EXCLUSIVE: Industry vet Alison Cornwell, who most recently served a decade as CFO of leading international cinema chain Vue, has joined emerging UK media company Easttree Media in the same role.
Launched last month, Easttree is an investment platform acquiring income rights in films and TV shows. The company uses a proprietary data-driven model to assess passive profit participations, “enabling actors, writers, directors, producers, financiers and studios to monetise all or part of their income rights”.
Easttree says it has closed “multiple transactions involving some of the world’s most prolific shows and artists”, but further details weren’t shared when Deadline asked.
The company, which is underwritten by funds and accounts backed by U.S. investment giant BlackRock, was launched by former 42 COO Marc Allen, and former Hipgnosis execs Chris Helm and Markku Lonnqvist.
Management firm Hipgnosis is known for buying the rights to song catalogs of well known musicians, including Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Bieber, Shakira and more. The company was sold to Blackstone in 2024 for $1.6BN.
Cornwell joins Easttree from Vue International where she served as the company’s Chief Financial Officer for more than 10 years. Prior to Vue, roles included CFO/SVP of Disney’s international TV business, Group CFO of the Sparrowhawk Media Group, which became part of NBC Universal, and Canadian-UK outfit Alliance Films. The trained accountant has also served as a BFI Governor.
Chris Helm sayid: “Alison is a fantastic addition to the Easttree team, and we feel privileged to welcome her. Her breadth of industry knowledge and exemplary finance experience strengthen both our capabilities and our ambition for 2026 and the years ahead. Alison brings financial acumen, discipline and a strategic lens that will support Easttree as we scale our participation portfolio and deepen our partnerships with talent and rights-holders.”
“I’m honoured to join Easttree Media at such a pivotal moment for the company,” added Alison Cornwell, Chief Financial Officer of Easttree Media. “The opportunity to help build an investment platform that blends institutional rigour with the agility of a founder-led business is rare. This segment of the industry remains under-served, and Easttree’s rapid progress, with multiple deals already completed alongside leading creatives across film and television, speaks for itself. It shows the strength of the model and what this team is capable of as we scale rapidly.”
