Atwater Capital

Founder and Managing Partner Vania Schlogel leads investment decisions. She previously invested in media at KKR and was a member of the Leveraged Finance division at Goldman Sachs, then served as Chief Investment Officer of Roc Nation. The investment team includes Managing Director John Sheehan, a former Goldman TMT banker, and Director Meri Khananashvili, who previously negotiated independent film financing and distribution deals at CAA.

Atwater invests across the full lifecycle of media and entertainment companies, from early-stage startups to growth equity and buyouts. The portfolio includes early-stage ventures like Magnific, an AI-driven creative tool, alongside mature content houses such as Plan B Entertainment and LEONINE Studios. This flexibility allows the firm to back IP and talent at the stage where it can add the most operational value.

Available evidence points to a direct-investment model. The firm acquires equity stakes in operating companies alongside co-investors — most visibly KKRs partnership in LEONINE Studios. No public record indicates Atwater operates as a fund-of-funds or commits capital to external commingled vehicles.

Atwater's advisory board includes Joe Bae, Co-CEO of KKR, and Kevin Huvane, Co-Chairman of CAA. The KKR connection has produced direct co-investment activity, most notably in LEONINE Studios, which the firms own jointly. The CAA tie gives Atwater proximity to creative talent and deal origination within Hollywood's agency ecosystem, reinforced by Director Meri Khananashvili's prior role in CAA's Media Finance Group.

Atwater focuses exclusively on media and entertainment. Sub-sectors include filmed entertainment, music and digital audio, content production, sports media, and AI-enabled creative tools. Representative investments span a Hollywood production company (Plan B), a music-licensing platform (Epidemic Sound), a professional volleyball league (LOVB), and a generative AI platform for creatives (Magnific).