Earlier this week, Georgia Entertainment co-hosted “Beyond the Spotlight: Investing in Sports and Entertainment” alongside CAIA. The event was presented by Ares Management Corporation and Variant Investments along with other supporting partners including Resolve Media, Hall Booth Smith, PC and Southern Isle Pictures.
Watch the reel on LinkedIn or Instagram.
The exclusive, partner-only gathering brought together dozens of institutional investors, private wealth leaders and decision-makers allocating billions into sports, entertainment, film and emerging creative economy assets.
From the gridiron to the screen
NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Champ Bailey shared his perspective on transitioning from professional athletics to the entertainment industry. Bailey, who has invested in film talked about Signing Tony Raymond, which opens tonight, Jan 16 at theaters nationwide. Bailey spoke candidly about the challenges athletes face when leaving professional sports.
“It’s challenging to find a new locker room,” Bailey said, drawing parallels between team dynamics in sports and collaborative creative projects. “The only thing that matters is execution. Every story is unique to every individual.”
The capital landscape
Juan Arciniegas, managing director in Ares Credit Group, addressed the institutional appetite for sports and entertainment investments, highlighting both opportunities and challenges in the current market.
“There’s so much interest in investing in sports media entertainment,” Arciniegas said. “The biggest issue we’re dealing with today is valuations.” He noted that while individual investors have contributed significantly, approximately $10 billion, yet, the sector needs institutional capital at scale to continue its growth trajectory due to the ever-rising valuation of sports teams.
Arciniegas emphasized the resilience of sports investments, noting that “demand for live sports regardless of economic conditions” has helped the sector grow organically over time without major crashes. Media rights remain the largest revenue stream for major league sports, underscoring the interconnected web of influence between sports and entertainment.
Film investment opportunities
The event featured a panel discussion on film investment moderated by Jordan Jenkins of Variant Investments. He was joined by Laura Rister, founder and CEO of Esme Grace, and Matt Sidari, founder of Phronesis Advisory.
Rister discussed the intricacies of film finance, including packaging strategies and product placement opportunities. She struck an optimistic note about navigating the evolving landscape: “If you are resourceful and can ride this wave, I think we’ll all be OK.”
Jenkins highlighted how shifting market dynamics are creating new pathways for capital deployment. “This opens up the independent marketplace,” he said, noting that there’s a “large opportunity for private capital to execute in the production space.”
Sidari emphasized the enduring value of intellectual property across platforms. “Strong IP is valuable across mediums,” he said, pointing to the ability to monetize content across multiple channels as a key advantage in today’s entertainment ecosystem.
The event underscored Georgia’s growing role as a hub for sports and entertainment investment, bringing together athletes, financiers and creative industry leaders to explore the convergence of capital and content creation.
Watch the reel on LinkedIn or Instagram.
Photos by: Jennifer Reynolds, Crizz Quinn, Alex Cormier and Purple Sky Media
