{"id":629047,"date":"2026-10-13T06:20:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:20:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629047\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T06:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:20:18","slug":"thomas-benski-wants-to-lumina-media-to-be-the-go-to-home-for-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629047\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Benski Wants To Lumina Media To Be The Go-To Home For Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIn the week before he speaks to Deadline, the French-Brazilian entrepreneur Thomas Benski<\/a> has been busy indeed. First, he was in Paris for a VC conference about gaming. He then touched down in London, where his next-gen company Lumina Media<\/a> has an office, before heading back to his adopted hometown of New York City.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis packed schedule is a small window into how Benski has been living and working after leaving Gangs of London producer Pulse Films<\/a> in 2022. He is laser-focused on finding the next iteration of media and entertainment, whether that\u2019s in gaming, consumer brands, the creator economy, film and TV or technology. Those \u201ccatalysts\u201d, as Benski dubs them, could be anywhere. His company engages in around 75 productions a year, but Benski is not precious about where they originate.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m more interested in meeting different people and seeing different things than I am in just being on the same circuit,\u201d says the self-described \u201coutsider\u201d who built a reputation in the industry for going against the grain.<\/p>\n

\n\tPulse, which he formed with Marisa Clifford in 2005 before selling to Vice Media in 2016, was certainly a curiosity for a particular generation of British producers. Some from the more traditional world struggled to understand a TV and film production company that began life as a music video producer and doubled as a commercials maker and talent house for directors. But these days, a multi-pronged approach feels like the only way to survive. Lumina is also following those principles. <\/p>\n

\n\tBenski and Clifford are currently in dispute with Vice over payments related the sale of Pulse. You can read about that here<\/a>. However, that\u2019s unlikely to derail Benski\u2019s plans for his new venture.<\/p>\n

\n\tLumina was formed two years ago with offices on both sides of the Atlantic and in the Middle East, and a business model that has verticals in talent and IP, innovation, creators economy and youth sports.<\/p>\n

\n\tEarly investments were made to launch Omar Sy<\/a> and Louis Leterrier\u2019s Carrousel Studios as well as \u201971 director Yann Demange<\/a>\u2019s Wayward Films and Jamie Johnson FC maker Strike. His long-term business partners Clifford and Davud Karbassioun are leading multi-disciplinary production business Magna Studios<\/a>, which is the closest entity to Pulse in the group, while it also acquired a stake in Benedict Cumberbatch\u2019s SunnyMarch<\/a> Productions last year. Other investments have brought the likes of AI firm Perplexity and gaming biz Creators Corp into the fold.<\/p>\n

\n\tA fifth strategic focus is a venture capital arm that has made investments in consumer brands such as swimwear company Hunza G and luxury handbags business M\u00e9tier. \u201cWhat wraps it all together is this idea of talent and IP as the catalyst,\u201d says Benski. \u201cYou can apply that to a consumer brand, all the way to a film and TV studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHis thesis was borne out of a realization post-Pulse that he was a \u201cbuilder\u201d, not an investor. Initially expecting he would simply invest in other people\u2019s businesses, he developed an idea for a creator-led operation that \u201cwas not just another studio and not just another production company,\u201d but \u201ca media company suited for today.\u201d In effect, an alternative to the Hollywood model, based out of Europe.<\/p>\n

\n\tBenski had seen technology rapidly changing the business of media and began scouting for IP and talent, both of which he describes as \u201cextremely scarce\u201d at the time. \u201cWe were moving away from the golden era of streaming, where there was a huge amount of demand,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Lumina model appealed to the likes of Tetra Pak mogul Magnus Rausing\u2019s BFK, film producer Charles Dorfman\u2019s Dorfman Media Holdings and SVS Holdings, a firm founded by producers Marie Savare and PJ van Sandwijk, who have all invested in the company.<\/p>\n

