Cast & Crew Buys Job Site Backstage

Cast & Crew, the entertainment industry payroll company, announced this month that it was acquiring Backstage Holdings, a provider of talent marketplace and content creation tools.  

Financial terms of the deal between Cast & Crew in Burbank and Backstage in New York were not disclosed, although it was financed with a combination of cash and stock.

The transaction brings an accounting service for the industry with a top online job board for actors, crew and other talent. 

John Berkley, chief executive of Cast & Crew, called the deal a transformative acquisition for the company as it has always been driven to solve the entertainment industry’s most challenging and complex problems. 

“We believe that finding the best talent and creative resources is one of the most critical challenges in content creation today, and Backstage has proven themselves capable of making this difficult work so much easier for millions of industry participants,” Berkley said in a statement. “The addition of Backstage enhances the overall scope of our offerings and our ability to service the needs of studios, management companies, productions and of course the talent and workforce that makes the magic happen.”

 Backstage, founded in 1960, provides a job search platform for performers looking for their big break as well as for producers looking for talent. It also owns complementary properties such as Voice123, a subscription-based marketplace for voice actors; Film Freeway, a tech-enabled submission platform for the world’s leading film festivals; and Industry Arts, the global leader for screenwriting resources.

Backstage will continue to operate as a distinct brand under the existing leadership of Josh Ellstein, who will take on the position of chief executive and general manager, talent and creative solutions, and Michael Felman, who becomes president and general manager of talent and creative solutions. Both will report directly to Berkley.

“Cast & Crew and Backstage have always been aligned in knowing that more can and must be done to make the work of content creation less burdensome and more rewarding,” said Ellstein and Felman in a joint statement. 

Backstage was a portfolio company of private equity firm TA Associates in Boston. As part of the transaction, Jason Mironov, a managing director at TA, will join the board of Cast & Crew.