CAA Majority Stake Acquired by Luxury Mogul François-Henri Pinault
After being in the works for many months, it’s been confirmed that French luxury mogul François-Henri Pinault has acquired control of CAA (Creative Artists Agency) after his investment firm Artémis bought over TPG’s majority stake in Hollywood’s top talent agency.
No specific number was given for the acquisition, which is set to give Artémis between 50% and 60% of CAA, according to Deadline. Reports from earlier in the summer said that TPG, the private equity firm that first entered CAA’s stake in 2014 when they bought 35% at $1.1 billion, was seeking a $7 billion valuation. Global investment firm Temasek remains a minority owner, and CMC Capital is still a strategic partner. The company will remain private.
CAA’s leadership will remain unchanged, with Co-Chairman Bryan Lourd named CEO after the transaction is completed by the end of the year; this will be a new position at the agency. This will be Hollywood’s biggest transaction in the representation section since WME made a $2.3 billion bid on IMG. CAA remains Hollywood’s biggest talent agency, with clients including
The agency’s Co-Chairmen, Bryan Lourd, Kevin Huvane and Richard Lovett, said in a statement:
“Artémis is a strategic investor of the highest order, with global reach and resources across countless areas of our clients’ interests, a deeply sophisticated understanding of global brands and how to support their growth, and a passion for creativity and innovation that matches ours and that of our clients. François-Henri Pinault and his remarkable team, led by Héloïse Temple-Boyer and Alban Greget, share our vision for a future of limitless new opportunities. We are enormously grateful to TPG for their strategic expertise, invaluable support, and friendship over 13 years. We enjoyed tremendous growth and success together and look forward to continuing to collaborate on projects ahead.”
François-Henri Pinault, who is married to CAA client Salma Hayek, has been CEO of French luxury corporation Kering since 2005 — back then it was retail conglomerate PPR (Pinault-Printemps-Redoute), which purchased a 42% controlling stake of the Gucci group in 1999 for $3 billion and 100% of Yves Saint Laurent.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