\n\tBenski\u2019s own investment vehicle, TBI, has been a major shareholder since day one. \u201cI believe that to have more independence, to be able to cut through the noise, you need to put your money where your mouth is,\u201d Benski says of risking his own capital.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tThe model attracted Lupin<\/a> star Sy, who said in 2024 as Carrousel launched, \u201cLumina and Thomas not only bring capital but a strategic and operational approach that offers artists like us the resources and expertise to go out and realize our ambitions.\u201d This, said Sy, came \u201cat a time when talent is too often not at the table to benefit from a project\u2019s long-term success.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn September 2025, Lumina invested a seven-figure sum in Arcade<\/a>, the U.K.-based creator management firm that looks after The Sidemen<\/a>. Jordan Schwarzenberger, the creator economy specialist who co-founded Arcade, is effusive in his praise of Benski\u2019s vision.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThomas and Lumina, I would say, have been the single most transformative thing that\u2019s happened to our business,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat Thomas specifically gave us was rigor and structure, and the confidence to go after an intentionally built business with a creative core, without becoming too onerous and corporate, and away from who we really are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"'Sidemen<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Sidemen Present: SideMenu\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSidemen Productions\/Prime Video<\/p>\n

\n\tIn total, Lumina has invested in 15 companies with combined total revenue of more than $100 million annually. The concept Benski sold them was based on that one word: \u201ccatalyst.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThat\u2019s what Lumina is built around,\u201d says Benski. \u201cWe find exceptional cultural catalysts. They could be talent, like Omar Sy or Benedict Cumberbatch, they could be audience-focused talent, like Arcade and The Sidemen and the community around them, or they could be a brand.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe see the ecosystem in a very wide fashion, not just as film and TV production output. That is, to me, just one of the pieces.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cInstead of starting as a big group, we started from the catalysts and built businesses around them. We bring capital, we bring strategy and we build infrastructure to transform that cultural momentum into owned IP, long-term enterprise value, and ultimately a direct relationship with audiences. The main thing is that I want to build the operating system for talent and IP.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Benski, focusing on talent over consolidation has been an important factor in Lumina\u2019s lifecycle. \u201cThat is a very big North Star,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s effectively a more modern media group that\u2019s betting on storytelling, creativity, ownership and audience, rather than scale for scale\u2019s sake. We feel that might have been a relevant point a decade ago, but nowadays, with the way the ecosystem is evolving, we feel very bullish about our approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDeadline wonders what, in that case, he makes of transformative industry mergers like Banijay and All3Media, which will be at MIPCOM this year as a united front (under the name Banijay Entertainment) for the first time following their $8 billion merger.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think it works once you\u2019re already there, but I\u2019m not sure creating another big roll-up from scratch right now would make sense,\u201d he says, suggesting top-level M&A is more an option for established players, but less so for emerging businesses. \u201cBoth truths can happen,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

\n\tBenski has been watching Paramount\u2019s chase $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, and he praises David Ellison\u2019s much-debated commitment to releasing 30 movies theatrically each year. \u201cI can understand the logic of it, and I think there\u2019s motivation to make it work,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m curious to see how they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tShould consolidation come for Lumina in the future, it would most likely be in the creator economy space, Benski says, though there\u2019s no sense he\u2019s looking at that now. \u201cWe have the resources of a private equity company, but without any of the restrictions,\u201d Benski says. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to take advantage of that and, in fact, be an alternative to that hugely consolidated place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tProving the model<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the company\u2019s first 12 months, the focus was on demonstrating the model to talent and consumers. \u201cWe proved that,\u201d he says, adding that Lumina has been \u201ccashflow-positive since day one\u201d and profitable since its second year.<\/p>\n

\n\tBesides getting into the black, year two has been about \u201cproving there was a real business underneath,\u201d he adds. Essentially, this means allowing its investments to scale: Arcade has recently expanded from its management roots to becoming a fuller entertainment operation, while Cumberbatch\u2019s SunnyMarch has been encouraged to lean into its Letters Live events. These attract big audiences, who listen to the likes of Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley and even Queen Camilla reading remarkable letters aloud.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely unbelievable,\u201d says Benski. \u201cIt\u2019s such a natural evolution, or extension, of that business because it\u2019s the community that Benedict, Adam [Ackland] and Leah [Clarke] foster. It sells out the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall. So, yes, SunnyMarch as a cultural catalyst can do film and TV, but why couldn\u2019t it also own a really substantial place in the live IP space?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOutside the system<\/p>\n

