Reality TV Heavyweight Leftfield Pictures Acquires Production Shingle Sirens Media, Producer of Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey"

Reality TV Heavyweight Leftfield Pictures Acquires Production Shingle Sirens Media, Producer of Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey"

Leftfield Also Forms New Parent Entity "Leftfield Entertainment" as it Broadens Reach

NEW YORK, March 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Producer Brent Montgomery, founder and owner of reality TV production company Leftfield Pictures (Pawn Stars), today announced Leftfield's first corporate acquisition: Sirens Media, headquartered in Silver Spring, MD and run by longtime producing partners Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton. The producer of Bravo's hit docu-soap Real Housewives of New Jersey, now in its fifth season, Sirens Media currently has nine series in production for network Discovery ID (hit series include Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? and Deadly Affairs, hosted by Susan Lucci).

Concurrently with the acquisition, Montgomery has established Leftfield Entertainment, a new umbrella company through which Leftfield will broaden its production footprint via acquisitions, new joint ventures, and producer overall deals. Montgomery serves as CEO of Leftfield Entertainment.

Leftfield's acquisition of Sirens Media marks the first time a transaction has taken place between two major independent American television production companies, and the first time a US deal was financed entirely by a syndicate of banks (the deal was led by Barclays and includes RBS Citizens and SunTrust banks).

As such, the deal signals an aggressive growth strategy for Leftfield Entertainment and its subsidiaries, aimed at producers who have helped to define their respective genres, while building strong businesses off hit programs, and who want to join forces with one another.

Said Montgomery, "It's been less than five years since Leftfield's first show hit the air, and we're proud to have produced nearly 600 hours of programming and 900 episodes of TV for a wide range of networks. In analyzing the next chapter of our evolution, all roads led to the company remaining independent, and creating growth through alliances with like-minded, maverick producers, and creative entrepreneurs in their own right."

Montgomery continued, "Rebecca and Valerie personify and celebrate this strategy, having built a company from the ground up that currently boasts 15 series and a development slate poised for even more growth. Sirens is a perfect match for Leftfield, and we are thrilled to be in business together as we build Leftfield Entertainment."

Regarding their new venture with Leftfield, Sirens Media's Toth Diefenbach and Haselton said:

"We have known and respected Brent for years; we speak the same language and know there are distinct advantages to collaborating with other producers who are also in the trenches. With Leftfield's track record and industry ascent, we saw tremendous upside, both for our mutual network clients and for us, in joining the team. This deal gives Sirens Media and Leftfield the chance to develop and produce complementary content within Leftfield's creative culture, which prizes bold ideas and unconventional thinking. We're excited to break into new production genres and to leverage each other's sensibilities for the benefit of both companies' series rosters. We can't wait to get to work!"

Leftfield Pictures made an indelible mark on the industry in 2009 when History launched the breakout hit Pawn Stars (to date, Leftfield has produced 225+ episodes of the reality hit, with 80 additional episodes ordered in 2012.) Not only did Pawn Stars break ratings records for History, it spawned the "hidden treasures" genre of programming, as well as 2011's hit spin-off American Restoration. Counting Cars and Cajun Pawn Stars followed in 2012, along with the franchise's first international format, Pawn Stars UK, currently in production.

Leftfield has replicated its franchise success at Science with the long-running series Oddities, and spin-offs Oddities: San Francisco and Odd Folks Home. The company currently is producing The Governor's Wife (A&E), Guntucky (CMT), Swamp'd (Animal Planet), and Celebrity Home Raiders (Lifetime), with additional series in production for Bravo, Discovery, and History.

Sirens Media was founded in 2005 by producing partners Rebecca Toth Diefenbach and Valerie Haselton. With series including Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry, spin-off Who the (Bleep)..., and Nightmare Next Door, Sirens Media currently has nine programs in production for Discovery ID. The company also produces Bravo's hit docu-soap Real Housewives of New Jersey, now in its fifth season, and is currently launching new series for Bravo, Discovery ID, A&E, Discovery, and Destination America.

UK-based consulting firm ACF brokered the Leftfield-Sirens transaction. Law firms Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and Loeb & Loeb LLP negotiated the deal. Leftfield Pictures is represented by Peleton Entertainment and ICM. Sirens Media is represented by ICM.

For more information visit www.leftfieldpictures.com

SOURCE Leftfield Pictures

Leftfield Pictures

CONTACT: Leslie Oren, Babygrande PR, +1-310-300-3195, leslie@babygrande-inc.com

Web Site: http://www.leftfieldpictures.com


-------
Profile: intent