Everyone wants to work with Peyton Manning, and that includes investment funds.
Longtime Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell left his role recently to helm a new investment fund backed by Silver Lake, which just completed its own deal to take Endeavor private after spinning off WWE and UFC parent TKO (which Silver Lake majority owns, but which remains publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange). And while Whitesell’s new fund doesn’t yet have a name, it has a first investment in Manning’s Omaha Productions.
This investment was announced on Thursday.
It will see the new fund take a minority stake in Omaha and help that company expand further, with experience from Whitesell and Silver Lake CEO Egon Durban cited as a key component. Meanwhile, Peter Chernin’s North Road (parent of the Connor Schell/Libby Geist-led Words+Pictures, which has been a key partner for many of Omaha’s content offerings) will also remain as an Omaha minority investor and strategic partner, working with Manning and Omaha co-founder Jamie Horowitz on further expansion.
“All of us at Omaha are excited to get to work with Patrick and Egon as our new teammates to grow the business and create new opportunities for fans,” said Peyton Manning, Co-Founder of Omaha Productions. “Peter Chernin and his team have been great partners over the past two years and have helped us build a strong foundation. I’m very excited for all of us to work together to continue to build Omaha.”
…“Omaha’s strong track record of creating engaging content puts them in a strong position to capitalize on new opportunities across entertainment and sports,” said Whitesell. “Partnering with Peyton, Jamie, and the Omaha team is such a clear choice as the first investment for our new venture, given their impressive track record, the strength of the business, and commitment to applying the same energy to continuing the company’s growth.”
…“In just four years, Peyton, Jamie, and the hardworking, ambitious team at Omaha have built a dynamic business across multiple high-end content verticals,” said Egon Durban, CEO of Silver Lake. “They’ve executed with discipline while staying true to their core vision. After getting to know Peyton and the leadership team, it’s clear they have the authenticity, drive, and creative instincts to push into new frontiers in a highly dynamic, rapidly evolving media industry. We’re excited to partner with them and help fuel their next phase of growth.”
…“Peyton and Jamie have built an exceptional media business, grounded in Peyton’s humor, heart, and authenticity,” said Peter Chernin. “They have coupled that with a clear, bold, and diversified strategic vision that sets Omaha Productions apart. We’re proud to be investors through North Road, and I can’t think of better partners than Patrick and Egon to join us as we continue working together to drive the company into its next phase of growth.”
Manning, Horowitz, and Omaha have put together a wide range of ventures to date, from projects actually using Manning on-camera (including Peyton’s Places and the ManningCast) to a plethora of other alternate feeds, podcasts, documentaries, docuseries, and ad campaigns for different brands. The company says it has operated profitably since its founding, and it’s recently started investing in other companies, most notably the golf and lifestyle company Good Good Golf.