LeBron James launches new media company with friend Maverick Carter and ‘raises $100million for upcoming projects like an NBC game show and an Adam Sandler Netflix movie’
- LeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter have launched a new media company, SpringHill, named after the apartment complex where he was raised
- The company has reportedly raised $100 million in new investments since March, when it was formed by combining some of James’s other companies
- SpringHill is aimed at giving a platform to new voices, while also creating other content such as an NBC game show and a basketball movie with Adam Sandler
- James is currently preparing for the NBA’s 2019-2020 season reboot in late July
- Other SpringHill board members include tennis star Serena Williams, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, and News Corp. heiress Elisabeth Murdoch
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James (left) and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter (right) have announced the formation of a new media company that aims to give a platform to new voices and already boasts $100 million in investments
LeBron James and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter have announced the formation of a new media company that aims to give a platform to new voices and already boasts $100 million in investments.
The company is named SpringHill for the Akron, Ohio apartment complex where James grew up until the sixth grade. According to Bloomberg, the new company consolidates the Robot Co., the pair’s marketing agency, with SpringHill Entertainment, which is producing an upcoming game show on NBC and a sequel to Michael Jordan’s movie, Space Jam.
‘When we talk about storytelling, we want to be able to hit home, to hit a lot of homes where they feel like they can be a part of that story,’ James told Bloomberg. ‘And they feel like, “Oh, you know what? I can relate to that.” It’s very organic to our upbringing.’
The company is reportedly working with Netflix on a basketball movie involving Adam Sandler.
The company is named for the Akron, Ohio apartment complex where James grew up until the sixth grade. According to Bloomberg, the new company SpringHill consolidates the Robot Co., which is the pair’s marketing agency, with SpringHill Entertainment, which is producing an upcoming game show on NBC and a sequel to Michael Jordan ‘s movie, Space Jam, as well as Uninterrupted LLC, which produces James’ HBO talk show
On its Instagram page, SpringHill describes itself as ‘a media company with an unapologetic agenda – a maker and distributor of all kinds of content that will give a voice to creators and consumers who’ve been pandered to, ignored, or underserved.’
James is listed as the company’s chairman, while Carter is the CEO. Other board members include Serena Williams, Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, and News Corp. heiress Elisabeth Murdoch.
James has touted the company’s diversity
‘Incredibly proud of today’s announcement!’James tweeted. ‘We started building this company almost 5 years ago and while I love every project and story we tell…I am most proud of our team. 100+ employees, 64% people of color and 40% female in an industry that avg 25%.
‘Our leadership team is a reflection of our entire organization, James continued in another tweet that had an attached photo of his employees. ‘I want to thank everyone at The Springhill Company for believing in our vision! We closed this deal in March and I knew our work was going to keep getting more and more necessary. Let’s continue greatness.’
Like James, Carter played football and basketball at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
He attended Western Michigan, where he briefly played basketball, before transferring to the University of Akron.
James is currently preparing for the NBA’s 2019-2020 season reboot in late July. His first-place Lakers are guaranteed a playoff spot, and he expects to be competing for his fourth NBA title when the league restarts at ESPN’s sports complex at Disney World.
One of the SpringHill projects is reportedly a basketball movie with Adam Sandler