Thomas Benski’s Lumina Media, a London-based IP-led media and venture group, provides creative, operational and strategic support to its portfolio of companies and talent, helping them build brands and produce content. The investment aligns with Lumina’s strategy of supporting next-generation companies at the intersection of digital media and entertainment.
Founded in 2021, Arcade Media has established itself as a premier talent management agency, helping content creators grow their brands, secure partnerships and develop original content and experiences that bridge the gap between digital talent and mainstream entertainment. The agency is best known as the exclusive management partner for The Sidemen, one of Europe’s largest YouTube collectives.
The transaction demonstrates the continued growth and maturation of the digital content creator economy, as traditional media and venture capital increasingly recognise the value and commercial potential of digital talent and their audiences.
Tim O’Shea, Lumina Media’s Group Director of Commercial and Business Affairs, noted:
“Harbottle & Lewis’s understanding of the media landscape and the nuances of creative businesses make them invaluable advisors. Their support on this investment was seamless, strategic, and effectively aligned with how we operate.”
Tim Parker, partner at Harbottle & Lewis, commented:
“We are delighted to have advised Lumina Media on this exciting investment. Arcade Media represents the future of talent management in the digital age, and we look forward to seeing how this partnership will help accelerate their growth and expand their influence in the creator economy.”
This investment adds to our extensive track record of advising on media and technology transactions, reinforcing the firm’s position as the go-to legal adviser for innovative companies in the media, entertainment and technology sectors.
Our transaction team was led by partner Tim Parker and managing associate Rosie Marston, with support from associate Jake Jacobson.
Tim has a wealth of experience providing strategic, legal advice to a wide range of clients in entrepreneurial businesses. He is particularly adept at handling corporate and finance transactions, and advising on mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint ventures. He also advises clients seeking to raise capital on and off-market as well as a number of corporate investors.
His clients principally operate and invest in the media and technology sectors and range from early stage companies to a number of listed companies on both AIM and the Official List of the London Stock Exchange.
Tim joined Harbottle & Lewis in 2000 from Slaughter and May, and became partner in 2004.
Rosie’s practice focuses on supporting startups and investors in the venture capital ecosystem. She has extensive experience advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including venture capital and growth stage fundraisings, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder arrangements, early stage SEIS/EIS investments, convertible instruments (including ASAs, SAFEs and convertible loans), founder disputes, share incentive schemes (including EMI options), joint ventures and corporate reorganisations.
Rosie acts for startup and scale-up companies, entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capital funds, family offices and other corporate investors across a wide range of sectors, with particular experience advising clients in the technology sector.
Rosie trained and qualified at Allen & Overy, where she worked in the corporate M&A team for four and a half years, including secondments to the Singapore office and a client secondment to Virgin Management. She subsequently spent two years at law firm MJ Hudson, before joining Harbottle & Lewis in June 2023.
Rosie is passionate about improving the existing gender imbalance within the startup community and has co-written two articles about how diversity has been threatened by rule changes in the UK venture capital ecosystem, both published by FT Adviser. Read the articles here and here.
Jake advises founders, serial entrepreneurs, management, venture capital funds and angel investors on a broad range of corporate matters at all stages of a company’s lifecycle, including acquisitions and disposals, financing rounds, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and re-organisations, shareholder arrangements, and employee and management share incentivisation schemes.
Jake joined Harbottle & Lewis in 2019 as a trainee solicitor and qualified in 2021.