Sherrese Clarke Soares, previously CEO and co-founder of Tempo Music and before that managing director at Morgan Stanley, has launched a new investment firm called HarbourView Equity Partners. Backed by mega firm Apollo Global Management, HarbourView will focus on buying music, media and entertainment assets and, according to the New York Times, already has up to $1 billion in funding.
“I’ve created HarbourView because I truly believe that content has the ability to amplify global perspectives and change the world,” Clarke Soares said in a statement. “The keys to global culture are held by creators of content who have rarely been appropriately valued for their contribution to the world. At HarbourView, we believe the creators of premier content deserve a seat at the table, creatively and economically, to own their narrative and maximize value for all.”
The new company, based in Newark, NJ, says “content is Queen” and seeks to be the industry standard for excellence and integrity in investing in assets and companies driven by premier intellectual property.
Apollo senior advisor Reggie Love stated that the HarborView team is “uniquely positioned to excel in entertainment investing with the support of our platform,” adding, “this strategic relationship was sourced through our Expanding Opportunity lens and firm-wide initiative to broaden and diversify the funnel of our talent, investment opportunities and business partners, in support of better outcomes and a more sustainable, inclusive economy.”
While Clarke Soares was leading Tempo, the company received commitments for over $1 billion of investible capital and secured 12 asset purchases during that time. Before that, as leader of Morgan Stanley’s Entertainment, Media, & Sports Structured Solutions Platform, she managed the origination and execution of over $85 billion in loan commitments.
“Technology platforms continue to democratize content creation and increase consumption, and this momentum creates a new wave of investment opportunities that we think HarbourView will be well placed to capitalize on,” added Apollo senior partner and global head of structured corporate credit Bret Leas in a statement.
Clarke Soares, who has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Georgetown and an MBA from Harvard Business School, says her new company’s name is a nod to her Jamaican roots.
The deal to put together the strategic relationship between HarbourView and Apollo was handled by DLA Piper and Sidley Austin LLP, which served as legal counsel to HarbourView. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal counsel to Apollo and its clients.