The Sidemen management group Arcade secures seven-figure investment from Lumina Media

YouTube collective The Sidemen

Thomas Benski’s talent- and IP-led media group and venture capital firm Lumina Media has made a seven-figure investment in creator-first UK management group Arcade, which represents YouTube collective The Sidemen.

The finance deal aims to accelerate Arcade’s expansion across the EMEA region, bring capital and strategic expertise to the company’s platform and broaden its reach into new markets.

It marks the first time that Arcade has secured external funding, with the investment boosting the company’s ambition to build IP from the digital sector.

Former Pulse Films co-founder and Gangs of London producer Benski rolled out Lumina late last year. With offices in London, New York and LA, it aims to empower creatives to own more of their work, as well as act as a financial investment platform.

At launch, the outfit revealed that it had secured funding in the “mid-eight figures” from investors including Magnus Rausing’s BFK, Charles Dorfman’s Dorfman Media Holdings and SVS Holdings.

Last March, Benski joined forces with French actor Omar Sy (Lupin) and Hollywood director Louis Leterrier to launch Carrousel Studios, a European “artists-first” outfit producing scripted TV series and movies.

In the kids and family space, Lumina has backed gaming studio Creators Corp and kids IP business Strike, while also investing in consumer brands Metier and DAACI. It has also launched Magna Studios, led by Marisa Clifford and Davud Karbassioun, which is developing a slate of scripted, factual and branded projects.

Arcade was founded in 2021 by Jordan Schwarzenberger, Sam Uwins and Aaron O’Neill. Its flagship partnership with The Sidemen has seen the launch of six businesses spanning content production, venture capital and content production.

Thomas Benski, founder and CEO, Lumina Media, said: “Arcade is building exactly the kind of creator-led platform the market needs – where talent expands IP, builds brands, and engages consumers at scale.

“Jordan, Sam, and Aaron have already proved the power of their model with The Sidemen, and now we want to take it further: cementing The Sidemen as generational talent and IP with a truly global, multi-platform reach, while giving more creators the chance to become true entertainment powerhouses.

“We’re proud to back visionaries like the team at Arcade and The Sidemen to seize this moment and capture the full scale of the opportunity.”

Schwarzenberger, co-founder, Arcade, said: “Our mission at Arcade has always been to unlock the true potential of creators, helping them grow from content makers into culture-shaping brands.

“The Sidemen have shown what’s possible when you combine authentic talent with ambition, and their journey remains central to the future we’re building. With Thomas, and his team at Lumina as active partners, we now have the strategic platform to take this model further, helping brands scale their IP, to become truly creator first, and at the heart of global culture.”