The Tornante Company
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersCalifornia City, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
The Tornante Company firmographics
Firmographics- 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
The Tornante Company industry classification
Industry- 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
Where The Tornante Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- California City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Tornante Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- 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.
- Sports Club Ownership: Tornante owns Portsmouth Football Club, an English football club. Revenue comes from matchday operations, broadcasting rights, merchandise, and club commercial activities.
- 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.
- 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
The Tornante Company product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use The Tornante Company
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Tornante Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Tornante Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ShadowMachinecoreShadowMachine, 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 SwimcoreAdult 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 VideocoreAmazon 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.
- NetflixcoreNetflix 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 EntertainmentminorTornante TV partners with Trifecta Entertainment to produce and distribute syndicated daytime programming including 'Judge Faith' and 'Crime Exposé with Nancy O'Dell'.
- DKCminorDKC serves as the general media contact for The Tornante Company.
- Kovert CreativeminorKovert Creative handles media and PR contact for Tornante Television.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Tornante Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
The Tornante Company social profiles
Digital presenceThe Tornante Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Tornante Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Tornante Company subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
The Tornante Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Tornante Company M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does The Tornante Company do?
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.
Is The Tornante Company a public or private company?
The Tornante Company is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Tornante Company founded?
The Tornante Company was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Tornante Company based?
The Tornante Company is headquartered in California City, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Tornante Company make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Television Production & Distribution is the primary driver. The others are sports Club Ownership, investment Returns and brand Licensing & Consumer Products.
Who are The Tornante Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Participant Media, Legendary Entertainment, Mediawan, Annapurna Pictures and A24. Broad incumbents are Entertainment One (eOne), ITV Studios, Fremantle, All3Media and Lionsgate.
Does The Tornante Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Tornante Company.
What industry is The Tornante Company in?
The Tornante Company's product category is Media & Entertainment Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFABAA, Full-Service Game Publishers (1st/2nd/3rd-Party Publishing), with a secondary code of MPABAJAH, Sports Rights Agencies & Brokers (Acquisition/Packaging). Its NAICS code is 51612 and its SIC code is 7812.