Entertainment
L.A-based investment firm Guggenheim Brothers Media (GB Media) is joining forces with Abu Dhabi’s Ethmar International Holding (EIH) to launch a multi-million-dollar fund with a focus on media, entertainment, and the digital creative economy.
The fund, which will be based in Abu Dhabi, is being hailed as a milestone for the emirate as it moves to consolidate and grow its position as a key creative industries hub in the Gulf region.
Abu Dhabi is the biggest by landmass of the seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the second most populous after Dubai, while its main city is both the capital of the emirate and the wider UAE.
GB Media was launched in 2024 by entertainment and media veterans Dillon Lawson-Johnston, a descendent of the Guggenheim dynasty, and Criswell Fiordalis, with a focus on companies at early or growth stage.
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“We are thrilled to partner with Ethmar International Holding to advance our shared mission of supporting the early-stage creative companies shaping the future of culture from Abu Dhabi to the world,” said the GB Media co-heads.
“EIH brings the scale, ambition, and long-term strategic vision this sector needs, and together we aim to build the destination platform for the world’s emerging creative businesses. Guggenheim Brothers Media will be a place where founders can access the resources, community, and strategic support required to thrive globally.”
GB Media’s name is inspired by the Guggenheim Brothers mining company, which was the foundation of the Guggenheim family’s immense wealth in the early 20th Century, which paved the way for it to become a major patron of the arts, aviation, medicine, and culture.
Building on the Guggenheim family’s legacy of cultural impact, the fund focuses on investments in content creation, creator tools and infrastructure, digital intellectual property and entertainment technologies, fan engagement platforms, and next-generation storytelling.
Lawson-Johnston previously worked with at UTA, Sugar23, Untitled Entertainment, and Anonymous Content, while Fiordalis held roles at Lionsgate, MRC, Hello Sunshine, and WEBTOON.
Ethmar International Holding (EIH) is a homegrown Abu Dhabi investment holding company, led by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, son of the UAE’s ruler UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
With a focus on the local economy, its diversified portfolio spans transformative industries, technologies and real estate.
A spokesman for the company said the partnership with GB Media chimed with its goals and approach.
“Abu Dhabi is globally recognised as a capital of capital, while also building the foundations of a scalable and globally connected creative economy,” they said.
“It is for this reason that EIH has partnered with Guggenheim Brothers Media, where together we’re able to combine the Guggenheim legacy with EIH’s vision to propel Abu Dhabi’s objectives as a dynamic, future-focused media and creator hub. We fully expect that this fund will serve as a catalyst of new opportunities and outcomes that will add significant economic and creative value to Abu Dhabi.”
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Melanie Goodfellow