# Focus Financial Partners Buys Entertainment Business Manager ML Management Partners

> Focus Financial Partners acquired ML Management Partners, a New York entertainment business management firm founded in 1988.

- Published: 2026-11-14T14:16:24+00:00
- Section: Mergers & Acquisitions
- Author: News Desk
- URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-11-14/focus-financial-ml-management-acquisition
- Source: [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/focus-financial-partners-acquisition-of-ml-management-partners-expands-entertainment-industry-business-management-services/)

## Key takeaways

- Focus Financial Partners acquired ML Management Partners, a New York City business management firm serving entertainment professionals, in a transaction that closed on November 1, 2026.
- ML Management Partners was founded in 1988 by Mark Landesman and maintains offices in New York City and Los Angeles.
- Focus reported more than $550 billion in collectively advised assets as of June 30, 2026.

[Focus Financial Partners](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00044y5/focus-financial-partners) acquired ML Management Partners, a New York City-based business management firm serving entertainment professionals and high-net-worth individuals, in a transaction that closed on November 1, 2026. [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/focus-financial-partners-acquisition-of-ml-management-partners-expands-entertainment-industry-business-management-services/) reported the deal without disclosing its price. Focus provides wealth management, family office and business management services, and [ML Management Partners](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000bdpx/ml-management-partners) provides business management and family office services to actors, comedians, directors, producers, writers and industry executives.

## Focus Financial's ML Management Partners Deal

ML Management Partners was founded in 1988 by Mark Landesman, initially serving comedians before widening its work across the entertainment industry. The firm operates from New York City with a second office in Los Angeles. Focus said the acquisition strengthens its business management platform with added expertise serving clients in television, film and related creative industries, and gives MLM access to additional resources and infrastructure.

Travis Danysh, Chief Strategy Officer at Focus, said: "MLM is a premier firm and we look forward to working with the team to grow the business, serve more clients and raise the standard for what defines best-in-class business management." Landesman said the 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."

## Focus Financial's Advised Assets and Funding Record

Focus reported more than $550 billion in collectively advised assets as of June 30, 2026. According to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Focus Partners Wealth reported $181.86 billion in regulatory assets under management as of January 1, 2026, and Focus has consolidated approximately 40 of its 90 original subsidiary practices into its largest firms. The same records list a $600 million post-IPO debt round in August 2026 and total funding of $685 million.

## Nevis Partnership and Earlier Focus Deals

Focus Financial hired Nevis, a startup founded by former Amazon intern Mark Swan, to rebuild workflows and integrate data across its 90 RIA firms, in a deal announced October 15, 2026, [RIABiz](https://akta.pro/news-signals) reported. Focus Financial's GRF acquired Burlington, Ontario-based Danyliw & Mann and BDM Royalty Management on September 1, 2026, bringing three entities into its platform, Investmentnews reported. An investor group led by Stone Point Capital and KKR agreed in August 2026 to acquire a majority stake in Focus Financial Partners, valuing the company at approximately $2 billion, Stonepoint reported.

## Focus Financial's Next Steps With MLM

Focus said it expects to work with MLM's team to expand the business and serve additional clients, and Landesman said the partnership is intended to let MLM keep serving its existing clients while developing additional capabilities.

## Companies in this story

- [Focus Financial Partners company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00044y5/focus-financial-partners) · website: http://focusfinancialpartners.com
- [ML Management Partners company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/000bdpx/ml-management-partners) · website: https://www.mlmgmt.com

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