Legendary Music/Entertainment Entrepreneur Mathew Knowles Strikes Film/TV Deal with APX Capital Group
International film and media fund APX Capital Group today announced that it has signed a monumental, multi-part deal with world-renowned music executive Mathew Knowles and his leading music and entertainment company Music World Entertainment Group (MWEG). The agreement will incorporate MWEG’s film and TV division into a newly created unit – Music World Films & TV (MWFT) – within APX Capital Group to be managed by Knowles with a €250 million starting budget for film and TV co-productions completed between Italy and the US. The structure of the financing will be streamlined through APX’s Italian subsidiary, MMF Global Italia.
The announcement was made by APX’s chiefs: Emmy Award Winning Producer Yona Wiesenthal (Fauda, Shtisel, Google Baby); Entrepreneur and Producer Noam Baram (I Am Woody, Hannah Can You Hear Me); and Italian Film Entrepreneur Augusto Pelliccia (Li Paradisi, Catharsys or The Afina Tales of the Lost World), who recently made international news with the teaser release for the highly anticipated Peter Greenaway’s Walking to Paris.
Under the terms of the deal, Knowles will join APX’s Board immediately, and MWFT will develop, finance and produce a steady stream of diverse, co-owned content – including feature films, scripted TV series and documentaries – that encompass Knowles’ 30-year career in the entertainment industry, including The Emancipation of Slaves Through Music, Quilts, A Christmas Story, Hoodlum Preacher, Cowboys and Aliens, Civil War and The Mathew Knowles Story – the story that traces back to how Knowles had navigated his daughters’ world-famous careers, which reached the pinnacle of the entertainment and music industry.
The division’s portfolio will be bolstered by an incredible 10,000 hours of footage depicting the history of the Knowles family in the music industry through these never-before-seen images, videos and music.
“Mathew’s unparalleled career in the industry is shaped by his expertise in organizational culture, ethical leadership and activism. We’re tremendously honored to partner with him to bring attention to his personal accounts and the important cultural subjects that define our shared experience,” says Noam Baram, Co-CEO and Head of North America for APX Capital Group. “These stories will encourage us all to look at our history, respect each other’s perspectives and learn to co-exist in a diverse world that’s united by universal human values.”
“We are beyond thrilled to reach this groundbreaking agreement with Mathew and his team to develop impactful content told through the voice of one of the most successful and insightful entrepreneurs in entertainment today,” adds Yona Wiesenthal, Joint Co-CEO of APX Capital Group.
“This partnership marks a milestone moment in the evolution of my company and my career as we embark on a new chapter with the visionary and extraordinary team at APX,” says Mathew Knowles, CEO of Music World Entertainment Group. “The decision to partner with APX Capital Group is well made and corresponds to Music World Entertainment Group’s intent to expend its film and television portfolio. Through this unique collaboration and as head of this new division under APX I’ll be able to share the story of my life by combining compelling storytelling with access to exceptional talent and music that will both entertain and emphasize a cultural awareness that’s necessary now more than ever. This is the story of my life, and I am honored to be able to transmit it even further through this alliance.”
Executive producers across the projects will include Mathew Knowles, Noam Baram, Yona Wiesenthal, Augusto Pelliccia and others.
The news comes on the heels several other deals made lately by APX, which recently struck a deal to finance several new films by Kees Kassander and Peter Greenaway.