Ethmar International Holding And Guggenheim Brothers Media Partner To Launch Media Investment Fund In Abu Dhabi
The fund will back early- to growth-stage media and creative economy companies worldwide, supporting founders with capital and long-term growth expertise.
Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company Ethmar International Holding (EIH) has partnered with California-based Guggenheim Brothers Media (GB Media), a private investment firm focused on early- to growth-stage media and entertainment companies, to launch a multi-million-dollar investment fund targeting media, entertainment, and the digital creative economy.
Designed as a globally investing vehicle, the fund brings together EIH’s regional footprint and institutional capabilities with GB Media’s experience backing media and entertainment ventures across multiple stages. Under the platform, GB Media will lead investments spanning content creation, creator tools and infrastructure, digital intellectual property, entertainment technologies, fan engagement platforms, and emerging storytelling formats.
The fund is led by Dillon Lawson-Johnston and Criswell Fiordalis, who together bring more than two decades of experience across the global entertainment and media landscape. Lawson-Johnston, the great-great-grandson of Solomon R. Guggenheim, founder of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, has previously worked at United Talent Agency, Sugar23, Untitled Entertainment, and Anonymous Content. Fiordalis has held senior leadership roles at Lionsgate, MRC, Hello Sunshine, and WEBTOON, contributing deep operational and strategic expertise to the platform.
In an interview with Inc. Arabia, an EIH spokesperson said that while the vehicle is positioned as a multi-million-dollar fund, the emphasis at this stage is on building the right portfolio rather than locking in a specific size or deployment schedule, prioritizing high-quality opportunities with the potential to generate sustainable, long-term value. “The fund provides creative entrepreneurs and their teams with opportunities to thrive on a global stage, with each investment based on its stage, scalability, and growth potential. Through the fund, EIH is set to play an enabling and supportive role in empowering the creative sector in Abu Dhabi.”
That global investment lens is closely tied to the fund’s intended impact at home, where EIH sees the platform as a long-term catalyst for economic and creative development. “Our view is that the fund’s purpose aligns strongly with EIH’s future-focused strategy, where we invest in sectors that will bring deep, meaningful impact," the EIH spokesperson told Inc. Arabia. "The scalable fund will serve as a catalyst for new opportunities and outcomes that will add significant economic and creative value to Abu Dhabi. By offering access to a world-class platform rooted in Abu Dhabi, the fund will help to strengthen local capabilities across creative technologies, content development, and intellectual property, supporting Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become a future-focused media and creator hub with long-term economic value.”
Beyond capital deployment, the partnership is positioning the fund as an active growth partner for founders scaling from Abu Dhabi to international markets. “Together, we will focus on building a world-class investment platform anchored in Abu Dhabi to help creative founders scale and compete globally. Portfolio companies benefit from GB Media’s global content and platform expertise, backed by EIH’s institutional capabilities, regional networks and long-term capital perspective, providing strategic guidance, market access, and support for international growth,” the spokesperson said.
Looking ahead, EIH points to structural shifts in how creative businesses are being built and scaled. “We see the strongest growth in integrated ecosystems that combine content creation, creator platforms, digital intellectual property, entertainment technologies, and audience engagement. There is fertile ground for the deeper integration of artificial intelligence with the creator economy in Abu Dhabi. More broadly, this is due to the combination of technological readiness, government support, and high digital adoption. Overall, these segments benefit from rapid advances in technology and changing audience behavior, enabling scalable global business models and next-generation storytelling.”
For founders navigating an increasingly competitive creative landscape, EIH offered advice grounded in long-term thinking. “Founders should focus on building scalable, sustainable businesses alongside developing their creative ideas. Strong intellectual property, smart execution, and strategic partnerships are key to attracting long-term investment and building durable platforms.”
