Griffin Gaming Partners, a leading gaming-focused VC fund with over $1 billion in assets under management, has named Russell Binder as a venture partner and IP advisor.
Binder has more than two decades of experience as an entertainment executive including cofounding Striker Entertainment. Binder has worked with iconic franchises to help broaden their reach and amplify the value of various IPs through licensing and merchandising. These include like non-gaming properties like The Twilight Saga, The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games and Pacific Rim as well as gaming behemoths like Angry Birds, Candy Crush and most recently Five Nights at Freddy’s. The 2023 horror game-to-film adaptation grossed $297 million worldwide — nearly 15-times its estimated budget.
“Entertainment and gaming aren’t just sectors I work in; they’re passions that drive me. And at Griffin, my deep-seated passions find a perfect echo,” said Russell Binder. “Today’s gaming IPs are not just about the games themselves but are platforms for vast, interconnected universes that offer endless opportunities for storytelling, engagement, franchise building, and monetization. I look forward to contributing to a firm that is not just participating in the evolving conversation but actively shaping the direction of digital entertainment.”
Griffin Gaming builds transmedia expertise
With transmedia adaptations on the rise, Griffin Gaming looks to leverage Binder’s experience building IP hubs with games at the center of their flywheel.
Moreover, this partnership builds on Binder’s existing relationship with Peter Levin, managing director and cofounder of Griffin Gaming Partners. On top of their friendship, the two have frequently collaborated on projects looking to adapt gaming IP. Most recently, Levin joined Binder on the board of podcast network Realm.
“Russell stands unparalleled in the industry, blending his talents as a producer with extensive experience in global licensing to forge comprehensive adaptation ecosystems for some of the most renowned intellectual properties worldwide,” said Levin. “His unique blend of creative vision and strategic acumen makes him an invaluable asset to our portfolio of companies as the worlds of gaming, media and sport continue to converge.”
Binder is the second major recent addition to Griffin Gaming Partners’ staff. The firm also named ex-Scopely veteran Aaron Loeb as an operating partner last month.