Strategic Growth.

Investment Redefined.


Against The Status Quo.

Focused exclusively on the Media and Entertainment sectors, Atwater Capital was founded with the vision of uniting the valuable creative aspects of evaluating investments and growing companies with deep operational and financial expertise under one roof and one team. Going against the status quo of traditionally segregating these critical activities, Atwater seeks to extract the synergies of applying quantitative rigor to creative strategy on behalf of our portfolio companies and stakeholders.

While reputations can be influenced by a myriad of factors, character is steadfast. We are incontrovertibly committed to upholding our character as executives and on behalf of our stakeholders. We are committed to developing and maintaining long-term professional relationships — a guiding principle in how we work and in how we treat others. Unity not only benefits us as a company but also what we are capable of creating for our LPs.

Atwater Capital brings a track record of excellence in operational and financial strategy to deliver tangible results. Whether through optimizing operational processes, unlocking business development opportunities, delivering an extensive network of influencers to create authentic messaging, or digitizing away from ineffective and capital-intensive traditional branding activities — Atwater brings nimble and disruptive strategies to our investments.

Current & Previous Portfolio.

Team.

  • Vania Schlogel

    Founder & Managing Partner

    Vania has over 18 years of experience and has served as an executive at top tier financial institutions, as well as in an operating role as Chief Investment Officer of Roc Nation (founded by Shawn “Jay Z” Carter), and as Interim CFO of MultiScale Technologies. Vania serves as Chairwoman of the Board of LEONINE Studios (a KKR + Atwater portfolio company) and Plan B Entertainment (founded by Brad Pitt), and is a Board Member of Banc of California (NYSE: BANC), Epidemic Sound (formerly as the Chairwoman), wiip Productions, and Freepik. While at Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts, Vania was a member of the Private Equity team investing in the Media sector. Prior to KKR, Vania was a member of the Leveraged Finance division at Goldman Sachs. Vania is a graduate of UCLA, Summa Cum Laude.

  • John Sheehan

    Director

    John has over 13 years of experience in the financial services sector, and was most recently in the Technology, Media, and Telecom team at Goldman Sachs for 8 years. While at Goldman, John worked on a variety of marquee transactions across the music, filmed entertainment, and digital media sub-sectors. Prior to Goldman, John worked at J.P. Morgan and Bloomberg. John serves as a Board Member of LEONINE Studios (a KKR + Atwater portfolio company) and 88rising. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Tufts University.

  • Pablo Medina

    Principal

    Pablo has over 8 years of experience in the financial services sector and was most recently a founding member of EQT's Growth team, where he helped launch Europe's largest first-time growth fund at €2.4 billion. During his time at EQT, Pablo also established and led the firm's Digital Media and Entertainment sector coverage and was part of EQT's investments in Freepik (an Atwater portfolio company), Vinted, idealista, Igenomix, and Adamo, where he served as a Board Observer. Prior to EQT, Pablo was an Investment Banking Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's TMT groups in London and New York. Pablo is a graduate of Saint Francis University, Summa Cum Laude.

  • Meri Khananashvili

    Sr. Vice President

    Prior to joining Atwater, Meri was a Business Affairs Executive in the Media Finance Group at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In her role with the CAA Media Finance Group, Meri consulted on deal structuring and negotiated all aspects of independent film financing and distribution. Meri is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, with a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and is fluent in Russian and English, with conversational proficiency in French and Spanish.

  • Vivi Pham

    Analyst

    A recent graduate of The Wharton School majoring in Finance and Business Economics, Vivi Pham joined Atwater Capital as an Analyst. Vivi excels at data visualization and analysis, writing programs in R to bring large datasets to life. In her previous internship roles, Vivi worked on leveraged buyout analysis in the industrials sector, and sector analysis of the global telecommunications industry. When it comes to the entertainment industry Vivi is especially interested in gaming.

  • Melissa Smith

    Financial Controller

    Melissa brings over 23 years of accounting and valuation experience to Atwater. She spent the last 20 years at Blackrock and was most recently a Director of the Private Valuation team. At Blackrock, Melissa led the valuation process for over 800 private investments, valued at over $45 billion, and implemented best-in-class review processes. She started her career at Berntson Porter & Company and Ernst & Young. Melissa is a graduate of the University of Idaho, Magna Cum Laude.

  • Lindsey Nevarez

    Executive Assistant & Office Manager

    Lindsey’s 17 years of experience were mainly focused on customer services and performance management. Her previous role before joining Atwater was the Office Manager of Ink FX Corporation for 3 years, managing their day-to-day administration and customer matters. Lindsey completed her Associate of the Art program with the University of Phoenix.

  • Jacq Soriano

    Executive Assistant

    Jacq has been an Executive Assistant with Atwater for over 5 years and has over a decade of EA experience.

Advisory Board.

  • Bonnie Hill

    President of B. Hill Enterprises

    Bonnie has over 26 years of experience in business, government, education and philanthropy. She is currently on the Board of Banc of California, a faculty member of the NACD Board Advisory Services Program, a founding member of the Lead Directors Network, and an Advisory Board member of The Millstein Center at Columbia Law School. Recent board service includes California Water Service, Yum Brands, Inc., The Home Depot, and AK Steel Holding Corp. She has also held a variety of presidential appointments, and previously chaired the SEC’s Consumer Affairs Advisory Committee.

  • Joe Bae

    Co-CEO of KKR

    Joe Bae joined KKR in 1996. Prior to his current position, he served as Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer from 2017 to 2021, and he has been a member of the board of directors of KKR & Co. Inc., since July 2017. Joe has held numerous leadership roles at KKR. He was the architect of KKR’s expansion in Asia, building one of the largest and most successful platforms in the market. In addition to his role developing KKR’s Asia-Pacific platform, he has presided over business building in the firm’s private markets businesses, which included leading or serving on all of the investment committees and implementing the firm’s modern thematic investment approach.

  • Kevin Huvane

    Co-Chairman and Managing Partner of CAA

    Kevin Huvane is a Co-Chairman and Managing Partner of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world’s leading entertainment and sports agency. In addition to sharing management responsibilities for the entire agency, Huvane oversees the company’s Lifestyle Division, which includes the Licensing, Endorsements, and Speakers departments. Kevin is based in CAA’s Los Angeles office and represents many of the world’s leading actors, writers, and directors in film, theater, and television, including Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Seacrest, and Halle Berry, among others.

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Environmental, Social, and Governance.

Atwater Capital believes unequivocally that humans have profound impacts on the planet: on both the natural environment, as well as upon our socially constructed cultures, beliefs, and how we organize and govern ourselves. We believe these Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) impacts become magnified when humans organize themselves into companies and institutions. Hence, our goal as investors is to enhance the positive and mitigate and minimize the negative consequences of our actions. This involves a mindset that considers all stakeholders, not just those who are directly economically represented; this involves a mindset that amplifies marginalized voices, whether that be in the representation of the general populace or of the natural environment.