Akin Gump-Advised Transaction Wins “Deal of the Year” Award
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(Washington, D.C.) – Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP accepted the “Financial Services Deal of the Year” award from The M&A Advisor for the firm’s leading role in advising Dune Capital Management in a complex $325 million film production venture with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. The M&A Advisor, a leading industry publication geared to buyers and sellers of middle market companies, held its Inaugural Middle-Market Financing Awards ceremony at The Drake Hotel in Chicago on June 20.
The Dune Capital Management transaction involved the creation and sponsorship of Dune Entertainment LLC, which was funded with an equity investment from Dune Capital and a senior credit facility provided by Dresdner Bank AG, to complete the $325 million investment in the production and distribution of a designated list of 28 Fox films. Akin Gump was approached to provide legal advice in one of the first deals of this type, which illustrated an innovative deal structure for financing in the entertainment industry.
P. John Burke, head of Akin Gump’s entertainment finance practice, said, “Private equity firms and hedge funds are increasingly finding the entertainment industry an attractive avenue for investment. We see this trend growing as the overall opportunity for new investment in this asset class remains expansive.” Frank Reddick, a partner in Akin Gump’s business transactions practice, added, “Akin Gump is honored to be recognized for its advice and expertise in structuring and executing on innovative funding vehicles for the film industry.”
The M&A Advisor Middle-Market Financing Award winners were judged on the impact a nominated transaction had on growth prospects, unique deal characteristics, transaction difficulty, and overall impact on the vertical industry and middle market.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 900 lawyers with offices in Austin, Brussels, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Taipei and Washington. The firm has a diversified practice and represents regional, national and international clients in a wide range of areas, including antitrust; appellate; banking and finance; capital markets; communications and information technology; corporate and securities; corporate governance; employee benefits; energy; entertainment and media; environmental; estate planning, wealth transfer and probate; financial restructuring; global security; government contracts; health; insurance; intellectual property; international trade; investment funds; labor and employment; land use; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; private equity; privatization; project development and finance; public law and policy; real estate development and finance; Russia/CIS; tax; and technology.
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