Wheelhouse Secures Minority Investment from Alignment Growth

Wheelhouse has secured its first outside capital raise, with a minority investment from private equity firm Alignment Growth.

The funding will enable Wheelhouse to build an infrastructure that attracts industry-leading talent and accelerate growth through strategic acquisitions. As part of the investment, Jeff Bewkes, founding partner of Alignment Growth, will join the Wheelhouse board of directors.

Wheelhouse, founded in 2018 by CEO Brent Montgomery, is comprised of several production companies, including Spoke Studios, Campfire, Butternut, Wheelhouse UK and DNA. It also has production partnerships with Jimmy Kimmel’s Kimmelot and chef David Chang’s Majordomo Media. Wheelhouse’s marketing, digital, audio and management arms complement the production capabilities.

Series from Wheelhouse include Netflix’s King of Collectibles, Buying Beverly Hills and Players; Hulu’s Secret Chef, WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn and Got to Get Out; Max’s Smartless: On the Road; and Roku’s Celebrity Family Cookoff. In 2023, Wheelhouse sold 20 series that are in various stages of production for networks and platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Roku, Paramount+, HGTV, Food Network and OWN.

The Wheelhouse and Alignment Growth deal was led by Kevin Tsujihara, partner at Alignment Growth; Rob Lia, president and general counsel at Wheelhouse; and Ed Simpson, chief strategy officer at Wheelhouse, who leads M&A.

“We are building Wheelhouse as a collective of global creatives who not only shine on their own, but truly want to partner with one another across labels and divisions, so we’re thrilled that Alignment’s investment will allow us to supersize our efforts engaging talent in front of and behind the camera,” founder Montgomery said.

Bewkes added, “We are excited to partner with and support Brent, a seasoned operator and a magnet for the best talent in non-scripted. His success in the space is unparalleled, and his team is well-positioned to build Wheelhouse into one of the preeminent names across the industry.”