Senior Judgment for
Consequential Media Decisions.
From greenlights and slate investments to valuations, operating challenges, and disputes, Flat Six Media brings finance, strategy, and operating experience to the decisions where getting it right matters.
Our Expertise
Content Investment & Strategy
Studio and independent experience evaluating films, television projects, libraries, and slates for financing, investment, and portfolio decisions.
Finance & Operating Leadership
Senior finance and operations support for media companies navigating growth, financing, transition, or complexity.
Flexible Senior Support
Project-based analysis, retained advisory, or fractional leadership shaped around the decision, team, and timeline.
Specialized Services
Market Intelligence
In-depth analytics on competitive landscapes and trend forecasting, whether before your project hits the screen or after it releases.
Fractional CFO / COO
Fractional CFO and COO services for your content production company. Deeply experienced at studio and independent level.
Expert Witness
Expert witness services for litigation support, arbitration, and mediation. Experienced at the federal level.
Forensic Auditing
Forensic financial reviews for film and television productions, including investigations into suspected wrongdoing, theft, and other financial irregularities.
Franchise Development
Experienced in franchise development and growth. Let's develop your next IP today.
Slate Financing
Expert underwriting support to institutional investors for slate financing transactions.
Greenlight Support
Robust greenlight analysis for your film or TV show. We support financiers weighing an investment and provide backend analysis for projects already underway.
Budgeting
We work with experienced line producers that can create a budget for your indie or studio script.
Business Planning
Business plans, forecasts, and investor materials for your entertainment business.
Compliance Support
Reporting and covenant compliance support for credit facilities financing production, P&A, distribution, and ongoing operations.
Library Valuations
Extensive experience valuing film and television libraries. We help you determine what your library is worth and sell it.
Practical AI for
Media Businesses.
Identify and implement practical AI systems for research, analysis, reporting, and operations—designed around the needs of media businesses.
We start with the business problem, not the technology, and combine technical execution with real operating experience inside the industry.
Assess
An AI Opportunity Assessment that maps where AI can create measurable value—ranked by business impact, effort, and readiness.
Build
Design and implementation of the strongest opportunities: research assistants, document workflows, reporting, and analysis support.
Manage
Ongoing operation of the systems we build—monitoring, refinement, training, and reporting as your needs change.
Enduring Value.
Modern Execution.
We believe the most successful content is built like the world-renowned flat-six engine: well-balanced, incredibly powerful, and engineered for the kind of enduring performance that turns creative vision into measurable, bottom-line success that delivers returns for decades.
We are a boutique consultancy providing executive-caliber support across strategy, finance, and operations. We serve independent producers, production companies of all sizes, major studios, institutional investors and financiers, family offices, and more.
Studio and Independent Perspective
Experience across studio leadership, independent production, global distribution, and content investment.
Decision-Grade Analysis
Financial modeling and qualitative judgment designed for investment, operating, and dispute-related decisions.
Flexible Engagement
Project-based advisory, retained support, fractional leadership, and specialized assignments.
Michael Rifkin
Michael is a seasoned media executive with nearly two decades of experience at the intersection of finance, strategy, and global distribution. Before founding Flat Six Media, he served as Co-Head of Sony Pictures International Productions, overseeing finance and operations for a slate of 30+ films annually.
His tenure included senior leadership within Columbia Pictures’ Business Development group, where he was instrumental in the financial modeling and greenlighting of major franchises, including Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Jumanji, and Hotel Transylvania.
After leaving Sony Pictures, Michael founded Flat Six Media, a boutique consultancy focused on providing premium support to content businesses. The firm offers retained and ad hoc greenlight support for independent and studio feature films, fractional CFO and strategy work, and underwriting support for slate and production-company financing transactions. Michael’s experience in feature films has also led to repeat engagements with the United States government as an expert witness.
Flat Six Media has extensive experience supporting clients across the entertainment industry. We work with each client to customize a solution that works for their business.
What decision is in front of you?
Tell us what is at stake, where the uncertainty lies, and what decision needs to be made. We will determine whether Flat Six Media is the right fit and what level of support the situation requires.
Prefer email? Write to schedule@flatsix.media.