Andrew Karpen founded Bleecker Street in 2014 and led the independent distribution label until his death, at 59, in May 2025. Kent Sanderson took over after Karpen’s passing and is now chief executive of the company, whose library counts close to one hundred titles.
On 15 October 2026, Outerlight Entertainment acquired Bleecker Street, bringing it and Topic Studios under the same parent company. Outerlight, formerly known as First Look, is backed by the eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar.
Sanderson will remain CEO, while Chief Marketing Officer Tyler DiNapoli will also stay with Bleecker Street. The company will manage its own slate, acquisitions, distribution strategy, marketing, filmmaker relationships and day-to-day operations.
Topic Studios and Bleecker Street will continue to operate separately within Outerlight’s portfolio. Bleecker Street will remain an active buyer and distributor in independent film.
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“Bleecker Street is growing, and our ambition is to continue scaling the company while staying true to what has always made us distinctive,” Sanderson said. He said Outerlight’s long-term backing gave the distributor “additional capacity to pursue the opportunities we see across our core film business as well as compelling new avenues in the film space.”
Bleecker Street plans to put more investment into its existing film business and pursue new growth initiatives, including its sister cinema event label, Crosswalk. Crosswalk released ‘Hadestown: the musical’, which earned over US$20 million in the United States during its limited theatrical run and became the highest-grossing live theatrical film to date.
Financial terms were not disclosed. Bleecker Street Media was advised by Sandy Climan of Entertainment Media Ventures and Matthew Wilkens of 44 Greenwich, while Pryor Cashman represented Outerlight.
Outerlight’s portfolio now includes Topic Studios, Bleecker Street and Puzzle Pictures, alongside investments in MHz Choice and Passionflix.
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