Âé¶¹Ö±²¥ to Acquire °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù Strengthening End-to-End Production Finance Offerings
Burbank, CA (June 2, 2025) - Âé¶¹Ö±²¥ (EP), a global leader in entertainment production payroll, finance and management solutions, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù Entertainment, LLC (°ä´¡³§±áé³Ù), a leading provider of digital payment solutions for the entertainment industry. The acquisition strengthens EP’s commitment to innovation and empowers productions worldwide to operate with greater speed, accuracy and confidence.
°ä´¡³§±áé³Ù offers an industry-leading suite of digital payment services, including its branded Purchasing Card (p-card) and digital AP payments through °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù±Ê²¹²â. In addition, °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù provides productions with a sophisticated vendor information and bank data verification system that prevents bank and check fraud and saves accounting teams significant time.
“°ä´¡³§±áé³Ù has built an innovative digital payment platform that is trusted across the industry,â€� said Markham L. Goldstein, EP President & CEO. “Bringing °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù into our ecosystem will allow us to provide productions with an unmatched, fully integrated, end-to-end financial solution.â€�
Following the closing of the acquisition, °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù will continue to support all productions and maintain integrations with all payroll providers, ensuring clients across the industry can access its solutions regardless of their payroll or accounting platforms.
“Joining forces with Âé¶¹Ö±²¥ marks an exciting new chapter for °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù. With EP’s global reach, financial strength and industry expertise, we have an opportunity to expand our efficient payment solutions to more markets worldwide,â€� said Paul Rogers, °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù President. “Our shared commitment to innovation and integrity in financial workflows will drive even greater value for productions of all sizes, no matter where they are creating content.â€�
“We are very proud of what Paul and Deputy COO Shawn Gillespie have built in just 12 years,â€� said °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù founders Robbert Aarts and Kurt Woolner. “°ä´¡³§±áé³Ù has become the industry standard for digital and credit card payments, annually servicing over 2,500 studio and independent features, TV and streaming productions.â€�
This acquisition underscores EP’s nearly 50-year commitment to advancing production finance through technology-driven solutions. °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù currently provides its core services in the US and Canada, and provides p-card services in the UK, Europe and Australia/New Zealand. As part of this transaction, EP intends to invest in growing °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù’s offerings into additional global production hubs.
“By investing in °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù’s solutions, we are reinforcing our commitment to the entertainment industry and ensuring productions worldwide have access to best-in-class financial tools,â€� said Goldstein.
Centerview Partners LLC acted as EP’s financial advisor in connection with the transaction. Ropes & Gray LLP and Moulton | Moore | Stella LLP acted as EP’s legal advisors.
William Blair acted as the financial advisor to °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù and Paul Hastings, LLP as its legal counsel.
About Âé¶¹Ö±²¥
Âé¶¹Ö±²¥ (EP) has been a trusted partner to the entertainment industry for nearly 50 years, helping clients produce great content, choose the best production locations, manage and track expenses, and pay crew and talent. EP delivers integrated, cloud-based solutions to support every phase of production. Its team of experts provides industry-leading insights on global and domestic incentives, workers compensation, health care, regulatory compliance and labor issues. The company also brings together background casting and digital production technology through the Casting Portal (the leading SaaS-based platform transforming how background actors are found, hired, managed and paid) and the iconic Central Casting.
About °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù
°ä´¡³§±áé³Ù, founded in 2012 by Kurt Woolner, Robbert Aarts and Niels Teves, is the entertainment industry's trusted provider for digital accounts payable (AP) solutions. °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù offers an industry-leading suite of digital payment services, including its branded purchasing card and secure, electronic payments through °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù±Ê²¹²â. Productions also rely on °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù's sophisticated vendor Information and bank data verification system which helps prevent bank and check fraud while saving accounting teams significant time. Designed to streamline production payments, reduce complexity, and improve transparency, °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù digitalizes approvals and payments to deliver fast, secure, accurate and compliant financial workflows. Whether on set, on location or in post, °ä´¡³§±áé³Ù's solutions are built to meet the complex financial needs of modern production.
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