Deal Brief · Week of Jul 27
Tracking the deals shaping the business of culture.
New ventures
Savannah James launches holding company Signed, backed by Jay-Z’s PE firm
James and business partner April McDaniel are consolidating their portfolio under a new company called Signed, built to house women-focused media and business ventures. It brings together three existing brands — McDaniel’s creative agency Crown+Conquer, the women’s community Let It Break, and their Everybody’s Crazy podcast — as the foundation for new brands under the umbrella. The launch comes in partnership with MarcyPen Capital Partners, the PE and venture firm co-founded by Jay-Z.
Mookie Betts launches baseball glove company LGND
The Dodgers shortstop is entering the equipment business with LGND, debuting with two lines — the MOOK Series and MVRK Series — plus a customization platform that lets players design their own gloves.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry open three restaurants with chef Michael Mina
The Currys are rolling out a trio of concepts at The Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, with award-winning chef Michael Mina: a steakhouse (Bourbon Steak), a bourbon-forward lounge (The Eighth Rule), and a lifestyle café (Sweet July Cafe). It extends a partnership that began when Curry launched The Eighth Rule with the MINA Group in San Francisco last year.
Kevin Love opens a trading card store in his hometown
Love and his brother Collin launched The Alley in Lake Oswego, Oregon — a Topps partner store with a card pack bar, a community lounge, and a breaking studio. Inventory runs from Pokémon packs to a mint Michael Jordan card at $375.
Elvis Duran and Paul Heyman launch podcast venture Podrophenia
The broadcasting veteran and WWE Hall of Famer opened Podrophenia, a podcast and creator-development company running out of MCM Studios in Manhattan — offering creators production facilities, audience development, and monetization support.
Fundraising and acquisitions
Iron Maiden sells 50% of its catalog and NIL rights to Pophouse
The band sold a half-stake in its music catalog and its name, image, and likeness rights — including Eddie, the mascot — to Sweden’s Pophouse Entertainment, the firm behind the ABBA Voyage venture. The deal runs beyond the music: the two are filming the current “Run for Your Lives” world tour for a cinematic project.
T.I. signs his entire catalog to Reservoir Media
The global publishing deal covers every song T.I. has written, from his 2001 debut I’m Serious through this year’s Kill the King — a quarter-century of catalog in a single agreement.
Brand endorsements
Ella Bright becomes Rare Beauty’s first ambassador outside Selena Gomez
The Off Campus breakout is the face of Rare Beauty’s “Made You Blush” campaign — the first time the brand has named an ambassador other than founder Selena Gomez.
Keely Hodgkinson launches her first signature collection with Nike
The Olympic 800m champion’s debut athlete pack spans footwear and apparel — black with metallic gold accents, carrying a custom “tornado” signature logo built to signal motion, energy, and control.
Napheesa Collier joins Thorne as athlete partner
Collier signed with supplement brand Thorne, joining a roster that includes Jrue Holiday, Ben Shelton, and Madison Keys.
Jordan Chiles launches her first signature leotard collection with Nike
The two-time Olympian developed the line with GK Elite, translating athlete-driven design into competition-ready apparel — and making signature styles more accessible to young gymnasts.
De’Aaron Fox and Under Armour team up with Sharpie for new shoe launch
Under Armour and Sharpie turned hand-drawn sketches inspired by Fox’s story into the limited-edition D. Fox x Sharpie collection, spanning footwear and apparel.
Napheesa Collier launches her first Jordan Brand signature shoe
Jordan Brand unveiled the “Queen Phee” Heir Series 2, Collier’s first Player Exclusive. The five-time All-Star helped design it — a True Blue and Baltic Blue colorway nodding to Minnesota, with her daughter Mila’s name tucked inside.
Media deals
SOFI TUKKER launches publishing JV Animal Talk with Third Side Music
The Grammy-nominated duo formed a new publishing venture, Animal Talk, with Third Side Music handling global administration, rights management, and sync. TSM also extended its worldwide publishing deal with the pair, a relationship dating to 2017.
Savannah James consolidating three separate ventures under one holding company is the move most people wait too long to make. A creative agency, a community brand and a podcast are three different audiences and three different cap tables until you put them under one roof - then they become a single asset with combined leverage, easier to finance and easier to sell a piece of if you ever want to. Partnering with Jay-Z's PE firm to do it means she's not just tidying up the business, she's making it investable. That's the difference between running a few projects and building a company.
This feels like such a natural fit. Ella has the kind of effortless authenticity that Rare Beauty has always stood for.