Bron Media Launching Investment Division, Partners With Animal Kingdom

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Bron Media Chairman Aaron L. Gilbert and Chief Strategy Officer Ashley Levinson have announced the launch of a new division, Bron Ventures, to make strategic equity investments.

Bron disclosed that the new division recently completed an investment and a strategic partnership with the Brooklyn-based production company Animal Kingdom, which produced “Short Term 12,” “It Follows,” “It Comes at Night” and “Paterson.” Founded in 2012, is headed by Joshua Astrachan and David Kaplan.

Bron, which has backed “A Simple Favor,” “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” and “The Front Runner,” made the announcement Thursday. The division will be headed by Jennifer Arceneaux, who joins the company as senior VP of venture partnerships and will report to Levinson.

“It is the start of an exciting new era at Bron,” Gilbert said in a statement.

Arceneaux recently served as the chief development officer and head of branded content at Acorns, the growth-stage financial technology company. Prior to Acorns, she was chief development officer at the Sundance Institute and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

Bron previously announced a strategic investment and partnership with Michael Ellenberg’s television studio Media Res. Upcoming Media Res projects include Apple’s “Untitled Morning Show” drama, starring and executive produced by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston; the television adaptation of the novel “Pachinko,” for Apple; and a television series based on the 1981 “Scanners.”