Kimmel-Backed Wheelhouse Group Hires Cornell Capital’s Ann Berry

(Bloomberg) -- Wheelhouse, the media and investment firm created by producer Brent Montgomery and late-night television star Jimmy Kimmel, has hired Ann Berry to run its new deals division as it seeks more transactions in consumer and technology companies.

Berry, 39, joins Wheelhouse from New York-based Cornell Capital, the private equity firm founded by former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner Henry Cornell. Berry, a Goldman alum, will oversee the new Wheelhouse Ventures arm, the company said in a statement Thursday.

“Alongside her superb investing experience and deep knowledge of media, Ann brings to Wheelhouse an affinity for invention and significant operational know-how, all integral to our brand and to those founders in whom we will invest,” Montgomery said in the statement.

Montgomery, 46, the producer of reality television hits including “Pawn Stars” and “Queer Eye,” is the former chief executive of ITV America. He’s accelerated Wheelhouse’s ambition to include developing content around influencers like David Dobrik, as well as investing in fitness, lifestyle and technology companies such as apparel maker Rhone and Athletic Brewing Co., the non-alcoholic beverage maker.

Wheelhouse is set to open a new waterfront campus in Stamford, Connecticut, called The Village, which seeks to attract established companies and entrepreneurs. The company also operates private social clubs in Los Angeles and New York.

Montgomery, with Kimmel as a partner, created Wheelhouse in 2018. It comprises Wheelhouse Entertainment, which works with stars including Kevin Hart and Adam Levine; Wheelhouse Labs, a brand marketing group; Wheelhouse DNA, which creates digital media content; and Wheelhouse Partners.

At Cornell Capital, Berry worked on deals across industries. She’s currently on the board of PureStar, a global linens and laundry company. She’s a graduate of Cambridge University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

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