Trillium Partners Limited (Trillium), the independent corporate finance advisory firm, is pleased to announce that it has advised Team Rock Limited (TeamRock) on its acquisition of the leading rock brands Classic Rock and Metal Hammer from Future plc for a cash consideration of £10.2m and the associated fund raising of acquisition and development capital. In addition to the Classic Rock and Metal Hammer magazines, the deal also includes associated brand extensions, the periodicals Prog and AOR, and branded events The Golden Gods and The Classic Rock Roll of Honour.

TeamRock is a new content creation and distribution company formed to provide and create premium content to rock music fans across the world via digital platforms and through the Classic Rock and Metal Hammer titles. Based in Glasgow and London, TeamRock was founded by Billy Anderson, who is TeamRock CEO and was previously a Regional Director at GMG Radio, and is chaired by John Myers, former Chief Executive of GMG Radio. TeamRock secured financing from Harwood Private Equity for the acquisition of the brands and the on-going development of the business.

Trillium specialises in M&A, financial restructuring and fund raising transactions and corporate finance advice with a core focus on the Media sector.

Trillium advised TeamRock on all aspects of its fund raising and acquisition. In particular, Trillium advised TeamRock in respect of its business plan, managed the fund raising and acquisition processes and assisted TeamRock with associated negotiations, valuation and transaction structuring.

John Myers, TeamRock Executive Chairman, commented:
“This is a great business and is the first building block of our wider ambitions. Trillium has been instrumental in helping TeamRock secure the necessary financing for this transformative acquisition. Besides helping us find a terrific partner in Harwood, they were also critical in helping us successfully acquire the Classic Rock and Metal Hammer portfolio. Trillium’s contribution throughout the process was outstanding and the deal could not have happened without them.”

Hugo Montgomery, Managing Director at Trillium, added:
“Trillium was delighted to assist TeamRock in this complex transaction. We were privileged to work with such an experienced team and be part of their vision of creating a new platform for the distribution of content to the global rock music fan base.”

About Trillium Partners
Trillium Partners is an independent mid-market firm that advises listed companies, private firms and financial sponsors on M&A and Private Capital raising transactions valued at £20 million to £500 million in the B2B Information Services and Events, Consumer Media, Learning and Development, and Marketing Services.

Over the last 30 years, we have advised our clients on a comprehensive array of transactions in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia, with an aggregate value in excess of £10 billion. Underpinned by deep sector knowledge and insight, our expertise extends from private acquisitions and disposals to public offers and raising capital from the private equity, family office, banking and alternative finance communities for working capital, business development, acquisitions and buy-outs.

For more information regarding this transaction, please contact Hugo Montgomery or Andrew Zelouf on +44 (0)20 3008 8375.