EXCLUSIVE: Bondit Media Capital, which became an important funder for independent film and television during Covid, is partnering with Vancouver-based Arcana Studio to launch Bondit Canada Capital.
Bondit will be the majority owner of an entertainment production and finance venture that will offer capital solutions to content creators in the film, TV, digital and commercial space. It’s an extension of Bondit’s Santa Monica-based U.S. operation that provides financing against minimum guarantees, tax credits, corporate receivables and bridge loans. Bondit, with sister company Buffalo 8 and ABS Payroll, also handles a range of back office functions for producers.
“Having the benefit of business experience from both borrower and lender perspectives, the team is well positioned to add value to producers across all budget ranges,” said CEO Matthew Helderman. “We’re excited to bring the Bondit brand of producer trusted and solution oriented production financing to Canada with our friends at Arcana.” Bondit spoke with Deadline from Maui, Hawaii where shooting started this week on the Bruce Willis and John Travolta– starring, Chuck Russell-directed action pic Paradise City. (Bondit is financing. Arcana was a bridge lender.)
Bondit, co-founded by Helderman and COO Luke Taylor in 2013, has originated lending totaling over $5.25 billion in funding to over 325 feature films and television shows, including 2018 Academy Award-nominated Loving Vincent; Robert De Niro’s upcoming Wash Me in the River; and Roland Emmerich’s Midway. That figure is all the funding that Bondit facilitated and includes $150 million it invested directly and $100 million it channeled through hedge funds and family offices it works with.
As pandemic insurance and bank financing dried up after Covid-19 hit last year, Bondit significantly raised its profile and has financed and completed production on over 40 film and TV projects in the $8 million-$10 million range since last June.
Bondit’s credit facility with hedge fund Revere Capital was expanded earlier this month to $70 million from $20 million. Bondit is backed by publicly-traded Accord Financial, which provides financing to a range of industries.
Arcana has a 5,000 character IP library including one of the world’s largest in graphic novels. It opened an animation division in 2012. It’s releasing Clockwork Girl in June and its current production slate includes Heroes of the Golden Masks, Ultraduck, Mistaknocik and Go Fish. The company has completed senior debt lending transactions on a dozen films including co-financing American Siege-starrer Bruce Willis, with a Bondit Media Capital team producing. The new partners co-financed The Reckoning with Charlotte Kirk, Apex, with Neal McDonough, and Reactor with Bruce Willis.