BURBANK, Calif. & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Entertainment Partners (“EP”), the leading end-to-end provider of payroll and production management services for all aspects of the entertainment industry for nearly forty years, and Ease Entertainment Services (“Ease”), a leader in technology solutions for the industry since its formation in 2008, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which EP will acquire Ease. The acquisition will leverage the strengths of both organizations, delivering exceptional client service and solutions that will modernize the production industry.
“The combination of our two companies represents a strong win for our customers—and the entire entertainment industry,” said Mark Goldstein, EP President and CEO. “This transaction combines the two companies most focused on innovating in the industry to improve and simplify the vital processes that enable the production business. Opportunities like this to reimagine a business and innovate an industry come along very rarely. Bringing together our two companies accelerates our shared vision to modernize the production industry, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Mark Goldstein will continue as the President and CEO of the combined company and Ease CEO Mike Rose will assume the role of President of Movie Magic Scenechronize Technologies, a newly created division of EP, reporting to Mark Goldstein. Movie Magic Scenechronize Technologies creates a platform that will integrate Movie Magic, EP’s existing, industry-leading budgeting and scheduling technology, with the Scenechronize platform, Ease’s premier cloud-based software suite for managing production information securely. This technology streamlines the day-to-day production process across desktop and mobile platforms, providing tailored tools for scheduling, document administration and script distribution as well as personnel management.
“This is an exciting day for Ease and the entertainment industry. EP provides a huge platform for our solutions, as well as the experience and resources to extend our offerings to a broader customer base. I am proud of the Ease employees who made this progress possible by developing our services and technology into industry-leading solutions. I look forward to working with Mark and his talented team at Entertainment Partners to continue this work,” said Rose.
EP will add Scenechronize Technologies and Ease’s other industry-leading, advanced production and accounting systems to its already robust offerings and services for payroll, budgeting, accounting, security, human resources, labor compliance, incentive solutions and background actor casting. EP will integrate Ease into its operations beginning immediately.
“We look forward to providing a seamless transition for EP and Ease clients as we bring together our two talented teams and expand our offerings,” said Goldstein. “We believe this combination will offer unparalleled professional development opportunities for employees of both EP and Ease in our employee-owned organization.”
The transaction, the terms of which were not disclosed, is expected to close within 30 days.
About Entertainment Partners:
EP is the global leader in entertainment payroll, residuals, tax incentives, finance, and other integrated production management solutions with 15 offices in the U.S., Canada, London, and Tokyo. Combining unparalleled industry expertise and resources, EP strives to make the complex simple and collaborates with clients to help them produce the most cost-effective and efficient film, television, digital, and commercial projects. Its VISTA accounting systems and Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling programs are the industry standards. The EP Financial Solutions group is the industry’s most experienced production incentives team, assisting productions all over the world. Casting and payroll for background actors is handled through its legendary Central Casting division, a Hollywood icon since 1925. Established nearly 40 years ago, EP is a 100% employee-owned company. Visit the website at www.ep.com.
About Ease Entertainment Services:
Ease Entertainment provides the only studio-grade, all-in-one production management platform in the industry. Marrying financial with logistical production information, Ease Entertainment is able to deliver a radically new level of compliance, governance, transparency, data security and efficiency, fundamentally transforming how studios manage their production and development operations.
Every studio and major independent production company in North America has used at least one Ease Entertainment solution. The Ease Entertainment platform consists of its state-of-the-art production finance applications, coupled with full-service payroll; its unique portfolio of physical production automation and development tools, called Scenechronize™; and the Ease Studio Hub, its studio production information management and security system. Visit the website at www.ease.com.
