Lightbox exits Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund

4 February 2021

London and LA based production company Lightbox is to exit Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund (IGF).

It was announced today that Lightbox, one of the first companies to join Channel 4’s IGF when it launched in 2014, has jointly agreed with Channel 4 to buy back its shares for an undisclosed amount. 

The decision will allow Channel 4 to realise the value of its investment whilst allowing the Lightbox founders to take full control of the company during its next stage of growth.

During the period of the IGF’s investment, Lightbox has more than tripled in size and has established itself as a highly successful production company creating and delivering award-winning, high profile content for cinemas, broadcasters and streaming platforms in the US UK, and worldwide.

Founded by two-time Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn and two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Jonathan Chinn, Lightbox’s acclaimed productions include feature documentaries such as the Emmy Award-winning LA 92 (Nat Geo); the Grammy-nominated Whitney (theatrical release) which premiered at Cannes; Tell Me Who I Am, (Netflix) which premiered at Telluride and the London Film Festival; Untouchable: the Rise and Fall of Harvey Weinstein (BBC 2, Hulu) which premiered at Sundance 2019; Torn (National Geographic and theatrical), and Tina, the eagerly anticipated theatrical release documentary about Tina Turner.

Lightbox’s series output includes recent and forthcoming productions such as: Hip Hop Uncovered (FX), Supervillain (Showtime), Return to the Moon (National Geographic), Sophie’s Story (w/t, Netflix) Diagnosis (Netflix), Murder Mountain (Netflix/Fusion). The company is currently in production on multiple series and feature documentaries for streaming platforms and broadcasters.

Caroline Murphy, Channel 4’s Head of the IGF, said: “We’ve really enjoyed working with Jonathan and Simon over the past six years and it’s been wonderful to see their business flourish into a multi-award-winning independent TV and film production company. They are supremely talented filmmakers and now seems like a natural time for them to take full ownership of the company.  We wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their journey.”

Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn commented: “We have greatly valued our partnership with Channel 4 and the Indie Growth Fund, which has enabled us to achieve our ambitions to grow our business substantially, and to establish our brand, in the first phase of Lightbox’s evolution.  We are grateful to Alex Mahon, Martin Baker, Caroline Murphy and the whole team at the IGF for their enduring support over the past six years and are hugely excited about what lies ahead as we take Lightbox to the next level.”

The announcement comes after the IGF recently announced it had invested in two independent production companies, Proper Content and Yeti.