Producer and entrepreneur Thomas Benski, perhaps best known as co-founder and former CEO of Pulse Films, has launched London, New York, Paris and Los Angeles-based Lumina, a well-capitalized talent and IP-led media group and venture firm.
Lumina is built to support and grow companies in the modern media and consumer landscape where Talent, IP and brand are the multipliers.
Lumina seeks to empower talent and founders to create long-lasting enterprise value by shifting the focus from service to ownership. Lumina combines financial investment and the resources of a global studio, strategically organized into four verticals: talent driven studios; production; kids & family; and consumer. Led by Benski, a world class C-suite and advisory ensemble, as well exec teams in each of the companies, Lumina spans all major content types, genres and formats, with an emphasis on first-class creators, premium IP and embracing new financial models, as well as the use of technology, driving the development of transformative ideas and companies.
Additionally, by self-financing film and TV projects, Lumina and its partners are able to achieve greater creative and financial autonomy, enabling them to shape ventures with bold, innovative vision and valuable IP.
Lumina has already partnered with critically acclaimed talent like Omar Sy and Louis Leterrier for the new European studio, Carrousel Studios led by celebrated CEO Cecile Gaget, and Yann Demange’s Wayward Films (’71, Top Boy). On the kids and family vertical, Lumina has backed award winning gaming studio Creators Corp (2023 Webby winner) as well as BAFTA winning kids IP business, Strike. Lumina has invested in consumer brands like Metier, DAACI and just closed on their biggest investment to date on a globally recognized active wear brand soon to be announced. Lumina has also launched a new multi-disciplinary film studio, Magna Studios, led by Marisa Clifford and Davud Karbassioun which has scaled very quickly with projects in production across branded, documentaries and scripted.
Benski draws from his experience in building Pulse into a global leading multi-disciplinary studio that garnered accolades across all of its output and realized significant scale. Pulse had revenues of $150m+ and more than 150 staff by the time Benski and Clifford exited in 2021. Their previous projects include Gangs of London (Sky/AMC), Beastie Boys Story (Apple), PIG (Neon), The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Netflix) and Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now (Netflix).
Lumina’s momentum is already significant. Not only will it be profitable in its first year of operations, delivering $55 million+ in revenue across the group, but it is has already started producing its first IP and longform projects which will deliver early next year and be announced shortly. Lumina has also secured funding for an IP war chest that will enable the production of a number of high value film and TV projects over the coming years across its group companies.
“The current media landscape is in flux, and we believe this is the ideal time to build future facing companies. Drawing from our rich past experience, we are building in the present to shape the future,” said Benski.
Benski continued, “With content at the heart of everything today, I strongly believe talent, brands and IP are the multipliers. Our thesis is that there is a big opportunity to decouple the IP creation process by building studios and production companies around major talent. This will help them own more of their work and build long lasting companies that remove unnecessary and expensive layers in the process of creating IP. With capital and strategic input we believe in the decentralized United Artist model for today.”
Sy, co-founder of Carrousel, explained, “at the heart of this partnership, Louis, Thomas and I saw a big opportunity in building an ambitious talent-led business that can leverage the current market dynamics. Lumina & Thomas not only bring capital but a strategic and operational approach that offers artists like us the resources and expertise to go out and realize our ambitions at a time when talent is too often not at the table to benefit from a projects’ long-term success.”
Magnus Rausing of BFK, one of Lumina’s investors, explains “Lumina’s collective knowledge in investing and operating businesses makes them the ideal platform for pioneering a new approach that both supports talent to create and own valuable IP while driving innovation across its companies – creatively, strategically and technologically. I was looking for a vehicle to build a media and entertainment footprint and Lumina is absolutely the right platform given its inventive model so I’m excited to help it become a defining player in the ecosystem.”
Charles Dorfman, CEO of Dorfman Media Holdings, said, “We have known Thomas and his team for a long while, saw them build a tremendous business at Pulse and were naturally excited to back his new venture. I have total confidence in their ability to identify exciting opportunities across the media, entertainment and consumer industries, especially as the media industry as a whole moves into a new phase of development. We are committed strategic partners who are seeking to add value beyond our investment and look forward to building Lumina and its companies with Thomas and his team.”
In a joint statement, Marie Savare and P.J. van Sandwijk, co-founders of SVS Holding. shared, “We firmly believe Lumina’s strategic model, combining talent-driven content creation with a venture-backed business framework, represents the future of media and entertainment. As committed strategic partners, we look forward to contributing beyond our investment to build a transformative and highly profitable enterprise together.”
