Former Hello Sunshine and AGC Studios Execs Wifreddy Chiang and Anant Tamirisa Launch Baseline Media

On the eve of the American Film Market, entertainment industry executives Wifreddy Chiang and Anant Tamirisa have announced the launch of Baseline Media, a new advisory and executive services firm providing integrated finance, operations and business affairs expertise to independent producers, production companies and financiers.

Chiang, whose experience includes finance and operations for Candle Media’s production company portfolio, including Hello Sunshine, and helping establish AGC Studios’ financial infrastructure, and Tamirisa, formerly Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at AGC Studios, bring decades of combined experience across film and television finance, operations and dealmaking.

Together, the founders have structured and closed nearly $2 billion in film and television transactions and advised producers, financiers and investors on single-picture financings, film fund formation and production company operations. Baseline Media, they assert, was set up to provide independent companies with the financial, operational and transactional capabilities “traditionally housed within major studios and established production companies, offering ongoing executive support and hands-on guidance for individual projects and transactions.”

Baseline launches with a roster of clients including Brookstreet Pictures, a financier and producer of “The Brutalist,” Felix Culpa, Riley Keough and Gina Gammell’s production company behind Caméra d’Or winner “War Pony” and the Netflix series “The Body,” Kaplan Morrison, whose credits include “The Brutalist,” “The Testament of Ann Lee” and “Josephine,” Ketchup Entertainment, the independent distributor and financier behind the theatrical release of “Coyote vs. Acme,” and Wieden+Kennedy, the independent creative and advertising company, plus its entertainment company, Wieden+Kennedy Entertainment, a strategic partner on “Porto Rico,” the upcoming feature film starring Bad Bunny. Baseline’s individual project engagements include AGC Studios’ “The Journeyman,” starring Patrick Schwarzenegger, Kaplan Morrison’s “They Follow,” David Robert Mitchell’s sequel to the cult hit It Follows, and Parallel 42’s “Homewrecker,” starring Allison Williams, Michelle Randolph and Simu Liu.

“Now more than ever, companies in the media and entertainment industry are in need of sophisticated finance and business affairs expertise, but most can’t justify or afford bringing it in-house,” said Chiang. “We have built and run that type of infrastructure on both the independent and studio side on multiple occasions. We harness that experience at Baseline for our clients in a hands-on, cost-efficient way, providing access to a team to assist in making the right strategic calls, closing transactions, and building a scalable business, while they can stay focused on growing their company.”

According to Tamirisa, independent producers and financiers have traditionally relied on a “patchwork of lawyers, accountants, financial advisors and consultants to navigate the complexities of getting projects financed and made.”

He added: “What makes Baseline unique is that we bring all of those capabilities together under one roof. Rather than working with multiple advisors operating in silos, our clients have a partner who understands the full picture, from structuring and closing individual transactions to building the infrastructure needed to sustain and grow their businesses. It’s a level of coordinated support that has historically been available primarily within larger studios and entertainment companies, and we’re making it accessible to the independent community.”