LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exile Content Studio, the Latin-focused film, television, audio and music company founded by Isaac Lee and now part of Candle Media, today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in the Lil’ Heroes NFT franchise. Created by Spanish contemporary artist Edgar Plans, Lil’ Heroes was launched through a successful NFT collaboration with Exile and NFT studio Curatible. By acquiring Curatible’s interest, Exile now has majority ownership in the Lil’ Heroes franchise as it enters its next phase of growth and expansion.
The deal comes after Exile itself was acquired by Candle Media, the next generation media company founded by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.
The Lil’ Heroes NFT collection first launched in January 2022, generating over $60 million in trade volume and reaching over 80,000 members on Discord, with ambassadors including the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maria Ressa, J BalvinDJ Khaled, Will I be and Carmelo Anthony. Later this summer, Exile and Plans will create a Lil’ Heroes spin-off NFT collection, Lil’ Villains. Additionally, the franchise partners have an animated television series in the works with NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony and his company Creative7 Productions, with Anthony set to voice one of the characters and also serve as an executive producer.
Candle’s co-founders and co-CEOs Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs said: “We are excited to expand Exile’s partnership with Lil’ Heroes, a dynamic new franchise with a deeply engaged community, and a great example of how digitally native IP can engage audiences across platforms, products and experiences.”
Daniel Eilemberg, who has now been named CEO of the Lil’ Heroes franchise, said: “We are grateful to Edgar Plans for his tremendous contribution to the successful launch of Lil’ Heroes, and we are excited to expand our ownership interest as we continue to work with Edgar to grow the franchise and community in Web3 and beyond.”
Planer said, “I thank Curatible for working with us on the launch of this fun NFT collection earlier this year, and I’m excited to take Lil’ Heroes to the next level with Exile and Candle Media. Exile and Daniel have been fantastic partners, with innovative and creative ideas that have contributed to the project’s broad success. We will continue to work together with our incredible Lil’ Heroes community as we grow and take the franchise beyond the Web3 ecosystem.”
About Exile Content Studio
Exile Content Studio creates content in Spanish and English for a global audience across multiple platforms – TV, film, audio and digital. Exile’s team has led content production for the largest Spanish-language media companies in the world with responsibility for film studios, OTT service, broadcast and cable networks, music, news and digital. The company’s current roster includes award-winning talent across genres and formats. To keep up to date with Exile’s projects, follow @ExileContent on Twitter and Instagram.
About Lil’ Heroes
Lil’ Heroes is a branding and entertainment franchise created by Spanish artist Edgar Plans, in collaboration with Exile Content Studio. It was launched in January 2022 as an NFT collection, which serves as the foundation of an entertainment franchise with multiple touchpoints with fans and audiences. These include NFTs, but also merchandise and licensing, an animated show, events, publishing, games and more.
About Candle Media
Candle is an independent, creator-friendly home for cutting-edge, high-quality, category-defining brands and franchises built for the digital age. By bringing together elite talent operating at the intersection of content, community and commerce, it helps position leading entertainment companies for accelerated, sustainable growth in the current market and beyond. Candle was founded by its co-chairman and co-CEOs, leading entertainment executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs, and backed by investment capital from funds managed by Blackstone’s flagship private equity business.
