US investor buys into Silvergate

Silvergate’s animated series Octonauts airs on CBeebies

A US private equity firm has taken a majority stake in former Chorion CEO and chairman Lord Waheed Alli’s preschool production firm Silvergate Media.

Shamrock Capital Advisors has invested in the UK- and US-based company, which produces and distributes the CBeebies animated series Octonauts.

It was set up in 2011 after Lord Alli left the now defunct UK kids’ IP company Chorion, which housed brands such as the Mr Men characters and Noddy.

The investment from Shamrock is designed to help accelerate Silvergate’s global growth, expand its library of IP and grow its presence in China. Terms of the investment were not disclosed. Silvergate was advised by Lepe Partners.

Silvergate CEO Lord Alli and William Astor, chairman and co-founder, will continue in their roles following the investment.

“The support of Shamrock will enable us to expand the business faster through further organic growth as well as by acquisitions,” said Lord Alli, who added that the company is developing new children’s programmes for partners including Disney, Nickelodeon and Netflix.

William Wynperle, partner at Shamrock Capital Advisors, said: “Silvergate has developed a unique set of kids’ properties with significant upside potential.”

Silvergate’s latest preschool series is Sunny Day, the first season of which will air on Nickelodeon in 2017, while it is also working with CCTV in China to coproduce season five of Octonauts.