Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Group Acquires Majority Stake In Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire

Peter White

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EXCLUSIVE: Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Group has acquired a majority stake in Campfire, the production company set up by Ross Dinerstein and responsible for projects including Netflix’s John Grisham doc series The Innocent Man.

The deal is the latest acquisition for Montgomery’s firm, which last month bought a majority stake in Den of Thieves, the production company behind Netflix’s Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour special.

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Campfire recently scored a docuseries about suicide cult Heaven’s Gate for HBO Max and CNN and is behind critically acclaimed food documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi as well as upcoming FX documentaries The Most Dangerous Animal of All and Women In Comedy. On the scripted side, it has psychological thriller Rattlesnake, 1922, based on the Stephen King novella and comedy The Package all for Netflix as well as IFC’s cult horror movie The Pact and Airborne, starring Alexandra Daddario.

Dinerstein will continue running the company on a day-to-day basis, as well as maintain creative control. The Campfire team will continue to include executives Ross Girard, EVP, production, and Rebecca Evans, VP, non-fiction content.

The deal was brokered by Wheelhouse Group Chief Strategy Officer Ed Simpson, WME and Endeavor Content.

It will see Campfire now housed under the Wheelhouse Group umbrella and the two companies will collaborate on feature docs, nonfiction series, podcasts, scripted drama and comedy. The team will also work closely with Jimmy Kimmel, whose Kimmelot production banner is also part of Wheelhouse Group.

“As we realize our core mission of joining content, top talent and brands, and supporting them with investment, Wheelhouse Group is assembling an unbeatable team of creatives and entrepreneurs,” said Montgomery. “It’s hard to know which of Ross’s compelling projects to rave about first – as one of the industry’s most in-demand producers, he’s virtually done it all, working with bestselling authors, top screenwriters and directors, and breakout talent. While he’s adept in every category of content, his motivation is simply to tell great stories. We’re thrilled to partner with Ross and to help expand Campfire under his producing talent and leadership.”

“I am very proud of Campfire’s diverse slate of projects across all mediums and platforms, and now with Wheelhouse Group as our partner, we will be able to accelerate our growth while continuing to focus on telling the stories that are just a bit left of center but still reflect and exalt the human condition, whether doc or scripted,” Dinerstein added. “After meeting Brent and his team, it was actually an easy decision to make Campfire part of the world of Wheelhouse Group. We’re in total sync about the appeal and power of collaboration and I’m eager to join forces to bring even more complex and diverse storytelling to a global audience.”

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