The North Road Company will partner with Two One Five Entertainment. The Peter Chernin-founded company acquired a significant stake in Oscar-winner Questlove and Black Thought’s production business. The deal will result in North Road financing future Two One Five films, television shows and other creative projects. The partnership will also see North Road supporting Two One Five with nonscripted content which will enable Two One Five to leverage its best-in-class IP portfolio while expanding its scripted slate.
North Road CEO David Nevins said, “Questlove and Black Thought have long been not only iconic musicians, but also beacons for talent. They are visionaries who have been behind some of the most impactful stories about music and Black culture and how they shaped America. We are thrilled to partner with such a uniquely creative team as they enter their next phase of growth, supporting them as they continue their excellent track record in the nonfiction space and seize the opportunity to achieve similar success in scripted film, television, and beyond.”
“Building our production company Two One Five, has been a major priority and the next chapter of creative evolution for Tarik and I. Although we’ve had success thus far, finding an investor and strategic partner like North Road will have an immediate impact on our business, as their superior production capabilities will help us significantly increase our output. Additionally, the capital they are committing provides us the flexibility to independently fund creative ideas, grow our executive team and truly scale the business,” said Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson.
This deal was brokered by ACF Investment Bank. Questlove, Black Thought, The Roots, and Two One Five are all represented by long-time manager Shawn Gee and WME.
Two One Five Entertainment’s recent projects include the Questlove-directed Oscar-winning and BAFTA-winning documentary “Summer of Soul,” which chronicled the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, Sam Pollard’s “The League” detailing the Negro Baseball League and Margaret Brown’s “Descendant” which offered stories from descendants of survivors of the last ship that carried enslaved Africans to America. Coming soon will be Questlove’s Hulu documentary about Sly and the Family Stone. Since 2009, Questlove and Black Thought’s The Roots has also been the house band for NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
