ACQUIRING INCOME
RIGHTS IN ICONIC
FILM AND TV
ACQUIRING INCOME
RIGHTS IN ICONIC
FILM AND TV
Our portfolio includes award-winning, culture-defining comedies, leading premium dramas, and globally dominant family franchises that have achieved exceptional scale and longevity. These iconic films and television shows have been recognised with Emmy, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award honours, while consistently leading streaming performance. Each title is defined by critical acclaim, commercial success and enduring audience connection.
Through its investments, Easttree enables owners of film and television profit participations to monetise all or part of their income rights, providing capital injections to actors, writers, directors, producers and other rights holders, including production companies, studios and financiers.
Easttree's legal expertise and relationships, robust investment infrastructure, and data-driven underwriting and asset management processes enable the efficient and rapid evaluation and execution of transactions.
Easttree's investment platform is structured to accommodate transactions of any size, from single participations to very large libraries, positioning Easttree as the ideal partner for the needs of talent, studios, producers and distributors alike.
The team behind Hipgnosis Songs Fund has joined forces with a British media executive to emulate the lucrative music rights market by moving into film and television, with a venture they claim could eventually be worth more than £1 billion.
Industry vet Alison Cornwell, who most recently served a decade as CFO of leading international cinema chain Vue, has joined emerging UK media company Easttree Media in the same role.
A new investment company plans to take a leaf from the recent spate of musicians selling the rights to their own back catalogs and shift it into the film and TV space.
Chris Helm is a media executive with experience across music, film, television and technology. At Easttree, he leads Partnerships and Acquisitions alongside Marc Allen. He also oversees Product Development.
Prior to co-founding Easttree Media, he served as CFO Advisor to Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a FTSE 250 music asset fund, advising the CEO and Board on catalogue acquisitions, financial reporting, corporate finance, fundraising and investor relations, and supporting its growth journey from pre-IPO to over $2 billion invested. He worked closely with Blackstone on the financial due diligence in connection with its investment in, and subsequent acquisition of, Hipgnosis Songs Management, and later led the renegotiation of the Fund's $700 million revolving credit facility.
Prior to Hipgnosis, Chris was Co-Founder and COO of Blend Media, where he led talent relationships, product development, fundraising and operations. He also held Finance Director roles at leading music companies, including EMI Music Publishing and Sony Music Entertainment.
Marc is a Film and Television Executive with extensive experience across production, finance, distribution and senior leadership in the UK and US. At Easttree, he leads Partnerships and Acquisitions alongside Chris Helm. He also leads Legal & Business Affairs.
Before co‑founding Easttree, he served as COO of London and LA‑based Management & Production Company 42, securing inward investment and working alongside managers and agents representing leading writing, acting and directing talent. He also helped shape films and TV series for major global commissioners including Netflix, WBD, Paramount, Amazon and Universal.
Marc has played key roles in major growth and transactions, including serving as Managing Director of True North ahead of its sale to Sky in 2017, and Director of Television for multi‑channel retailer ISD before its sale to Blackstone in 2015. Earlier in his career he worked at Pathé Productions followed by several years at the BBC.
Markku Lonnqvist is a Founding Partner of Easttree Media, where he leads the firm's investment strategy and oversees underwriting, structuring, data analytics and portfolio management. With three decades of experience across London and New York, he brings deep expertise in private equity and principal investing across various sectors including music and media to the firm.
Prior to co-founding Easttree Media, Markku served as Chief Investment Officer at Hipgnosis Songs Capital. Markku also spent 17 years as a Partner and Investment Committee member at Pamplona Capital Management in London, a global private equity firm with more than $15 billion in assets under management. He began his career in leveraged finance and high-yield capital markets at leading international banks including Bear Stearns, UBS, and Dresdner Kleinwort, working across both in the US and Europe.
Alison Cornwell is a highly experienced finance executive and business leader with an international career spanning film and tv distribution, broadcasting, film and TV production and cinema exhibition.
After qualifying as a chartered accountant with PwC in Scotland, she spent 5 years in corporate finance in London before being appointed to a series of CFO roles including CFO/SVP of Disney's international TV business (encompassing all international Disney Channels and the distribution of films and TV series from the Disney Studio, Touchstone, Pixar and other producer groups to broadcasters in over 100 countries) and Group CFO of Sparrowhawk Media Group (an international broadcaster which became part of NBC Universal), Alliance Films (Canadian and European film distribution and film financing) and Vue International (Pan-European cinema exhibition). In 2024 she was named in the Top 3 women in global cinema.
Alison is a former Governor of the British Film Institute and was the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) in 2024/2025 and is currently a Board Member of Scottish Ballet.
Emily Barrington is an experienced finance professional specialising in tax. After qualifying as a chartered accountant at Deloitte, she has held senior roles across both private equity-backed and public companies, most recently as Group Head of Tax at Vue International, a pan-European cinema operator. At Vue International, she oversaw global tax affairs, including transfer pricing, tax authority audits, global tax reporting, and all tax aspects of the Group's restructuring and refinancing.
Oscar Shepherd is a Vice President on the Investment Team at Easttree Media, where he supports the company's investment strategy across asset underwriting, portfolio monitoring and investor reporting.
Prior to joining Easttree, Oscar spent six years at Recognition Music Group (formerly Hipgnosis Song Management), a Blackstone-backed music rights investment platform, where he was an Investment Associate and contributed to several music rights acquisitions and two successful music rights asset-backed securitisations.
Daniele Del Sal is a Senior Investment Associate at Easttree Media, where he focuses on evaluating and executing acquisition opportunities across the film and television sectors.
Prior to joining Easttree, he was an Investment Associate at LunarX, a digital media scale-up, where he supported acquisitions, shareholder reporting and fundraising activities. Earlier in his career, he gained experience in investment banking at Cantor Fitzgerald and in portfolio analytics at BlackRock. He holds an MSc in Finance from Imperial College Business School.
As an Associate on the Business Development team, Claudia works closely with the Founders to coordinate strategic initiatives, secure partnerships and acquisitions, and supervise the day-to-day operations of the company.
Previously, she worked in talent representation, first supporting actors in Los Angeles at Mosaic Media Group and then managing the desk of a preeminent literary agent and partner at 42 in London, working closely with writers, directors and producers across film and television.
For general inquiries please reach out to: info@easttreemedia.com
For press inquiries please reach out to: pr@easttreemedia.com
Address: 4 Golden Square, London W1F 9HT, United Kingdom
