
TOLDJA! UPDATES: DreamWorks About To Announce Debt Financing
Los Angeles, CA (August 17, 2009) - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, chairman of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, the parent company of Reliance Big Entertainment and Reliance BIG Pictures along with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, the principal partners of DreamWorks Studios jointly announced today the completion of the first phase of funding for their new motion picture company, based in Los Angeles, California. They further announced that J.P. Morgan Securities arranged the syndication of approximately $325 million of senior debt which Reliance Big Entertainment is matching with its equity commitment. The Walt Disney Studios, who will handle marketing and distribution for the studio, will also extend a loan to DreamWorks as part of the distribution deal.
The debt financing was led by J.P. Morgan, who brought together other lenders to set-up DreamWorks with its first wave of funds. Participants include: Bank of America, City National Bank, Wells Fargo, Comerica, Union Bank of California, SunTrust, California Bank & Trust, and Israel Discount Bank.
Anil Ambani said: “Our partnership with Stacey and Steven is the cornerstone of our Hollywood strategy as we grow our film interests across the globe. Given our faith in the business plan that they presented to us and despite the current economic climate, we were always confident that this day would come. Now Stacey and Steven can focus on producing more of the great films for which they are renowned.”
“This will allow us to move ahead quickly into production with our first group of films, said Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg in a joint statement. “We wish to thank Anil personally for his foresight and fortitude over the past months. We congratulate J.P. Morgan for their leadership in attracting this funding during today’s most challenging financial environment. Our thanks also to our distribution partner Disney who we look forward to working with in getting our movies out to the global audience.”
Joining Stacey Snider and Steven Spielberg on DreamWorks’ Board of Directors on behalf of the Reliance ADA Group are Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, Vice Chairman, Reliance Capital, and J.P. Morgan’s Alan J. Levine.
Alan J. Levine of J.P. Morgan Entertainment Advisors led the Reliance team in structuring the capital and business plan for the company. Schuyler Moore at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan was Reliance’s counsel. DreamWorks was advised by Skip Brittenham at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Bruce Ramer and Harold Brown at Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, and Cravath, Swaine & Moore. John Miller and David Shaheen at J.P. Morgan Securities led the senior debt syndication.
“It took great dedication over many months to turn our vision for this company into a reality,” said Jeff Small, President and Chief Operating Officer of DreamWorks Studios. “The time spent by everyone navigating the changing economic waters allowed us to make the most responsible deal for DreamWorks and ensure that our partnership with Reliance, from the very beginning, was built on solid ground. We appreciate the faith our bank group has in our business plan and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them.”
DreamWorks has a long-term distribution deal with The Walt Disney Studios which will market and distribute approximately six live-action films a year for the company, except for India where Reliance Big Entertainment will retain distribution rights. The first release under Disney’s Touchstone banner is expected in 2010.
Why do I have the feeling that Dreamworks movies will start having spontaneous musical numbers performed by stunningly beautiful women?
Anyway, it’s nice to see this all settled. Then maybe they can get things off and running.
Finally speilberg can get back to not finishing and getting grossly overpaid for it with other peoples money
And yet you have to wonder with all the announcements of what Spielberg’s going to be doing next how is the Disney going to benefit. Considering how well they’re doing this year, they’re going to be in need of something.
The more I think about this deal, the more concerned I get that Hollywood will somehow get up to their usual accounting shenanigans in their dealings with the Indian investors.
I think that would be a major mistake. India wasn’t always the easiest place to do business, especially before the reforms of the past decade or so. Building any company that manages to thrive shows a level of sophisticated business management that I fear Hollywood will not appreciate.
Hollywood can’t afford to drive a wedge between any potential partner, especially in this economy.
Who cares about them anymore? They have swallowed the Kool-Aid for too long.
In all the years I’ve read announcements like these I’ve yet to see a company actually make money. Let’s face it, anyone who invests in Hollywood does so simply to satisfy their massive ego.
Speilberg’s HARVEY is absolutely, positively, supercalifragilistically made for Disney’s. Just think what Robert (I haven’t had an original thought since birth) is thinking:
- it’s CONTEMPORARY! (no high-cost wardrobe)
- it TAKES PLACE IN THE US! (no expensive Latin American/German settings – he can shoot on real streets and build sets decorated with pick-up furniture. Not to mention a miniscule travel budget of private jets only for Mr. S and whoever his star is)
- it’s INTIMATE (no giant crowd scenes & the screen extras guild will be pissed, but since they’re not close to signing a new contract . . . fuck ‘em. Come to think of it, ILM will be pissed because they won’t be called in to computer-generate the crowds that would have meant work for SEG. Jeeze – Spielberg pisses off two Hollywood majors in one stroke… surely the man is a genius).
