Felipe Ruiz Ricagni

FELIPE RUIZ RICAGNI represents entertainment companies and sources of capital in M&A, private equity and commercial transactions, and advises entertainment companies on general corporate matters. Felipe was recognized by Variety as one of “Hollywood’s New Leaders of 2023.”

Felipe previously served as associate counsel at WarnerMedia, where he oversaw all legal aspects of scripted original programming for HBO, HBO Max, TNT, TBS, and truTV. Prior to that and before joining Sidley, he served as a legal and labor relations clerk at the company, where he handled film, television, and new media agreements, and advised multiple productions on DGA, WGA, and SAG/AFTRA compliance standards.

He participated in Sidley’s summer associate program in 2016, and Sidley’s Pro Bono Fellowship Program, where he worked for LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Los Angeles.

Notable transactions include assisting with the representation of:

• Darren Throop (former CEO of Entertainment One) in the nine figure potential reacquisition of the film and television divisions of Entertainment One from Hasbro in a public company carveout transaction.  Representation included negotiations with respect to equity and debt financing.
• The Gersh Agency (the only remaining major talent agency without outside investment) and the Gersh family members, in a strategic partnership with private equity firm Crestview Partners, to support the agency’s next phase of growth.
• Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in launching independent production company Artists Equity with a minimum US$100 million investment from private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners, and in connection with Artists Equity’s first project, “Air,” which received a unique theatrical release in advance of its Amazon Prime debut.
• Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, a portfolio company of The Raine Group and certain of its affiliates, in its sale to Fertitta Capital and certain related transactions.
• Warner Music Group and its affiliates in various media and entertainment transactions including:
  • The formation of a joint venture with Bain Capital, a leading global private investment firm, to purchase up to US$1.2 billion of legendary music catalogs across both recorded music and music publishing.
  • The acquisition of 300 Entertainment and its roster of artists including Megan Thee Stallion, Young Thug, and Gunna.
  • The acquisition of the entire recorded-music catalogue of iconic rock band Yes including albums such as Fragile, Close to the Edge, and 90125.
• Kapital Entertainment and its founder Aaron Kaplan (Million Little Things, The Neighborhood, The Chi, Women of the Movement, Black Cake, Housebroken, Delhi Crime, Santa Clarita Diet, Life in Pieces, etc.) in a nine figure, multi-year joint venture with Viacom/CBS.
• Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and certain of their affiliates in connection with various corporate transactions including:
  • Joining the TKO Group board — the publicly traded company comprised of the WWE and the UFC — and entering into an overall agreement under which, among other things, Johnson gained full ownership of “The Rock” trademark, which had previously been owned by WWE.
  • The merger of the XFL with the United States Football League to launch a new professional spring football league known as the United Football League, on the heels of the acquisition of the XFL out of bankruptcy in partnership with RedBird Capital.
  • Molson Coors Beverage Company’s acquisition of a majority ownership stake in ZOA Energy, an energy drink brand founded by Mr. Johnson, Ms. Garcia and others; also represented Mr. Johnson and Ms. Garcia in Molson Coors’ initial investment in the brand in September 2023.
• The Raine Group and certain of its affiliates in the formation of Thrill One Sports & Entertainment, including:
  • The acquisition of SuperJacket Productions (“Ridiculousness,” “The Dude Perfect Show,” “Rob & Big,” “Rob Dydrek’s Fantasy Factory,” etc.).
  • The acquisition of Street League Skateboarding, one of the world’s premier street skateboarding competition leagues.
  • The merger into the group of Nitro Circus, one of the leading action sports live event producers in the world.
  • An equity raise led by Causeway Media Partners, a leading growth venture firm.
  • A debt raise led by MidCap Financial, an Apollo affiliate.
• Evolution Media Capital in the sale of Matador Content to Boat Rocker Media.
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board who, together with Investcorp, made a significant minority investment in United Talent Agency.
• Entertainment One Limited in various transactions including:
  • The nine-figure acquisition of the remaining 49% unowned interest in The Mark Gordon Company.
  • The acquisition of the remaining unowned portion of Sierra Pictures, which included the entering into of long-term employment agreements with Nick Meyer and Marc Schaberg.
  • The acquisition of unscripted television production company Blackfin and the negotiation of a long-term employment arrangement with Blackfin’s founder, Geno McDermott, whereby he was appointed eOne’s President, U.S. Alternative Programming.
• JPMorgan as administrative agent and joint lead arranger for a US$1 billion credit facility for Legendary Entertainment.
• ITV plc and ITV America in various media and entertainment transactions including:
  • The acquisition from Leslie Greif of the minority interest in Thinkfactory Media not previously owned by ITV.
  • The acquisition from the founders of High Noon Entertainment of the minority interest in High Noon Entertainment not previously owned by ITV.
  • The acquisition from the founder of Loud Television of the minority interest in Loud Television not previously owned by ITV.
  • The acquisition from the founder of Outpost Entertainment of the minority interest in Outpost Entertainment not previously owned by ITV.
• Investment funds managed by an affiliate of ZMC in various private equity transactions including the acquisition of a digital media company.
• Affiliates of Z Capital Partners, L.L.C. and Premier Thermal Solutions, LLC in their acquisition of Al-Fe Heat Treating, the largest commercial aluminum heat treater in the U.S.
• An investor group led by investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC in its US$1.4 billion acquisition of 40.6% of OneMain Holdings, Inc. from affiliates of Fortress Investment Group LLC.