Stargrove Pictures is a media advisory company and consultancy founded by its chief executive, Stephen Fuss, in 2018.
Our team has over 30+ years combined experience in the screen industries, and has overseen over £1 billion of investment in the sector. With our vast experience and global connections we are well positioned to help clients capitalise on growth opportunities across the spectrum of motion picture production.
In December 2018, Stargrove was selected by the BFI, alongside Calculus Capital, to launch a new EIS fund for the UK creative industries. For more information on the UK Creative Content EIS Fund in association with the BFI, click here.
Stephen Fuss is a media investment executive with 18 years’ experience in the sector. Stephen began his career at a major London-based law firm, where he represented clients such as Warner Bros., HBO and Sony Pictures for more than eight years. In 2009, Stephen left legal practice and joined a leading UK media investment boutique, latterly overseeing the company’s entire independent film and television divisions.
During his tenure, Stephen oversaw the investment of over $1bn in film and television projects. In film, this included such major studio pictures as X-Men: Days of Future Past, starring Hugh Jackman; The Descendants, starring George Clooney; and The Maze Runner; and Academy Award-nominated independent films such as Suffragette, starring Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep; Carol, starring Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett; and Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan. In television, Stephen oversaw investment into highly successful television shows such as Call the Midwife, The Fall, The Honourable Woman, Doc Martin and Teletubbies. At the time of his departure, Stephen’s division was raising and deploying in excess of £150m per year in film and television projects.
Stephen founded Stargrove Pictures in January 2018.
Nik Bower recently agreed to join the board of Stargrove Pictures, and brings a wealth of industry experience and connections.
Originally a Magic Circle lawyer advising on billion dollar-bracket acquisitions and infrastructure projects, Nik has built a strong track record of successful film and television investment since he joined the industry 13 years ago.
In the past few years, Nik has executive produced many prestigious films including Suffragette, starring Academy Award Winner Meryl Streep; Genius, starring Academy Award Winner Colin Firth; Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen; At Eternity’s Gate, for which Willem Dafoe was Oscar nominated; The Beach Bum, starring Academy Award Winner Matthew McConaughey; and Destroyer, starring Academy Award Winner Nicole Kidman. During the same period, he produced Final Portrait, starring Academy Award Winner Geoffrey Rush; Tell It to the Bees, starring Academy Award Winner Anna Paquin; and The Wedding Guest, starring Dev Patel.
Nicolas Sandler is a consultant to Stargrove, and brings nearly a decade of experience analysing and structuring media investment opportunities. He joined the UK’s largest media investment boutique in 2009 and was responsible for the financial analysis underpinning the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in dozens of independent feature films (including Ava DuVernay’s Selma, Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom, and Danny Boyle’s Trance) and major studio motion pictures (including X-Men: First Class, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and blockbuster adaptation The Fault in Our Stars).
In recent years, Nicolas has been responsible for the commercial analysis and execution of a number of high profile film and television investment opportunities. He has closed half a dozen prestigious projects, including After the Wedding, starring Michelle Williams and Academy Award Winner Julianne Moore, and Resistance, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Ed Harris.