The Tornante Company
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Michael Eisner |
| Headquarters | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
Key people |
|
| Owner | Michael Eisner |
| Divisions | Portsmouth F.C. |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | tornante.com |
The Tornante Company, LLC is an American privately held investment firm founded in 2005 and owned by former Paramount Pictures and The Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner. Tornante invests in, acquires, and operates media and entertainment companies.
When Eisner was bicycling around Italy, he saw a signpost that inspired the name Tornante for his company. Tornante means "hairpin turn" in Italian.[2]
History
The Tornante Company was founded by Michael Eisner in 2005, after he left The Walt Disney Company.[3] In 2006, Tornante formed Vuguru production company with backing from Rogers Media of Canada.[4] The company made a $12.5 million venture funding round investment in Veoh in April 2006. Tornante purchased Team Baby Entertainment, a maker of infants and toddlers sports-related DVDs in June 2006. On March 5, 2007, the company and Madison Dearborn Partners purchased Topps for $385 million.[3] Tornante planned to have Team Baby merge with Topps.[2]
In June 2015, Tornante Co. formed Tornante-Sinclair LLC, a TV production company, with Sinclair TV Group.[5] Eisner's company signed in November 2015 a worldwide distribution deal with Universal Pictures to release the firm's self-funded slate of films.[6] In August 2017, Tornante closed on the purchase of the Portsmouth Football Club for an undisclosed deal,[1] however BBC reported that Eisner had offered 5.67 million pounds[7] "and will invest an extra £10m."[8]
Holdings
Current investment holdings of the firm include:[as of?]
- AirTime[9]
- Clique Media (now Clique Brands)[9]
- Metaverse[citation needed]
- Omaze[9]
- Portsmouth Football Club[1]
- Rad[citation needed]
- Spark Neuro[citation needed]
- TaskRabbit[9]
- The Topps Company, Inc. (50%) trade card and candy company owned with Madison Dearborn Partners since March 2007[3]
- Tornante-Sinclair LLC (50%) a joint venture TV production company with Sinclair TV Group for court shows, comedy programs, game shows and talk shows in first-run syndicated [5]
- Tornante Television, Los Angeles based subsidiary overseeing Tornante-Sinclair via Tornante co-president, Lauren Corrao. The unit also produces the adult animated comedies BoJack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie, and in conjunction with Trifecta Entertainment and Media the syndicated court reality show Judge Faith.[5]
- Vuguru (2006–) production company with backing from Rogers Media of Canada[4]
Former holdings of the firm include:
- Team Baby Entertainment (June 2006) a maker of infants and toddlers sports-related DVDs,[3] which merged with Topps[2]
- Veoh (stake) April 2006[3]–April 7, 2010[10]
References
- ^ a b c Clarke, Stewart (August 3, 2017). "Former Disney Boss Michael Eisner Seals Deal for English Soccer Team". Variety. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c Arango, Tim (November 22, 2008). "Away From the House of Disney, Eisner Finds a Home Online". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Former Disney Chief Adds Topps to His Collection". DealBook. New York Times. March 6, 2007. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (October 8, 2012). "Mipcom: FremantleMedia To Distribute Vuguru Content Outside North America". Deadline. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ a b c Mirabella, Lorraine (June 29, 2015). "Sinclair Broadcast forms venture with former Disney CEO Eisner to create TV shows". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 13, 2012). "Michael Eisner Returns To Features With Universal Pictures Distribution Deal". Deadline. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ "Michael Eisner's Tornante Completes Acquisition of English Soccer Club Portsmouth | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ "Eisner completes Portsmouth takeover". BBC Sport. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Michael Eisner's Tornante Co. Teams With Sinclair Broadcast for New Syndicated Joint Venture". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
- ^ Ackerman, Gwen (April 8, 2010), "Israeli Start-Up Qlipso Acquires Veoh to Add Users, Revenue", Business Week, archived from the original on April 11, 2010