Sport on Being a 5x Founder, Skincare for Athletes, and Pitching Kobe Bryant

Bitcoin Pizza and Food Commerce Momentum

Introducing Our New Microcast, the RockWater Roundup

AT&T Exits WarnerMedia and Lessons Learned

The Future of Livestreaming: Music and Sports

The Duality of Social Audio: How will the landscape unfold?

Sports Betting Media in Overdrive

Kevin Jones — Founder of Blue Wire on Getting Fired for a 49ers Tweet, $3.5 Million from WynnBet, and the Future of Sports Podcasts

Rise of Social Audio

The Duality of Social Audio: Leaning In While Leaning Back

NFT Platform Watch List

How To Buy an NFT (like an “NFTweet”)

Chris Ovitz — President at OK Play on Being a 3x Founder, Humble Leadership, and Reimagining Kids Screen Time

Kids Screen Time Explodes, 20+ Deals, and How To Win the Next Generation of Viewers (and Their Parents)

Audio M&A Watchlist

Aditi Dash — Partner at CircleUp on Surprise FDA Visits, Clubhouse, and Consumer Investing

Livestream Commerce Watch List

2021 Predictions: How to Close the $150 Billion Livestream Commerce Gap Between US-China

Aaron Levant — CEO of NTWRK on Launching 30 Event Brands and Shopping at the Speed of Culture

2021 Predictions: Sportsbook Content Strategy for the $60 Billion Online Gambling Market

Kevin Gould — CEO of Kombo Ventures on $75 Million of Beauty Sales, Liquidating His IRA, and the Hottest Role in Town

2021 Predictions: 4 New Audio Buyers + Food Commerce Gets “Re-stacked”

From Attention to Passion. A Look Back at 2020.

Gretta Cohn — CEO of Transmitter Media on $7,000 of Startup Capital, Touring with Bright Eyes, and Making Beautiful Things