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MEP Capital Management, a New York-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the media and entertainment industry, has closed a majority stake acquisition in BondIt Media Capital, the independent film and television financier.

The deal comes alongside a fresh $100 million credit facility that will underpin both BondIt’s existing lending business and its push into new areas including live entertainment, sports, and the creator economy.

BondIt co-founders Matthew Helderman, who serves as CEO, and Luke Taylor, COO, will remain at the helm. MEP will contribute capital markets expertise and institutional support as the enlarged platform seeks to grow both at home and abroad.

“BondIt has earned real trust in the independent film and television ecosystem by being consistent and pragmatic while building a track record of prudent underwriting across market cycles,” said Andrew Kotliar of MEP Capital. “With this growth equity investment and a new credit facility, BondIt’s core business is expected to scale rapidly while selectively expanding into adjacent opportunities across media and entertainment assets.”

Helderman and Taylor said in a joint statement: “We built BondIt to be a reliable partner to creators – one that understands the realities of production, distribution, and execution. MEP shares our long-term view and bring complementary strengths that will help us expand capacity, grow internationally, and explore new opportunities with the same disciplined approach that has defined BondIt from the start.”

The infusion of capital is designed to allow BondIt to pursue bigger, more complex deals – among them bonded productions and higher-budget TV series – without stepping back from the independent community that has been central to its business since its founding in 2013.

Recent BondIt credits include “Embassy,” the television series starring Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons; “Vanished,” the Amazon MGM+ original with Kaley Cuoco and Sam Claflin; and the 2025 Elements Music & Arts Festival, headlined by deadmau5, Illenium, and Pretty Lights.

The acquisition also opens the door to collaboration between three complementary platforms: BondIt, its sister company Buffalo 8 – home to a library of over 400 film and TV titles and more than 1,000 music scores and soundtracks – and MEP’s distribution affiliate West Side Pictures, whose holdings run to approximately 10,000 film and television titles. Together, the companies aim to offer independent creators a broader suite of financing and distribution solutions.

Going forward, BondIt’s priorities include growing its core lending capacity, moving into bonded films and premium television, deepening its international footprint, and selectively branching into adjacent verticals where MEP has existing experience, among them music, live events, video games, YouTube, and sports media. Further acquisitions that complement the platform’s focus are also under consideration.

The deal follows Accord Financial Corp.’s previously announced exit from BondIt, which stemmed from its 2017 investment in the company.

Since its founding, BondIt has put more than $500 million to work across upwards of 450 film, television, and media projects. Its track record includes Oscar-nominated “Loving Vincent,” Emmy-winning “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” for HBO, Roland Emmerich’s war epic “Midway,” Kevin Smith’s “Clerks III,” and horror phenomenon “Terrifier 3.” Productions backed by the company have collectively taken in more than $1 billion at the global box office.

Netflix have teased the first images from their upcoming mystery series “The Boroughs.”

Exec produced by “Stranger Things” creators the Duffer Brothers, the 8-part series stars Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman as a retirement community who uncover a dark secret after a grieving newcomer (Molina) joins their midst.

Molina plays Sam Cooper, who is experiencing something of an existential crisis after recently losing his wife.

The series, which was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim”), will drop on May 21.

The Duffer Brothers and Hilary Leavitt exec produce for Upside Down Pictures.

Ben Taylor directs multiple episodes. He is also an EP. Augustine Frizzell and Kyle Patrick Alvarez also direct.

“From the beginning, we knew we wanted The Boroughs to feel equal parts scary, mysterious, exciting and emotional. The challenge was to create a world that could hold all of these different tones at once. Which is why it was so fun to work with the Duffer Brothers – the masters of balancing heart and horror,” said Addiss and Matthews.

“According to some very unofficial napkin math, our stars bring something like 350 years of craft to The Boroughs. We knew they would be great. We didn’t expect them to be so fun. They can make you laugh or cry with just a look. Makes it whole lot easier on us writers.”

The Duffer Brothers said: “For years, we’ve wondered why no one has made a film like Ron Howard’s wonderful ‘Cocoon’ since, well, ‘Cocoon.’ Then, out of nowhere, Jeff and Will emailed us an idea for ‘The Boroughs:’ a story about retirees and monsters. They were adamant that — unlike so many stories about older characters — this wouldn’t treat aging as a punchline. Instead, it would treat its characters as real people facing real challenges… along with a few supernatural ones. It was exactly the show we’d been dreaming of.”

“While the characters are a little older than the kids in ‘Stranger Things’ (they ride golf carts instead of bikes), the spirit is very much the same. At its core, this is a story about belonging and growing up — no matter your age — filled with adventure, wonder, comedy, scares, and tears. And most importantly, you’re going to fall in love with these characters.”

