Lionsgate Forms Joint Venture With Steven Paul’s SP Media With $100 Million Investment

Lionsgate is teaming up with producer, financier and entrepreneur Steven Paul’s SP Media through a new joint venture, as Paul has personally been lobbying Donald Trump for a federal tax incentive for film production alongside longtime actor collaborator Jon Voight and SPMG President/COO Scott Karol.

SP Media will make a capital investment of around $100 million, an individual familiar told TheWrap. The investment is for new ventures that help expand and grow the Hollywood studio’s content offering and extend resources toward the continuing diversification of 3 Arts and other Lionsgate businesses. SP Media will also produce independent feature films that Lionsgate will distribute.

The joint venture will be majority-owned and controlled by Lionsgate. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.

“Lionsgate is one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial content studios in the media space today,” Paul said in a statement. “I’m delighted to build on my longstanding relationship with Jon Feltheimer and the Lionsgate leadership team as we grow our businesses together in an industry environment filled with opportunity.”

Paul has been working hard on lobbying Trump for a federal film tax incentive for months, and the president gave his support in August, leading to the introduction of…