EXCLUSIVE: Ant & Dec rep YMU has set up a fund to back talent- and creator-led ventures.
The agency’s YMU Ventures Fund is being billed as an investment vehicle that will “support and amplify the growth of talent- and creator-led ventures across media, sport, culture and commerce.”
YMU represents creators such as Grace Beverley, TOPJAW and Talia Mar, more traditional media talents such as presenters Ant & Dec, Simon Cowell and talk show host Graham Norton, and sports stars such as Tyler Adams and James McAtee.
The agency plans to take a “flexible investment mandate” to the fund, which could mean taking equity stakes in businesses, while working closely with clients to find distribution, partnerships and commercial opportunities through YMU’s global network.
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YMU’s various divisions will support the fund’s investments, with the agency of the mindset that talent management now sits at “the intersection of creative excellence, commercial intelligence and aligned capital.”
YMU said the venture fund “formalises” a long-term strategy of “moving beyond traditional representation into ownership, IP creation and long-term value building alongside talent.”
The company pointed to its work on Fearne Cotton’s wellness platform Happy Place and Ant & Dec’s production group, Mitre Studios, as examples of the strategy. The plan will be to work with talent and creators to build out their “content IP, product brands, media and production assets, digital platforms and channels, and commercial ventures emerging at the intersection of talent, technology and culture.”
“The economics of talent have fundamentally changed. Influence now compounds into ownership, IP and enterprise – not just fees,” said YMU CEO Mary Bekhait. “The most ambitious talent no longer wants to just be ‘the face’ of something; they want to help build it, shape it and participate meaningfully in the upside.
“The YMU Venture Fund allows us to support our clients in realising that shift. This fund gives us the structure and conviction to invest earlier, partner deeper and think longer-term alongside our clients. It’s about backing our talent and creators as founders, not just creatives and performers, and building businesses that can endure well beyond a single moment or platform.”
YMU Commercial Director Leon Harlow added: “A trend we are seeing is that talent and creators often reach an inflection point where access to the right capital can materially accelerate the growth of their IP and venture ideas, but only if that funding is aligned with their long-term objectives. Too often for talent, growth capital comes at the expense of ownership, control and creative governance.
“The YMU Venture Fund is designed to address that imbalance. It allows us to invest in our clients’ ventures, where it makes sense – to enable smarter, more sustainable growth for their product and content businesses, whilst at the same time allowing them to preserve their founder-level ownership, strategic influence, and creative integrity – working alongside our in-house experts and teams to support them.”