Digital Brand Architects has promoted five team members across its talent division based in Los Angeles and New York, including “The Home Edit” talent manager Alix Frank.

Frank, who reps Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin of “The Home Edit,” has been upped to executive vice president of talent at the Raina Penchansky-led company. Additionally, Ali Wald and Haley Walsh have been elevated to vice presidents of talent, while Sasha Mixon and Sophie Fox have been named directors of talent.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, Frank relocated to Los Angeles in 2014 to join the company, where she led its expansion into the food and home space. She oversees a team of talent managers while personally representing a diverse roster of talent and New York Times bestselling authors, including The Home Edit, Dani Klarić, Olivia Tiedemann, Marco Zamora, and Lissie Mackintosh, among others. She has played a central role in building globally recognized brands, and campaigns, notably partnering DBA with South Beach Wine & Food Festival to launch FoodieCon, the festival’s first influencer-driven event. In 2018, she worked closely on the launch of DBA’s podcast network, Dear Media, advising on cross platform collaborations and growth in the audio space.

Wald is now a vice president of talent at Digital Brand Architects. Her clients include Wishbone Kitchen, Brian Can’t Stop Eating, Brocc Your Body, The Grill Dads, Miles Chamley-Watson and Jov Khan among others. Wald has become known for her ability to bridge the divide between digital and traditional media, securing transformative deals in publishing, television, streaming, and podcasting that have helped cement her clients as household names.

Also newly appointed vice president, Walsh reps a roster of creators, including beauty phenomenon Mikayla Nogueira, DJ Xandra Pohl, Bran Flakezz, Chelsea Parke, and others. She specializes in identifying emerging talent and nurturing long‑term success through thoughtful mentorship and tailored brand strategy, including co‑collaborations with Ole Henriksen, Glow Recipe, and ELF Cosmetics.

Now a director of talent, Dweck is recognized for identifying breakout talent early, including Brigette & Danielle Pheloung, Kira Kirby, and Gia Duddy. In 2025, Sasha supported the execution of a seven-figure partnership with Microsoft Copilot while continuing to drive performance and portfolio growth across her talent roster. Her work includes securing ongoing collaborations with brands such as L’Oréal, Maybelline, Wella, Amazon, and Victoria’s Secret.

Fox, also a new director of talent at DBA, has spent six years at the company creating client relationships with brands across Amazon, Sephora, L’Oreal and the P&G portfolios. Fox was featured in Business Insider’s 20 most influential TikTok talent managers and agents helping creators build businesses.

“These promotions and strategic hires underscore our long-term vision for DBA – building a team that’s as ambitious and forward-thinking as the creators we represent,” DBA president Vanessa Flaherty said. “By cultivating talent from within and thoughtfully expanding our leadership, we’re positioned not only to support growth, but to define the next phase of the creator economy.”

Ali Velshi is about to enter a club with very exclusive membership.

When TV-news outlets contemplate how best to explain the results of the nation’s big elections to viewers, one key element is always an interactive board that shows polling and voting results in the most granular detail. The person assigned to that duty each year becomes an important part of the evening’s proceeding.

At MS NOW, Velshi will pick up duties previously held by Steve Kornacki, and which are matched elsewhere by John King at CNN and Bill Hemmer at Fox News Channel. Kornacki left MS NOW last year as the network, once known as MSNBC, was preparing for a split from NBCUniversal. MS NOW, CNBC and other cable networks are now part of a separate company known as Versant ,and Kornacki opted to stick with NBC News and NBC Sports, where he often interprets data about football and horse racing.

“I’ve had the privilege of learning from Ali for the last twenty-plus years in various newsrooms. One of his many gifts is his unique ability to take complex data and make it digestible,” said Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW, in a statement. “Ali will guide our audience through the real-time information that will determine the outcomes of the midterm and presidential elections. I’m thrilled Ali will bring his understanding of public opinion and voters to our election coverage in the years ahead.” 

Velshi, a veteran of the cable-news wars, joined MS NOW in 2016 after stints at CNN and Al-Jazeera America. Since that time, he has led his own weekend program, teamed up with Stephanie Ruhle and served as a fill-in host for the network’s primetime shows. He has also traveled around the world, reporting from Ukraine and across Central and Eastern Europe, among other locales.

“On big political nights, the numbers tell the story of participation, power, and choice. Voters decide elections, and the data lets us watch those decisions take shape in real time,” said Velshi, in a statement. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to guide viewers through primaries, election nights, and major political moments with context, transparency, and a focus on the facts.”

Former Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli launched her own direct-to-fan platform, “Valerie’s Place,” Wednesday, a subscription service powered by new tech company Visible Things.

