MISSOULA, Mont.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vault Comics is excited to announce it has secured investment led by Jeff Ubben, as well as United Talent Agency (UTA), Crush Ventures, Rick Matros, and Metallica-backed Black Squirrel Partners. UTA is one of the world’s leading talent, entertainment, and sports companies. Crush Ventures is the venture arm of Crush Music whose clients include Miley Cyrus, Sia, Green Day, Lorde, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy, among others.
Charlotte Ubben will join the board of Vault Comics on behalf of the Ubben family while Jeff Ubben will actively advise the business.
Vault’s new investors offered the following:
“Vault’s breadth of content opens up whole new areas of creativity and excitement,” said Jeff Ubben. “Damian and Adrian are authentic founders wanting to make a difference in the media and entertainment industry and in their readers’ lives.”
“Vault has built an impressive and unique catalog of story properties,” said UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. “We anticipate that Vault will emerge as a significant player in the entertainment landscape, and we’re excited to be part of their growth.”
Building on the success of its core publishing business, Vault has generated substantial momentum in the film and television arena. Beyond the acclaimed show Vagrant Queen, based on the Vault comic of the same title by Magdalene Visaggio and Jason Smith, Vault has ten additional projects in advanced development with other major studios and leading production companies. As its multimedia business accelerates, Vault will continue to focus on growing its publishing business through its commitment to excellence in genre storytelling.
“I have read comics religiously since I was a kid, so Vault provided an opportunity to combine my business background with a true passion,” said Rick Matros. “The team at Vault believe in comics and the platform they have built is creative, impactful and will convert the non-believers across all media platforms.”
“Charlotte, Jeff, Rick, and the teams at UTA, Crush, and Black Squirrel all understood our vision for Vault instantly and immediately saw ways to accelerate our strategy,” said Vault CEO, Damian Wassel. “We couldn’t ask for better long-term partners, and I am excited to learn from Jeff’s deep experience building companies with lasting value and meaningful impact. Together with the strategic support from UTA and Crush, Vault is positioned to expand the scope and impact of genre storytelling.”
ABOUT VAULT COMICS
Vault is a critically acclaimed entertainment company creating bold new science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories from both best-selling and emerging creators. Committed to working with historically underrepresented talent, Vault has curated one of the most inclusive and diverse IP catalogs in the market. Vault creates comics for adaptation into multimedia including film, television, audio productions, and video games. Vault's library of more than seventy five original titles attracts a diverse, enthusiastic, and devoted fandom. Vault’s first television show, Vagrant Queen, debuted in 2020, and Vault has ten additional projects in advanced development with other major studios and leading production companies. In 2021 Vault debuted Wonderbound, its line of graphic novels for young readers. In 2022, Vault will continue to expand into new media formats, as well as through new imprints celebrating new genres and new talent. For multimedia rights, Vault is represented by managers Ava Jamshidi and Lars Theriot of Industry Entertainment, and Matthew Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin. For foreign rights, Vault is represented by the JABberwocky Literary Agency. Press inquiries should be sent to David Dissanayake <press@vaultcomics.com>.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE UBBEN
Film producer and actor Charlotte Ubben has produced critically acclaimed independent films like the Academy Award-Nominated Loving Vincent, American Honey, Landline, and Tallulah.
ABOUT JEFF UBBEN
Jeff Ubben is co-founder and Managing Partner of Inclusive Capital Partners, a highly engaged, long-term investor in pursuit of a healthy planet and the health of its inhabitants. Previously, Ubben was CEO and Chief Investment Officer of San Francisco-based fund ValueAct Capital.
ABOUT UTA
Leading global talent, entertainment, and sports company UTA represents many of the most acclaimed figures across film, television, news, music, sports, speakers, theater, fine art, literature, video games, podcasts and other social and digital content. A passionate advocate for artists, creators and innovators, the company also is recognized in the areas of film finance and packaging, branding, licensing and endorsements. UTA is known for its dedicated digital media group helping clients—from A-list talent to Fortune 500 companies—capitalize on a rapidly changing entertainment, media and business landscape. The agency's worldwide presence includes its Los Angeles headquarters and offices in New York, London, Nashville, and Atlanta. Information about UTA can also be found by following the company on social media on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
ABOUT CRUSH
Crush Ventures is an early-stage venture firm focused on investing in new media platforms, creative IP, and technology that accelerates community-building. Crush Ventures is led by the founders of Crush Music, a full service, global music talent management firm with a client roster that includes Miley Cyrus, Sia, Green Day, Lorde, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, and Fall Out Boy, among others. Crush Ventures' portfolio can be seen here: www.crush.ventures. Crush Music's client roster can be seen here: www.crushmusic.com
ABOUT RICK MATROS
Rick Matros is the CEO of Sabra Health, having previously led multiple successful healthcare businesses. Matros is a lifelong fan of comics, an occasional film producer whose movies range from horror films to documentaries and is highly active in Jewish organizations and charities.
