Focus Financial buys entertainment business manager ML Management

Focus Financial Partners has acquired ML Management Partners, a New York-based business management firm that runs the finances of television and film talent. The deal adds another entertainment specialist to a business line the RIA aggregator has been building out for nearly two years.

MLM was founded in 1988 by Mark Landesman and originally worked mostly with comedians. Its clients now include on- and off-camera talent, producers, directors, writers and industry executives. The firm also provides family office services to high-net-worth individuals, and it has offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Travis Danysh, chief strategy officer at Focus – which reported more than $550 billion in advised assets as of June 30, up from more than $500 billion at the start of the year – tied the purchase to a broader roadmap for the firm.

“This transaction is an important step in the evolution of our business management strategy, and a direct reflection of our continued commitment to investing in the talent, resources and specialized solutions that have made us a leading player in the industry,” he said.

Landesman, MLM’s founder and chief executive, said the deal gives his firm more support behind it.

“This acquisition is a natural next step to allow us to continue providing the same level of service that our clients deserve and have come to expect from us, but now with access to the even greater resources and infrastructure of Focus to further enhance our services to our clients,” he said.

Business management is a niche alongside traditional wealth management that typically covers bill paying, tax compliance, budgeting and cash-flow oversight for clients whose income is high but irregular, such as performers and athletes.

The 2026 deal calendar has seen a number of consolidators deepening their presence in the space, including Wealthspire through its Ground Control division and Hightower's strategic relationship with GTBA, an LA-based business management and family office firm.

Focus formalized its own push in December 2024 when it named Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman its first business management hub. The LA firm expanded its horizons beyond the US in September, making its first Canadian acquisition with an Ontario firm that serves music and entertainment clients and administers royalties.

On the wealth side, Focus Partners Wealth agreed in May to buy EverNest Financial Advisors, a Carmel, Indiana, RIA with approximately $960 million in regulatory assets.

In a 2025 interview with InvestmentNews, Danysh said outside acquisitions would move away from succession-driven deals toward “firms where there’s a symbiotic need.

"You've seen a continued consolidation in the industry," he said at the time. "The most scaled firms and the most well-capitalized firms are starting to separate themselves from the pack. And I think that's just going to continue."