Bertinelli’s Valerie’s Place offering, which his now live as a website and will debut as an app in the coming weeks, features “a curated library of fan-favorite content, including new episodes of “Valerie’s Home Cooking,” as well as new original programming, podcasts and live streams. The content is offered through a tiered subscription beginning at $2 per month.

“Valerie’s Place is my digital home and that’s why it’s my place. It’s where everything I do lives, and where I get to explore everything I want to do next,” Bertinelli, who exited Food Network in January 2024, told Variety. “Beyond ‘Valerie’s Home Cooking’ and fan favorites, we’re launching brand-new original programming, including shows, live streams, podcasts, merchandise, and members-only content. I’m especially excited for my book club and podcast ‘Getting Naked’ launching this spring. It’s completely me, but also something totally new.”

Valerie’s Place is the first product to debut from Visible Things, a company focused on enabling “traditional stars, digitally native creators, and brands to move beyond algorithm-dependent platforms to build direct, monetizable relationships with their most devoted audiences.”

Founded by “American Idol” and “Little People, Big World” producer Billy Cooper, who serves as CEO, chief content officer Andrew Greenberger, and chief operating officer Willis Robertson, Visible Things aims to “significantly reduce the time, cost, and engineering lift traditionally required to build a custom DTC platform from scratch.”

“For decades, talent has been asked to build audiences on platforms they don’t own, with business models that can change overnight. Visible Things was built to give celebrities and creators the infrastructure to power their own businesses and take back control of their libraries, their community, and their fan relationships,” said co-founders Cooper, Greenberger and Robertson in a joint statement. “Valerie immediately understood that shift. She’s not just launching an app, she’s redefining how a modern celebrity connects with and serves her Superfans.”

Visible Things, which also serves as a production partner on the original programming created specifically for Valerie’s Place, has an advisory board that includes Boardwalk Pictures Founder and CEO Andrew Fried, former WME board member Mark Itkin, Voldex Head of Franchise Katelynn Duffel Heil, and new AMS Capital’s managing partner Freddy Boom.

Visible Things will be launching more direct-to-fan platforms from talent and brands soon. The company is repped by WME.

“For a long time, I felt like I had to stay in just one lane,” Bertinelli said. “With Visible Things powering my platform, I finally have a seat at the table and I own the table. I’m no longer put in one box. I have full creative freedom to make and share the content I actually want to create. And it’s not just my seat, my fans have one too. I worked closely with the team at Visible Things to build Valerie’s Place because it allows me to bring everything – my shows, podcasts, live experiences, and merchandise – together in one place, directly with my audience. This isn’t just another streaming service. It’s my own platform, online and in an app, where I truly own my content and my relationship with my fans. This is about more than uploading shows. It’s about creating a fully connected digital home that reflects who I am and how I want to engage with my community. There isn’t another platform that brings content, commerce, and community together this way. What is most important, is the level of ownership and creative freedom I now have and that means everything to me.”

See below for a list of shows that will be available on Valerie’s Place at launch and additional shows to come.

Reheated: Valerie’s Home Cooking: Valerie and her longtime culinary producer Sophie Clark revisit favorite recipes and fan-favorite episodes from Valerie’s Home Cooking and give them a fresh twist. Along the way, they break the fourth wall, share behind-the-scenes stories, and show how cooking shows are really made, all while creating something new (and delicious).

Now Val’s Cooking: An all-new stand-and-stir cooking show with Valerie making recipes she’s never filmed before. From brand-new dishes to favorites inspired by her cookbook Indulge, this is classic Val – relaxed, joyful, and all about food you’ll actually want to cook.

Now We’re Cooking: This is cooking together, in real time. Valerie goes live and invites VP Preferred and VP VIP members to cook along with her, comment, ask questions, and share the experience just like friends gathered in the same kitchen.

Meals for One: Sometimes you’re just cooking for yourself, and that deserves just as much care as cooking for family and friends. In Meals for One, Valerie makes simple, satisfying meals for one, focusing on comfort, ease, and recipes that don’t leave you with a fridge full of leftovers. Real food, real life, no scaling required.

Content coming post-launch throughout the Spring:

Getting Naked: The Podcast: An all-new podcast with Valerie and special guests, featuring candid conversations about life, growth, creativity, and showing up as your real self. Thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt; the kind of talks that stay with you long after they end.

Superfan Supper Club: Valerie cooks LIVE, but this time, select VP VIP members join her on camera. While others watch and cook along, a few lucky superfans get to interact with Val face-to-face, ask questions, and be part of the show itself.

Val’s Book Club: Every other month, Valerie and her community pick a book to read and discuss together in a live virtual book club. VP Preferred and VP VIP members can watch and comment, while select VP VIP members join Valerie on screen for an intimate, honest conversation…starting with her new book, Getting Naked.