Terrapin Station Entertainment Acquires Majority Stake In Black Ink Presents

Terrapin Station Entertainment, which specializes in family-friendly and brand-led live events, sports venue entertainment and artist management, has announced a majority investment in Los Angeles-based production services company Black Ink Presents.

Black Ink Presents provides creative direction, design and production management for concerts, tours and other special events, as well as produces live-to-film shows such as orchestras synced with film or other media. Recent Black Ink-supported projects include Danny Elfman’s 2022 Coachella and Hollywood Bowl performances, “Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration,” and “Disney’s Encanto in Concert.”

Under the agreement, Black Ink Presents CEO John Kinsner, CFO Alek Deva, and COO Mike Kasper will continue to oversee the company’s operations while working closely with Terrapin Station founder and CEO Jonathan Shank to develop and grow new productions.

The partnership builds on Shank and Black Ink Presents’ existing relationship, which includes collaborating on productions such as “Deal or No Deal Live” and “The Bob Marley One Love Experience” exhibit.

“I’ve collaborated with Black Ink on a wide range of projects, and they are tremendously creative and future focused,” Shank said in the announcement. “They have strong knowledge of the intellectual property space, they’ve worked on a range of innovative projects, and they have a passion for finding new pathways. Their skill set, combined with Terrapin’s growing IP roster, will give us a solid foundation, and further expand our presence in non-traditional entertainment.”

John Kinsner adds, “After years of working closely with Jonathan and his team, we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to deepen our partnership with Terrapin and the broader Sony Music Masterworks group. This next chapter represents an unparalleled opportunity for Black Ink to continue to grow, and to build new live entertainment experiences on the cutting edge of music, media, and technology.”

Founded in 2020 and based in Los Angeles, and now a division of Sony Masterworks, Terrapin’s stable of live productions and experiences include Disney Junior Dance Party, Bob Marley “One Love Experience, and Deal Or No Deal Live. The company also has expanded its work to include a robust sports division bringing concerts and events to big-league sports venues.

The division recently added nine Major League Soccer venues to its portfolio.