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  WE BUY, BUILD, & GROW  

EXCEPTIONAL BUSINESSES

ZELLO Growth is our platform for scaling and strategic acquisitions. We invest in and acquire established businesses typically $10M+ in EBITDA across media, entertainment, and leisure. Beyond capital, we bring deep operating experience to unlock growth, streamline performance, and prepare companies for lasting value or a successful exit.

Our team blends the mindset of entrepreneurs with the discipline of public company leaders. We have led more than 40 transactions totaling $2B and we partner shoulder to shoulder with owners and operators to help their businesses thrive in an increasingly complex landscape.

Current Investments

Industry Focus

We invest in the industries that power creativity and connection including film and TV, user generated content, live events, sports, hospitality, and conferences.

Our Beliefs

  • We believe that building exceptional businesses takes time, so we are committed for the long run. We fully understand that most “overnight” success stories take years, not months.

  • Alignment is critical. We work with leadership teams to align on a vision, identify the necessary resources, gather the right people and assets, and put in the work to achieve our goals.

  • We understand that successful businesses are created in the real world through building relationships, hard work, and determination, not behind a computer.

  • Anyone with money can buy a group of assets and acquire a warehouse. The true magic happens when the right people come together with a shared vision and collaborate to achieve their goals.

Are you qualified?

We look for partners who are ready to grow. If you’re an owner or entrepreneur looking to scale your business, we bring the operational expertise, resources, and partnership to help take it to the next level.

Investment Criteria

EBITDA: $5 - 50 million

Add-On EBITDA: No Minimum

Geography: US & Canada

Ownership: Change of control transactions (50% or greater ownership)

Partners: We prefer to be partners with entrepreneurs who wish to roll equity and work with experienced operators who can help scale the company

Offense: Focused on growth, scaling and improving operations rather than financial engineering

Behind the Growth Platform

The team behind ZELLO Growth brings together entrepreneurial vision and public company expertise. With more than 40 transactions and $2B in deal volume, they know how to build, scale, and operate businesses. Above all, they share a commitment to working side by side with owners and operators to unlock growth and create lasting value.

  • Founder & Managing Partner

    A seasoned entrepreneur and executive in the entertainment industry. Louis is the Founder and former CEO of Zio Studio Services, a company he started from scratch in 2007 and sold to Hudson Pacific Properties (NYSE: HPP) in 2021. During his ownership, Louis established Zio as a leading force in California’s production services sector, including the origination, execution and integration of 13 bolt-on acquisitions. His nearly 15-year tenure as CEO is distinguished by a legacy of expertise and innovation.

    After selling Zio, Louis became the President of Sunset Studios, a multi-billion dollar studio platform. As president, Louis played a pivotal role in overseeing sales, operations and the integration of all the strategic acquisitions.

    Louis has earned over 100 credits for film and TV productions and has collaborated with major studios such as Warner Brothers, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, A24, and Universal – most notably on large scale features such as ‘King Richard,’ ‘Space Jam,’ ‘Lady Bird,’ ‘Promising Young Women,’ and ‘Marriage Story.’

    In addition to his extensive experience in the entertainment industry, Louis is an active investor and developer of real estate and has built a substantial real estate portfolio, focusing on immediate income and long-term growth. His specialization in industrial and multi-family properties in the Los Angeles area includes over 7 million square feet of real estate.

    Louis plays an active role in well-recognized leadership networks such as EO, YPO, and Tiger 21, where he is recognized for his leadership and industry expertise.

  • Founder & Managing Partner

    An executive with 30 years of investing, strategic planning and operating expertise, Jeff has had a diverse business career that spans entrepreneurship, private equity and corporate management. Jeff has structured and executed transactions to acquire, grow and sell multiple companies, building businesses from the ground up and transforming small “mom and pop” operators.  Most recently, he led the Global Studios & Services business in a joint venture between Blackstone and Hudson Pacific, a public REIT. In this role, Jeff was responsible for establishing and executing the vision for the business. For the service business, he executed and oversaw the integration of multiple acquisitions (Variety’s Dealmakers of 2023 (https://variety.com/lists/variety-dealmakers-2023-top-hollywood-negotiators/). Jeff also spearheaded studio real estate development with projects in LA, NYC and London. 

    Jeff currently serves on the Board of Directors of Jacob Stern & Sons, a commodities trading and distribution firm that generates in excess of $1 billion in annual revenue and in its 6th generation of family ownership.

    Prior to leading Sunset Studios, he was a key executive in Strategy & Global Development at The Walt Disney Company, where he focused on identifying, evaluating and developing large growth opportunities for existing and new lines of business in domestic and international markets. Prior to Disney, he acquired and ran SEMCO Aerospace, an aviation maintenance company, which he purchased in 2003 and sold in 2014 for 3.5x multiple of invested capital. During this time, Jeff acquired and oversaw The Craft-Art Company, a specialty countertop manufacturer in Atlanta, which was sold for a 5x multiple of equity invested. He earned his MBA with a concentration in Finance & Strategic Management from Wharton and a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.

WE ARE ENTREPRENEURS
We have experience and passion to build businesses – we have unique appeal to sellers because we are them.

WE ENHANCE VALUE
We are savvy operators, strategic acquirers and experienced team builders.

WE ARE FLEXIBLE
We adapt our investment approach to fit the situation and the needs of the business owner.

WE PROTECT THE SOUL OF THE BUSINESS
We think of the companies we invest in as our teammates and our partners.

WE HELP THE PRESIDENT & CEO
ACCOMPLISH MORE
As the owner and likely the operator of your business, you may find yourself having difficulty finding the time to focus on important projects like business optimization, organizational structure, use of technology, acquisitions and capital structure, to name just a few. Think of us as your personal coach and partner to help you accomplish more.

WE INVEST OUR OWN CAPITAL
Unlike many investors who rely primarily on outside capital, we put our own “skin in the game” - up to $25M of equity on a specific transaction - and would raise outside capital for larger deals.

LET’S GROW TOGETHER

Interested in working with us? We are excited to hear from you.