The Tornante Company

What The Tornante Company does

The Tornante Company is a privately held media and entertainment investment and operating firm founded in 2005 by Michael Eisner, the former CEO of Walt Disney. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, the firm operates across three interlocking lines of business: (1) Tornante Television, an independent studio that develops, produces, and finances animated and live-action comedy and drama series, having shipped over 200 episodes including BoJack Horseman (Netflix), Undone (Amazon, using rotoscoping), and Tuca & Bertie (Adult Swim); (2) wholly owned sports operations through Portsmouth Football Club, an English football club acquired in August 2017; and (3) a portfolio of minority and majority investments in media and consumer brands including Omaze, Who What Wear/Versed, Creatively, RAD, Believer, and The Bazooka Companies.

The studio's commercial model is enterprise field sales to a small set of distribution partners — chiefly Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Adult Swim — with revenue driven by episodic license fees, production financing arrangements, and syndication through Trifecta Entertainment for daytime programming such as Judge Faith and Crime Exposé with Nancy O'Dell. The investment model co-invests with Madison Dearborn Partners (notably the $385M acquisition of Topps in 2007), generating returns through equity appreciation and exits — most prominently the $500M sale of Topps trading cards to Fanatics in January 2022 and the February 2024 sale of TDS Gift Cards to Ziff Davis.

Tornante is owned and controlled by Michael Eisner, operates with 11–50 employees, and serves enterprise customers in entertainment, sports, and consumer products rather than end consumers directly. The firm maintains earned-media and PR-led marketing through DKC and Kovert Creative, with distribution, audience monetization, and IP value capture handled primarily by its streaming and broadcast partners.

Name

The Tornante Company

Legal name

The Tornante Company

Website

https://tornante.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Tornante Company is a privately held media and entertainment investment and operating firm founded in 2005 by Michael Eisner, operating an independent television studio (BoJack Horseman, Undone), owning Portsmouth Football Club, and holding a portfolio of media and consumer brand investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media & Entertainment Investment

NAICS

Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing) (MPAFABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging) (MPABAJAH), Production Insurance, Bonds & Risk Management (MPADAFAL)

Keywords

• Media investment firm
• Television production
• Entertainment acquisition
• Sports club ownership
• Content development

Headquarters

HQ city

California City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Television Production & Distribution: Tornante Television develops, produces, and finances animated and live-action comedy and drama series for domestic and international distribution. Revenue is generated through production deals, licensing, and distribution agreements with streaming platforms, cable networks, and broadcasters.
2. Sports Club Ownership: Tornante owns Portsmouth Football Club, an English football club. Revenue comes from matchday operations, broadcasting rights, merchandise, and club commercial activities.
3. Investment Returns: Tornante invests in media and entertainment companies (Topps, Omaze, Who What Wear, etc.) and generates returns through equity appreciation, exit events, and portfolio company distributions.
4. Brand Licensing & Consumer Products: Through portfolio companies like Topps (trading cards, Bazooka candy brands), The Tornante Company participates in consumer products and licensing revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Tornante Company is a privately held principal investment firm that invests in, acquires, and operates companies in media and entertainment. It operates Tornante Television, an independent studio that develops, produces, and finances animated and live-action comedy and drama series distributed to streaming platforms and cable networks. It also owns Portsmouth Football Club and holds minority investments in media, consumer products, and digital platform companies.

Product overview

The Tornante Company is a privately held media and entertainment investment firm founded in 2005 by Michael Eisner. It operates multiple divisions including Tornante Television, an independent studio producing animated series (BoJack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie, Undone) and live action content, as well as syndicated programming (Judge Faith, Crime Exposé). The company also owns Portsmouth Football Club and holds investments in portfolio companies including Omaze (fundraising platform), Rad (streaming/NFT platform), Creatively (creative talent platform), Who What Wear/Versed (fashion brands), and Believer (games company).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tornante Television: Independent television studio that develops, produces, and finances animated and live action comedy and drama series for domestic and international distribution.
• The Bazooka Companies, Inc.

