Sister Acquires Major Share in Digital-First Label Following Party Studios Partnership
Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone’s Sister Group has acquired a majority stake in After Party Studios, a digital-first production label.
Founded in 2016, After Party Studios is a UK-based creative agency focused on producing digital content. The studio was established by YouTuber Callux (Callum McGinley), director RVBBERDUCK (Ben Doyle), along with Base79 founder Richard Mansell and Joshua Barnett, who serves as the Chief Executive.
After Party Studios is known for its work on prominent projects such as Sky Sports’s SCENES and Channel 4.0’s Don’t Get Catfished, as well as the sold-out Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley. The studio also creates supporting content for popular shows, including Netflix’s House of Guinness and Stranger Things.
Upcoming initiatives include In Search of Peace with Jordan Stephens for MTV UK, the docuseries Race To The Top detailing KSI’s acquisition of the Dagenham & Redbridge soccer club, and the digital series Five To Live for Sky, currently rolling out on social media.
They continued, “We’ve always cared deeply about storytelling, craft and originality in a space that has historically rewarded the opposite, because we believe the future of entertainment is online. Joining the Sister family feels like a natural next step for us. Their track record of backing bold, distinctive storytelling makes them an ideal partner as we take the company into its next chapter.”
Lucinda Hicks, CEO of Sister Group, remarked on the unique position of After Party Studios as a digital-native creative company. “Our partnership enables them to continue to do what they do so brilliantly, originating groundbreaking IP, deepening direct relationships with audiences and shaping the next era of digital storytelling,” Hicks noted, marking her first M&A since joining Sister last May.
Sister Group is comprised of UK-based production companies such as Sister Pictures, known for Black Doves, and the animation label Locksmith, along with Olivia Colman’s South of the River and Richard Bacon’s unscripted outfit Yes Yes Media. Its U.S. interests include podcast studio Campside Media, publishing imprint Zando, Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media, and AWA Studios.
