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U.S. firm Guggenheim Brothers Media has forged a strategic partnership with Abu Dhabi investment company Ethmar International Holding to launch a multi-million dollar fund focused on media and entertainment in the digital content creation space.
The Abu Dhabi-based fund aims to “help advance Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a global hub for creative industries and next-generation content innovation,” the companies said in a statement.
The exact amount of the fund was not specified.
Set up in 2024, Guggenheim Brothers Media is led by Dillon Lawson-Johnston and Criswell Fiordalis, who have previous experience at UTA, Anonymous Content, Lionsgate, Hello Sunshine and Webtoon. They have targeted early-to-growth creator-led companies such as Los Angeles-based digital comedy production outfit Stapleview and The Lighthouse, a U.S. studio and campus designed specifically for creators that is part of the portfolio of Whaler Group, an independent company that develops influencers and other content personalities.
Fiordalis will be speaking at the 1 Billion Follower Summit in Dubai this week that will be attended by roughly 15,000 content creators and will feature 500 speakers.
“Investment in the creator economy is shifting from individual content bets to scalable companies and infrastructure,” the statement said. “Abu Dhabi’s combination of long-term institutional capital and integrated media ecosystem positions it as a strategic global base for this next wave of media and creator-tech growth.”
In recent years, Abu Dhabi has been stepping up efforts to become a global media and entertainment industry hub as part of a drive to diversify its oil-based economy.
The oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates is positioning itself as one of the world’s fastest-growing media markets thanks to its Yas Creative Hub, a more than 60-acre space located on Abu Dhabi’s artificial Yas Island, which is a tourist attraction. The state-of-the art complex for the media and entertainment industry has attracted hundreds of companies including CNN, Ubisoft and National Geographic.
“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 Lawson-Johnston and Fiordalis in the statement. “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.”
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