Products and services

• Tornante Television (Animated Series) Independent television studio operation that develops, produces, and finances animated comedy and drama series for streaming platforms, cable networks, and international distribution. The studio has delivered over 200 episodes of award-winning animated content including BoJack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie, and Undone.
• Tornante Television (Live Action Series) Live-action scripted comedy and drama production developing and financing original voice-driven content distributed via streaming, cable, and broadcast partners.
• Judge Faith A daytime court series produced in partnership with Trifecta Entertainment, broadcast on stations throughout the U.S.
• Crime Exposé with Nancy O'Dell A daily syndicated half-hour true-crime series hosted by former Entertainment Tonight co-anchor Nancy O'Dell, produced in partnership with Trifecta Entertainment and Scott Sternberg Productions.
• Portsmouth Football Club English professional football club founded in 1898, based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, playing at Fratton Park. Owned and operated by Tornante since August 2017.

Quantifiable outcome

• BoJack Horseman named 'Best Netflix Show of All Time' by Rolling Stone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShadowMachinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2024ShadowMachine, known for BoJack Horseman and other acclaimed animated series, has partnered with Tornante Company and Raphael Bob-Waksberg on Netflix animated series 'Long Story Short'. This reunites the BoJack Horseman creative team.
• Adult SwimcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2020Adult Swim picked up Tuca & Bertie for Seasons 2 and 3 after Netflix declined to continue. This partnership demonstrates Tornante's ability to find alternative distribution when initial partnerships end.
• Amazon Prime VideocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 March 2018Amazon Prime Video partnered with Tornante TV to develop and distribute 'Undone', an animated series using rotoscoping technology. Amazon ordered the series and renewed it for a second season.
• NetflixcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 11 December 2013Netflix is a primary distribution partner for Tornante Television content, including BoJack Horseman, Tuca & Bertie (originally), and Long Story Short. Netflix ordered BoJack Horseman as an original series and distributes content globally.
• Trifecta EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTornante TV partners with Trifecta Entertainment to produce and distribute syndicated daytime programming including 'Judge Faith' and 'Crime Exposé with Nancy O'Dell'.
• DKCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDKC serves as the general media contact for The Tornante Company.
• Kovert CreativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKovert Creative handles media and PR contact for Tornante Television.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Participant Media: Independent media company producing film and television content with a defined thematic lens. Comparable to Tornante Television as an independent studio financing original content and distributing via major streaming and broadcast platforms.
• Legendary Entertainment: Independent film and television studio with deep-pocketed backing, producing premium content across formats. Comparable to Tornante in being an independently-financed studio developing franchise IP for major distributors and operating a diversified entertainment portfolio.
• Mediawan: European media holding company that acquires and operates independent production and distribution businesses. Comparable to Tornante as a privately-held media investment firm building a portfolio of content production and distribution assets.
• Annapurna Pictures: Independent film and television studio backed by founder Megan Ellison, producing auteur-driven content. Comparable to Tornante Television in being a wealthy-founder-financed independent studio producing premium original IP for major platforms.
• A24: Independent entertainment company producing and distributing film and television. Closely comparable to Tornante Television as a founder-led, creatively-driven independent studio developing premium original content for streaming platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Entertainment One (eOne): Global entertainment studio and distributor with film, TV, and family brands divisions (now part of Hasbro). Comparable to Tornante as a media holding company combining owned IP, production, and distribution but at substantially larger scale.
• ITV Studios: Global television production and distribution arm of ITV plc, producing scripted and unscripted content for international broadcasters and streamers. Comparable to Tornante Television's international content distribution model but at substantially greater scale.
• Fremantle: Global television production and distribution company (part of RTL Group / Bertelsmann). Comparable to Tornante Television as an independent-style TV production house developing scripted and unscripted content for global platforms, but at much larger scale.
• All3Media: Independent television production group with dozens of production labels producing content for global streamers and broadcasters. Comparable to Tornante Television as a multi-label content production group, though much larger and with broader content breadth.
• Lionsgate: Public independent film and television studio with a broader content portfolio and significant scale. Comparable to Tornante's TV studio operations but operates at substantially greater scale and with a public capital structure.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Pompey

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments17 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Tornante Company