\n\tThe willingness to scrutinize his own \u201cthesis\u201d, as Benski often calls his business model, is notable in an industry in which CEOs usually present journalists with black-and-white certainty. Indeed, Benski has never been one to do things in a traditional way.<\/p>\n

\n\tBy his own assessment, the BAFTA- and Grammy-nominated producer with credits for Gangs of London, Pig and No Distance Left to Run has \u201calways existed outside the system.\u201d He has previously talked about attending Goldsmiths, a famed arts and culture college in London, where some of his ideas around creativity crystallized, and how his unusual upbringing informed his relentless ambition to play by his own set of rules.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter moving to London aged 17 from his home in Milan, Italy, Benski had to learn the entertainment business on the job, initially driving camera trucks and working in art departments. Eight years later, at the age of 25, he and Clifford founded Pulse, which quickly developed a reputation as a hipster music video producer before diversifying into commercials, film and TV.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI got into this business when I was very young,\u201d says Benski. \u201cI didn\u2019t come from a business or development background. At first, I was affected by not feeling part of the system, and now I feel very blessed that I can just carve my own path.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe says filmmaking is \u201cstill something that fascinates\u201d him, and adds that, \u201cmore than ever, we\u2019re at a moment where storytelling is such a valuable skill. I know sometimes it gets taken as a little bit of a cultural elitist thing, but I really mean it. Storytelling is the differentiator between a company and a brand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNoel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher attend the \u2018Oasis: Don\u2019t Look Back in Anger\u2019 UK premiere in September<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Maher\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\n\tLumina\u2019s companies have built out a smart collection of productions. Magna Studios produced Disney+\u2019s Oasis: Don\u2019t Look Back in Anger, which is from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, and an AR\/VR project for Apple and Real Madrid. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of what they\u2019ve achieved in two years,\u201d says Benski. \u201cTo have achieved that scale is pretty bonkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDemange is directing family thriller Lineage, starring Isabelle Huppert, Dani Benssalah, Adam Bessa and Raye, which launched in Cannes this year. Carrousel is a co-producer on the upcoming fourth season of Lupin on Netflix, and Sy and Strike are working together on Senegal\u2019s first microdrama. They are currently in talks with \u201ca major partner\u201d to scale it across the African continent.<\/p>\n

\n\tLumina Studios, Benski\u2019s own production arm, is one of the partners behind Guy Ritchie\u2019s upcoming Jason Statham starrer Viva La Madness. \u201cI can\u2019t wait for that,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBenski reveals he and Statham are teaming up to develop projects, though he won\u2019t say too much beyond: \u201cStatham is an absolutely generational talent at his peak, and is doing so well, but what I came to do was really try to help him own more. We\u2019re building a slate of film and TV projects where we can have more ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAccording to Benski, who counts Stanley Kubrick\u2019s Apocalypse Now and Mathieu Kassovitz\u2019s La Haine among his favorite films and The Sopranos as his top TV show, the industry has been \u201cshy\u201d about applying its storytelling skills in other businesses.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor me, the liberation of Lumina is the fact that I can do it now,\u201d he says.\u201cI can go and invest in a consumer company and bring that storytelling rigor, the knowledge of content creation, the understanding of talent, and the understanding of the value chain.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m quite amazed by the fact that there\u2019s not more of that. I\u2019m sure if I had different partners, they would have fired me if I said, \u2018One of the big investments we\u2019re going to make is Hunza G, a women\u2019s swimwear brand.\u2019 But I think there\u2019s logic to it, and we stand by that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for the future, Benski is working on \u201ca couple of big projects that hopefully will get over the line,\u201d more hires and growth in the Middle East. \u201cWe\u2019re very much in that expansion phase,\u201d he says. What is clear is that you never know where he and Lumina will pop up next.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the week before he speaks to Deadline, the French-Brazilian entrepreneur Thomas Benski has been busy indeed. First,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629048,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[103802,308737,150908,308738,111,139,69,118395,308739,308740,145,308741,308742,308743],"class_list":["post-629047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-arcade","tag-lumina-media","tag-lupin","tag-magna-studios","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-omar-sy","tag-pulse-films","tag-sunnymarch","tag-technology","tag-the-sidemen","tag-thomas-benski","tag-yann-demange"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}