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Guggenheim Brothers Media, Ethmar International Holding Launch Abu Dhabi Investment Fund For Creator Economy

Guggenheim Brothers Media and Ethmar International Holding have partnered to launch a multi-million-dollar investment fund based in Abu Dhabi with a global focus on media, entertainment, and the digital creative economy, according to a press release from Emirates News Agency.

The fund is led by Dillon Lawson-Johnston and Criswell Fiordalis, who bring more than two decades of combined entertainment and media expertise. Lawson-Johnston, the great-great-grandson of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who founded New York City’s iconic Guggenheim Museum, previously held positions at UTA, Sugar23, Untitled Entertainment, and Anonymous Content. Fiordalis brings leadership experience from roles at Lionsgate, MRC, Hello Sunshine, and WEBTOON.

“We are thrilled to partner with Ethmar International Holding to advance our shared mission of supporting the early-stage creative companies shaping the future of culture from Abu Dhabi to the world,” Lawson-Johnston and Fiordalis said. “EIH brings the scale, ambition, and long-term strategic vision this sector needs, and together we aim to build the destination platform for the world’s emerging creative businesses. Guggenheim Brothers Media will be a place where founders can access the resources, community, and strategic support required to thrive globally.”

“Abu Dhabi is globally recognised as a capital of capital, while also building the foundations of a scalable and globally connected creative economy,” an Ethmar International Holding spokesperson said. “It is for this reason that EIH has partnered with Guggenheim Brothers Media, where together we’re able to combine the Guggenheim legacy with EIH’s vision to propel Abu Dhabi’s objectives as a dynamic, future-focused media and creator hub.”

A Guggenheim representative told Tubefilter that the fund size will range from $50 million to $75 million.

Guggenheim Brothers Media launched in September 2024 as a private investment firm focused on early- to growth-stage media and entertainment companies, with minority investments valued at less than $20 million as its primary focus, according to Deadline.

Building on the Guggenheim family’s legacy of cultural impact, Guggenheim Brothers Media focuses on investments in content creation, creator tools and infrastructure, digital intellectual property and entertainment technologies, fan engagement platforms, and next-generation storytelling.

The fund’s initial investments include Stapleview, a comedy content platform and talent management company, and The Lighthouse, a Whalar Group company described as an IRL (In Real Life) campus for creators and their teams.

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Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.

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