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Reese Witherspoon Partners With Mediawan to Acquire Hello Sunshine
Confirmed
In Short: Reese Witherspoon and Paris-based Mediawan have partnered to buy back Hello Sunshine from Candle Media.
Reese Witherspoon and Paris-based content group Mediawan have teamed up to acquire Hello Sunshine from Candle Media, a move that reunites Witherspoon with the production company she founded in 2016.
Witherspoon sold Hello Sunshine to Candle Media in 2021 for a reported $900 million, but now she is buying it back, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The acquisition includes Hello Sunshine’s signature content such as Apple TV’s “The Morning Show,” HBO Max’s “Big Little Lies,” and Netflix’s “From Scratch,” among others, as reported by Media Play News.
Mediawan has been on a spending spree, aggressively acquiring Hollywood assets of a certain pedigree, Variety reported.
The deal unites Hello Sunshine with Mediawan’s network of production companies, which includes Chernin Entertainment, Plan B Entertainment, and See-Saw Films, as noted by Deadline.
Witherspoon said, “Mediawan has thrived by bringing together the best creative companies and giving them the resources, scale, and independence to tell great stories,” highlighting the company’s approach to fostering creative independence.
Peter Chernin, a board member of Mediawan, and Scott Manson, CEO of Mediawan in North America, praised the deal, saying, “Reese and her team have built Hello Sunshine into the premier company for women’s storytelling, which makes it a powerful addition to Mediawan’s unparalleled portfolio.”
The partnership aims to allow Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine to explore a broader range of storytelling formats and distribution models, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Witherspoon and Hello Sunshine will join Mediawan’s ecosystem of over 100 production labels, including Kinetic Content, Wiedemann & Berg, Palomar, Our Films, Drama Republic, Chapter2, and Chi-Fou-Mi, as reported by Deadline.
The acquisition is part of Mediawan’s strategy to create a powerful platform of creative talent by bringing together the best independent production companies while preserving their creative independence and distinct identities, as stated by Deadline.
The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the agreement is expected to strengthen both companies’ positions in the global media landscape.
Witherspoon’s personal investment in the deal, alongside Pierre-Antoine Capton and others from Mediawan, underscores her commitment to the future of Hello Sunshine.
What this adds
The deal reunites Witherspoon with Hello Sunshine, which she founded in 2016 and sold to Candle Media in 2021.
The partnership aims to leverage Hello Sunshine’s strong connections with audiences through Reese’s Book Club and its track record of premium storytelling.
The acquisition is part of Mediawan’s broader strategy to create a global, independent studio by bringing together top creative companies.
Background
Reese Witherspoon and Paris-based content group Mediawan have partnered to acquire Hello Sunshine from Candle Media.
What's confirmed
- “Mediawan has built a global, independent studio by putting creators first. That has always been my vision for Hello Sunshine,” said Hello Sunshine founder Reese Witherspoon.
- Hello Sunshine joins Mediawan’s ecosystem of more than 100 production labels which also include Kinetic Content, Wiedemann & Berg, Palomar, Our Films, Drama Republic, Chapter2, Chi-Fou-Mi, alongside Chernin Entertainment, Plan B Entertainment, See-Saw Films.
- Hello Sunshine launched in 2016 with backing from Chernin and Jesse Jacobs through The Chernin Group.
- “Mediawan has thrived by bringing together the best creative companies and giving them the resources, scale, and independence to tell great stories,” said Capton, co-founder and CEO of Mediawan Group.
- It’s the latest high-profile acquisition for the burgeoning Mediawan group after Chernin Entertainment, Brad Pitt’s Plan B, Chernin Entertainment and See-Saw Films.
- “I’m investing alongside Mediawan and joining Pierre-Antoine Capton and his teams because this is the perfect home for this new media landscape. It’s also a homecoming. Peter Chernin and Jesse Jacobs believed in Hello Sunshine from day one. I’m deeply proud of what our incredible team has built, and grateful to Blackstone and Candle Media for their partnership and unwavering support. The best is still ahead,” she added.
- Reese Witherspoon and European studio Mediawan have teamed up to buy Hello Sunshine back from Candle Media.
- The company was sold to Candle Media for a reported $900 million in 2021 Reese Witherspoon is taking Hello Sunshine back.
- Hello Sunshine co-founder Seth Rodsky will join the Board of the company alongside Witherspoon and representatives from Mediawan.
- Reese Witherspoon was represented by Latham & Watkins.
- Reese Witherspoon is buying back her production company, Hello Sunshine, which she sold to Candle Media for $1 billion in 2021.
What's still developing
- They acquired CoComelon producer Moonbug for nearly $3 billion and also gained a controlling stake in Hello Sunshine and a minority piece of Will Smith’s production company Westbrook.
- For Hello Sunshine, Reese’s Book Club will remain a core holding, including for discovering and developing original stories.
- Larger M&A priorities across the media business only increased pressure on smaller producers like Hello Sunshine, with Netflix and Comcast joining Paramount in pursuing Warner Bros. Discovery in 2025 before Paramount ultimately won the prize earlier this year.
- “[The deal] is also a homecoming,” added Witherspoon.