By KATHY DESALVO
Catfish Music, Chicago, was officially launched as a music house by composers/ producers Joel Raney and Jeff Boyle on New Year’s Day, 1999. But the pair had been collaborating closely for three years, working out of Raney’s recording studio, also called Catfish, while they were both represented by Chicago-based Com/ track.
Raney says that he and Boyle realized they worked very well together, which-besides the fact that "it was time"-prompted them to break away from Com/track in late ’98 to go solo. "Our relationship evolved during the time we were at Com/track," explains Raney. "We just fit. We’re two opposites that make a nice complete pie.
"I’m classically trained and good at orchestral scoring and piano tracks," he continues, "and Jeff is a self-taught rocker and a fantastic songwriter. Those elements combined give you a lot of leverage in the commercial music business."
"[Raney] is this mad professor and I’m this sort of auto mechanic," adds Boyle, "but it works."
It clearly works for the clients who have supplied Catfish with a steady stream of work. Among its recent jobs are spots for Subaru, J.C. Penney, Bank of America, and Nationwide Insurance, all via Temerlin McClain, Irving, Texas; and a spate of projects for Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), Chicago, for clients including Kraft, Sara Lee, Coors Light, Keebler, Tombstone Pizza, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Shout and Illinois Tourism. Additional credits include spots for Bud Light via DDB Chicago; McDonald’s and Dryel, both out of Leo Burnett Co., Chicago, and the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) via Fusion Idea Lab, Chicago.
In early January, Boyle and Raney were reunited with another former Com/track colleague-composer/ producer Gary Fry, who joined Catfish just as he is celebrating his 20th year in the commercial business. In addition to completing recent jobs for Kellogg’s and Nintendo, both via Leo Burnett, Fry composed 14 commissioned works for the Chicago Symphony and Chorus. He has also composed and produced six albums of children’s music for Warner Bros. and Kid Rhino Records.
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More