We have heard of numerous success stories, albeit the success narrative of Prime Focus led by the visionary entrepreneur Namit Malhotra is a rarity. A startup with humble beginnings, the tech-enabled visual effects company which originated in a garage in Mumbai in the 90s has now become the world’s foremost leader in the VFX and animation space and is about to achieve the big American dream – a listing on NASDAQ with a massive valuation of $1.7 billion.
DNEG, a subsidiary of Prime Focus and a leading technology-enabled visual effects and animation company for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content, and Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp. (Sports Ventures), a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, have entered into a definitive business combination agreement that will result in DNEG becoming a public company. Upon closing of the transaction, the combined company will be renamed DNEG and it is expected that its ordinary shares will be listed on the Nasdaq. The combined company will be led by DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra.
Commenting on this merger, Malhotra said: “As we take the next logical step in our evolution, partnering with Sports Ventures on the road to becoming a publicly traded company, I would like to thank and celebrate our talented teams across the globe. Every day, they come together to create incredible new worlds for our storytelling partners, raising the bar for every project that we deliver. This transaction creates long-term stability for our teams while also allowing us to exploit the tailwinds in the media and entertainment industry and the explosion in demand for content, which are huge growth drivers for our company. I am excited to take the best of everything that makes our company so successful and to use it as a platform on which to build and innovate further. Leveraging our leading technology stack, DNEG is already making great strides into new growth areas such as gaming and content creation partnerships, and we are perfectly positioned to exploit massive new opportunities in the metaverse and the convergence of all forms of content creation.”
As the Founder of Prime Focus, Namit has been responsible for the strategy, growth and success of Prime Focus from its modest beginnings in Mumbai in 1997 to its current position (together with its subsidiaries DNEG & Prime Focus Technologies) as the world’s largest independent and integrated media services powerhouse. Namit actively sought out projects that would expand the strengths of the group, and challenged its teams to push themselves to the next level, delivering his clients world-class creative and technical services, and intelligent financial solutions.
DNEG has Long-term and well-established relationships with the world’s largest content creators, such as major Hollywood studios, production companies and streaming services, all of which have increasing demand that represents a bright outlook for the company and its future ventures.
A proud moment for all Indians wherein a group that has its origins in Bollywood has achieved a massive scale wherein today 95 percent of its revenue comes from marquee Hollywood projects. DNEG’s groundbreaking work has earned the company six Academy Awards for ‘Best Visual Effects’ and numerous BAFTA and Primetime EMMY Awards.
Current and upcoming DNEG projects on behalf of its Hollywood and global studio and production company partners include Uncharted (February 2022), Death on the Nile (February 2022), Moonfall (February 2022), Borderlands (2022), Stranger Things S4 (2022), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2022), Knives Out 2 (2022), The Last of Us (2022), The Flash (2022), and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023).
