Kirkland Advises Abry Partners on $100 Million Investment in HARTBEAT
Kirkland & Ellis advised Abry Partners on its $100 million minority investment to launch HARTBEAT, a global, multi-platform media company from entrepreneur, executive and entertainer Kevin Hart creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture with a mission to keep the world laughing together. As part of the deal, Abry Partners partner Nicolas Massard will be joining the HARTBEAT board. Peacock, NBCUniversal's streaming service, which signed a multi-year, first look deal and took an equity stake in Laugh Out Loud in 2020, will remain a shareholder.
Read the HARTBEAT press release
The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Dave Gusella and Armand Della Monica and associates Aubrey Trudeau and Ricky Aiello, and also involved technology & IP transactions partner Seth Traxler and associate Bernadette Coppola, tax partner Vin Thorn and associate Brandon Short, employee benefits partner Alexandra Mihalas and associate Mackenzie Packard, environmental transactions partner Jonathan Kidwell, ESG & impact associate Maddy Foote, executive compensation partner Kate Vera and associates John Kleinjan and Dominique Collins, labor & employment partner Mari Stonebraker and associate Paul Vasiloff, real estate partner Jennifer Sheehan and associate Adam Amdur, and international trade & national security partners Luci Hague and Mario Mancuso and associate Erika Krum.
