MUMBAI: Online content company, Maker Studios, has raised $36 million in the initial closing of its Series C financing led by Time Warner Investments.
Additional participants include existing investors Greycroft Partners; GRP Partners; Downey Ventures, the investment company for Robert Downey Jr.; Elisabeth Murdoch; Fuel: M+C, the investment company for Jon Miller and Jimmy Yaffe; and Ynon Kreiz, Maker’s chairman; along with new investors which include Daher Capital and Academy Award-winning producer Jon Landau.
Rachel Lam, who heads the Time Warner Investments group, will join the board. The funding will be used to further accelerate Maker’s rapid growth as a global platform for online programming while continuing to build brand and partner relationships.
Maker was founded in 2009 to provide the best environment for artists to create, distribute, and monetize their original content on YouTube. The company recently expanded its multi-vertical approach, focusing on comedy, music, gaming, beauty/fashion and mom’s programming both domestically and internationally, especially in Europe.
It is home to many of online video’s top digital stars and content including KassemG, Nice Peter’s “Epic Rap Battles of History,” the Shaytards, SnoopDogg’s WestFestTV, The Yogscast, The Gregory Brothers, Bad Lip Reading and Mike Tompkins, among many others.
“We’re extremely excited and grateful to have the support of Time Warner and our other investment partners, who are some of the most respected names in media and entertainment, and are thrilled that we will be able to provide even more resources and opportunities to our valued network partners,” said Maker Studios co-founder and CEO Danny Zappin.
“We founded Maker because, as YouTube content creators ourselves, we recognized there was a need for a new type of studio and network that could support artists on any platform. We remain committed to providing the best possible environment for creators and look forward to further expanding our offerings to our extremely talented partners around the globe.”