- it’s NON SCI-FI, NON-INDIANA JONES (ILM again gets another reason to be pissed)
- it’s gotta TALKING RABBIT in HARVEY; which will make a wonderful theme-park ride for Bobbie Iger… he’s thinking right now that it could be enhanced with a nasty farmer, his rabid dogs, talking animals in a carrot patch, and let’s not forget, his politically incorrect lush of a drunken friend. (Oh joy of joys!)
and finally
- IT WILL BE COST PEANUTS
COME ON PEOPLE! WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THIS PROJECT? (aside from the fact that it is the most unnecessary remake in over 50 years)
Ol’ Steverino strikes again!
Why are they getting money from such far away sources? It’s really embarrassing when you think of it. Spielberg and Geffen should invest their own money if they’re so certain what will be a hit movie then logically they’d want to maximize their profits by using their own money. Or Disney money. To have to go to the ends of the earth for funding looks terrible.
So long as Todd Philips doesn’t get his hands on this funding money, I’m happy.
I don’t like boycotts, but I have had it with Disney. My last visit to Disney had me wondering what was in it for Disney to have the U.S. be a Socialist country? I guess they find it profitable since they are a success in France and China. I also find the hidden messages in their movies to be quite disappointing. I think Walt would be horrified to see his baby aligned with Socialist like Spielberg. Goodbye Mickey!
Wonder when Stacey Snider takes down Oren Aviv…
I dunno…the idea that Disney’s going to be releasing movies about ghosts, trees that eat children, forgotten skeletons in swimming pools, possessing “spirits” and other various voodoo hoodoo…I dunno, sorta’ ruins the whole “family values” idea that Disney began with.
It’s going to be interesting to see just how Dreamworks decide to spend this money.
If, as has been rumoured, Spielberg is desperate to get back into the big movie business one bad move could see a massive chunk of this change disappear over night.
And I don’t think the HALO project he’s trying to package with CAA is going to be cheap either.
And the fact Microsoft aren’t exactly thrilled at the idea of a Spielberg produced PG-13 HALO movie means he’ll have to splash the cash just to get Gates and Co. aboard with the idea.
But at the end of the day it’s good to have another buyer in town. Especially in this current spec market and especially when some of the other movie players aren’t looking very healthy at all.
With the hedgefunders down for the count, I was curious who the next group of world-class suckers conned into paying for Hollywood’s losses without seeing any return on profitable films would be…
Now we know.
hmmm…and of the financial institutions involved in this deal, how many received or are going to receive taxpayer “Bailout” money?! Looks like that hope and change thing is working out well for Hollywood.
Too big too fail………. right
Considering Spielberg has a licensing/advisor role with universal Studios, and Dreamworks animation directly competed with Disney and Disney Pixar, it be interesting to see how this shapes up. Spielberg has an out clause with Universal next year where he gets a lump sum, instead of the annual revenue generated by Universal.
Please dont bring hollywood to disneyland. keep it clean. It’s for the children. this was walt’s dream not yours.
Spielberg must torn between remaking THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG or a movie developed from the Flying Teacups ride at Disneyland.
Perhaps Diz is hoping that the DWorx Effect that worked at Par – “Transformers” anyone? – will work for them. Meanwhile, if Iger can keep his hands off (unlike Grey), then SSx2 should stay happy.
Harvey!
I still can’t believe he’s going to remake Harvey. Sequel, reboot, remake – some legacy for the future.
The word “Studio” is thrown around so easily these days. Isn’t this just another “Production Deal”? And, a debt-ridden one at that…
Who cares? Spielberg hasn’t been responsible for a good movie since the 1980s. Hard to tell which is the biggest overpaid blowbag of a hack – him or Ron Howard.
Amazing! These banks took huge government bailout funds, charge incredible fees on accounts and credit cards, payout fantastic pay packages and then funnel loans into this “stimulus” package-deal! Amazing!
Dont think its going to be so easy to con Reliance, they are in a league by themselves. First of $350million is pocket change considering the kind of cash they already churn out through their Telecom venture…
read up on the Ambanis.. not people you want to have out gunning for you.
RE: “Why are they getting money from such far away sources? It’s really embarrassing when you think of it. Spielberg and Geffen should invest their own money if they’re so certain what will be a hit movie then logically they’d want to maximize their profits by using their own money. Or Disney money. To have to go to the ends of the earth for funding looks terrible.”
Yeah makes sense to invest your own money doesn’t it? Especially when you are a top Hollywood player like Spielerg. And I bet he and former DW partners Geffen/Katzenberg could easily come up with as little as one Billion of their own money! But most filmmakers don’t invest their own money. That’s why you have studios and the private investors doing it for them.