NEW YORK, June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Houlihan Lokey, the international investment bank, today announced that it has acquired MESA Securities, Inc. (MESA), a leading New York-based independent advisory firm that provides mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and other strategic advisory services to clients in both traditional and digital media and entertainment. The transaction closed on June 19, 2015.
Founded in 2008, MESA focuses on serving high-growth companies across the media and entertainment landscape. Core areas of focus include film, television, music, sports, live entertainment, and digital media, including key verticals such as games, interactive, advertising, and e-commerce. Services include M &A advisory, private placements, and structured finance. Since its founding, MESA has advised on over 80 transactions including some of the most notable deals in the sector: Colony Capital's acquisition of Miramax, the sale of Songza to Google, the sale of Indiagames to Disney, structured finance transactions for Relativity and IMAX, and equity financings for Blue Man Group and FanDuel. Additionally, MESA has advised multiple global corporations, including Discovery Channel, Time Inc., and Viacom. MESA is headquartered in New York, with an additional office in Los Angeles and serves clients worldwide.
The MESA team will join Houlihan Lokey's existing Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Group, with Mark Patricof, Managing Partner and one of MESA's co-founders, joining John Cooper, Rob Louv, and Chris Wilson as one of the Co-Heads of the Group. MESA's two other co-founders, Jerome Levy and Brian Richards, will join the Group as Managing Directors.
"MESA's sector focus is at the leading edge of the evolution of the media, entertainment, and marketing sectors and their relationships with global media and technology investors and buyers at all stages of growth are exceptionally strong," said Scott Adelson, Co-President and Global Co-Head of Corporate Finance at Houlihan Lokey. "In addition, as has been the case with other recent acquisitions, the strong cultural compatibility between the two companies was highly attractive to us, and we're confident that it will contribute to a seamless and rapid integration. We are delighted that the MESA team has become an integral part of our TMT Group," he continued.
Following the MESA acquisition, the TMT Group now comprises more than 30 officers in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London, making it one of the largest industry groups at Houlihan Lokey.
"We have had inquiries over the years from numerous investment banks, but we saw Houlihan Lokey as the ideal fit based on their strategy, leadership, and deep entrepreneurial spirit and DNA," said Mr. Patricof. "Joining Houlihan Lokey considerably expands our global footprint and will enable us to offer MESA's legacy client base, several of which are market-leading businesses, a significantly expanded suite of products and services. The entire MESA team is excited to begin this new chapter and join the Houlihan Lokey team to build the preeminent TMT practice in the industry."
Each of Houlihan Lokey and MESA advised itself on the transaction. Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP served as legal counsel to Houlihan Lokey and Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff and Cohen was legal counsel to MESA.
Houlihan Lokey is an international investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, valuation, financial restructuring, and strategic consulting. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of our commitment to client success across our advisory services. Houlihan Lokey is ranked as the No. 1 M &A advisor for U.S. transactions under $5 billion, the No. 1 M &A fairness opinion advisor for U.S. transactions over the past 10 years, and the No. 1 global restructuring advisor, according to Thomson Reuters.
For press inquiries, contact John Gallagher at 212.497.4220.