Align Media
Align Media is a Brussels-based private credit fund manager providing asset-backed media debt financing to film and TV productions, targeting professional and institutional investors via closed-end funds (Take Two, Take 3) with a EUR 500,000 minimum.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Align Media does
Align Media is a Brussels-headquartered private credit fund manager that specializes in media debt financing for film and television productions. Founded in 2018 and formally established in June 2019 when Adrian Politowski exited Umedia with an initial $150M fund, the firm provides senior secured, asset-backed lending at the start of production, with collateral structured against tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery. The company has deployed over €650M across more than 450 film and TV projects since inception, with portfolio titles earning 140+ awards and 370+ nominations across Oscars, BAFTAs, Césars, Cannes, and Sundance. Returns are generated from a debt component decoupled from box-office performance, supplemented by equity kickers that capture upside in commercially successful projects.
The firm targets professional and institutional investors seeking exposure to a €10Bn+ entertainment finance credit gap, with a minimum investment threshold of EUR 500,000 and distribution conducted exclusively through direct relationships managed by a dedicated Head of Fundraising & Investor Relations. Deal flow is sourced by screening 400+ projects annually and selectively funding 4-5, an underwriting model that depends on the founders' producer network. Align currently operates two fund vehicles—the $120M Take Two Fund (closed January 2025) and the Take 3 Fund (currently raising)—and maintains operational presence in Brussels, Luxembourg, Los Angeles, London, and Zurich. Strategic co-financing partnerships with broadcasters and studios such as the BBC, Federation Studios, and GFM Animation supplement direct lending and support recurring deal flow in both film and episodic TV.
The business model is a hybrid of asset management and specialty finance: the firm charges management and transaction fees on committed and deployed capital, plus performance economics through equity participation. The team of 1-10 includes a BAFTA-nominated executive chairman, a CEO with a legal and fund-administration background, a senior production executive, a commercial director with film-finance legal expertise, and a financial and business manager, with senior fundraising leadership added in 2025 to support the third fund vintage.
Align Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Align Media
- Legal name
- Align Media
- Website
- https://align-group.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Align Media is a Brussels-based private credit fund manager providing asset-backed media debt financing to film and TV productions, targeting professional and institutional investors via closed-end funds (Take Two, Take 3) with a EUR 500,000 minimum.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Align Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Media Private Debt / Entertainment Finance
- NAICS
- Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financing & Investment (Equity, Debt, Gap, Slate) (MPADAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending (FSANADAJ)
Keywords
Where Align Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Align Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Asset-backed private debt lending: Senior secured lending at production start with collateralization through tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery. Generates returns from debt component independent of box office performance.
- Equity kickers and upside participation: Retains equity participation rights in successful projects, capturing upside when films achieve commercial success beyond debt repayment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Professional investor minimum investment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Align Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Align Media provides institutional-grade private debt financing to film and television productions, offering senior secured asset-backed lending at the start of production collateralized by tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery. The firm raises and deploys capital through dedicated fund vehicles (e.g., Take Two Fund of $120M and Take 3 Fund currently being raised) targeted exclusively at professional and institutional investors with a minimum investment of €500,000, while also retaining equity participation rights to capture upside on successful projects.
Product overview
Align Media operates as a media private debt platform offering institutional-grade financing solutions for the film and television industry. The core product is Private Debt in Film & TV, which provides asset-backed lending at production start with collateralized structures. The platform manages two fund vehicles: Take Two Fund ($120 million raised) and Take 3 Fund (currently raising), targeting professional investors with a minimum investment of 500,000 EUR. The company structures investments using tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery as collateral while retaining upside participation through equity kickers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Private Debt in Film & TV Institutional-grade private debt financing for film and television productions, providing asset-backed lending at the start of production with collateralized structures built on tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery. Designed for film and TV production companies requiring senior secured production financing, and offered exclusively to professional investors.
- Take Two Fund $120 million private debt fund for investing in international film and TV projects. Targeted exclusively at professional investors with a €500,000 minimum investment threshold, providing exposure to media private debt collateralized by tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery.
- Take 3 Fund Third vintage fund in Align's private credit strategy, building on the track record of successful investments across 450+ Film & TV projects globally. Currently being raised for professional investors.
Quantifiable outcome
- €650M+ deployed across 450+ Film & TV projects
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Align Media
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Align Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Align Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GFM AnimationminorAlign joined GFM Animation's '10 Lives' animated feature as co-financier; film features voice cast including Zayn Malik, Simone Ashley, Sophie Okonedo
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Align Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ingenious Media: Ingenious Media is a UK-based media investment manager arranging debt and equity financing for film, TV, and live events — closely comparable to Align in raising institutional capital for media production.
- Film Finances Ltd: Film Finances is a long-standing provider of completion guarantees and production financing support to the global film industry — comparable to Align in servicing the production-credit risk layer with institutional capital.
- Vine Alternative Investments: Vine is a leading asset manager providing institutional capital to the global entertainment industry, including private credit, senior lending, and gap financing for film/TV — a directly comparable media private debt platform to Align.
- Productivity Media: Productivity Media provides debt and structured financing solutions to film and television producers, including gap and senior lending, overlapping directly with Align's asset-backed private credit product.
- Slate Capital Group: Slate Capital Group is a media-focused fund manager deploying private capital (debt and equity) into film, television, and entertainment — directly comparable to Align's institutional private credit strategy.
Others
- Umedia: Umedia is the Belgian film group co-founded by Politowski and Khamlichi before they exited to form Align; the predecessor entity with a comparable integrated production-and-finance model.
Broad incumbents
- Lionsgate: Lionsgate is a diversified film and TV studio with proprietary financing arms and slate-gap lending activity; a broader incumbent that competes for similar institutional capital pools and production financing mandates.
Market position
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Align Media social profiles
Digital presenceAlign Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Align Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Align Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Align Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Align Media
What does Align Media do?
Align Media provides institutional-grade private debt financing to film and television productions, offering senior secured asset-backed lending at the start of production collateralized by tax credits, distributor contracts, and insured delivery. The firm raises and deploys capital through dedicated fund vehicles (e.g., Take Two Fund of $120M and Take 3 Fund currently being raised) targeted exclusively at professional and institutional investors with a minimum investment of €500,000, while also retaining equity participation rights to capture upside on successful projects.
Is Align Media a public or private company?
Align Media is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Align Media founded?
Align Media was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Align Media based?
Align Media is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Align Media make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Asset-backed private debt lending is the primary driver. The others are equity kickers and upside participation.
Who are Align Media's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ingenious Media, Film Finances Ltd, Vine Alternative Investments, Productivity Media and Slate Capital Group. Umedia is listed as an others. Lionsgate is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Align Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for Align Media.
What industry is Align Media in?
Align Media's product category is Media Private Debt / Entertainment Finance. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAAAB, Financing & Investment (Equity, Debt, Gap, Slate), with a secondary code of FSANADAJ, Large-Cap / Sponsor Finance Direct Lending. Its NAICS code is 522 and its SIC code is 6159.