ColorCreative, the management and production co-founded by actress and writer Issa Rae, is planning to significantly expand its business, backed by the investment firm HarbourView Equity Partners.
Rae is set to announce the deal at the Cannes Lions Festival Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies say that ColorCreative has global ambitions, and will use the investment to “expand its talent representation and production capabilities while also accelerating the creation and ownership of original content.” ColorCreative also says that it doubled its revenue from 2023 to 2024 despite the ongoing industry headwinds.
“We built ColorCreative to be a home for visionary talent and distinct, multifaceted stories,” said Issa Rae. “Partnering with HarbourView allows us to dream even bigger, while staying true to our mission of helming and supporting the kinds of projects that made us fall in love with storytelling.”
ColorCreative was founded in 2014 by Issa Rae, Deniese Davis and Talitha Watkins, and seeks to provide opportunities for underrepresented creators across TV, film, digital and content and branded content. The first projects under the new structure will go into production early next year.
“ColorCreative has proven that bold, creatively-driven content — especially stories rooted in Black culture — has the power to captivate audiences worldwide,” said Sherrese Clarke Soares, founder and CEO of HarbourView. “Issa, Deniese and Talitha have created a blueprint for global storytelling success, and we’re excited to partner with them as they scale their next chapter.”
“This partnership marks a defining moment in ColorCreative’s journey,” said Talitha Watkins, co-founder and president of ColorCreative. “We’ve always believed that culturally driven content can also be commercially powerful. With HarbourView’s partnership, we believe we have the resources and reach to take our vision to the global stage — without compromising the creative integrity that defines us.”
HarbourView was launched in 2021 to pursue investments and acquisitions in the entertainment, sports, and media. The company has been active in the music space, acquiring catalogs and other assets from the likes of T-Pain, Pat Benatar, Kane Brown, Luis Fonsi, James Fauntleroy, and Wiz Khalifa. Last month it inked a deal for royalty rights to Grammy-winning producer-songwriter Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins.