VICE Buys into Pulse Films

LONDON/NEW YORK: VICE Media has purchased a majority stake in Pulse Films, a creative studio that develops and produces multiplatform IP.

VICE and Pulse first partnered in 2012 on the award-winning film Shut Up and Play the Hits. The success of that collaboration led to a strategic partnership being forged between VICE and Pulse in 2013 in the U.S.

In the last year alone, Pulse has produced over 200 projects ranging from the forthcoming feature film American Honey (starring Shia LaBeouf) and recent Sundance winner All These Sleepless Nights. This deal will also see Pulse escalate its scripted output across film and TV.

Thomas Benski, the CEO and co-founder of Pulse Films, said: “What Shane (Smith), Eddy (Moretti), Andrew (Creighton) and Spike (Jonze) have built will give me and my team the perfect platform to take our business to the next level. Having known them as long as I have, I know we share an ambition to do things differently while maintaining the highest creative standards. This deal will bolster our respective commitment to create relevant, brave and popular films, TV shows and digital content. Leveraging our complimentary skills, talent and resources will not only amplify our output and reach but provide us the resources and freedom to continue to grow while retaining our culture and identity.”

Andrew Creighton, VICE Media’s co-president, added: “Pulse are one of the few companies in the world that consistently produces content we admire. Thomas has built an incredible team and company based around making stories that have a point of view and style that actually move audiences. VICE’s acquisition of Pulse is a natural step in a relationship that has been enormously productive for both companies. We couldn’t be more excited to take our partnership to the next level.”