DLA Piper advises Sundial Media Group in its acquisition of Refinery29

DLA Piper represented Essence Ventures and Sundial Media Group (“SMG”), a vertically integrated media, technology and experiential company, in its cross-border acquisition of Refinery29, a media and entertainment platform focused on offering feminocentric digital content, from Vice Media Group.

With the acquisition of Refinery29, SMG continues to expand the reach of its media properties and extends its mission of creating opportunities, products and services that connect communities through content, culture and commerce. SMG owns brands such as ESSENCE, Girls United, AFROPUNK, Naturally Curly, and more. Cory Haik, multiple Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist and media executive, has been named Refinery29's CEO.

“We were thrilled to be tabbed as counsel to SMG on this very strategic acquisition of Refinery29, in some ways an iconic company; Refinery29 extends SMG’s already growing reach and is really a synergistic fit for the two brands,” said Charles Torres, the DLA Piper partner who led the deal team. “We are glad to see that Refinery29 has a new home.”

In addition to Torres (New York), the DLA Piper team included partners Jordan Bailowitz and Julia Kovacs (both in Baltimore), Larissa Bifano (Boston), Jennifer Kashatus (Washington, DC), Joseph Piesco (New York) Benjamin Mulcahy (both in Los Angeles), Jonathan Exten-Wright (London, UK), Morgan McDonald (Vancouver, Canada) and Titus Totan (Toronto, Canada); Of Counsel Nia Brown (Washington, DC); associates Marcos Taiana (New York, Jasmine Judge and Katie Lee (New York); Pilar Ay (Palo Alto), Luyao Zhang and James Stewart (Washington, DC), Ryan O’Connor (Short Hills), senior attorney Michael Haggerson (Philadelphia); Senior Associate Matt Jeavons (London, UK).

With more than 1,000 corporate lawyers globally, DLA Piper helps clients execute complex transactions seamlessly while supporting clients across all stages of development. The firm has been rated number one in global M&A volume for 15 consecutive years, according to Mergermarket, and ranked as a top five most active VC legal advisor in the US and number one in VC, PE and M&A in combined global deal volume according to PitchBook.