Houlihan Lokey acquired MESA Securities, an advisory firm that provides M&A, corporate finance, and other strategic advisory services to clients in both traditional and digital media and entertainment. The transaction closed on June 19, 2015.

The MESA team will join Houlihan Lokey’s existing Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Group, with Mark Patricof, Managing Partner and one of MESA’s co-founders, joining John Cooper, Rob Louv, and Chris Wilson as one of the Co-Heads of the Group. MESA’s two other co-founders, Jerome Levy and Brian Richards, will join the Group as Managing Directors.

Following the MESA acquisition, the TMT Group now comprises more than 30 officers in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London, making it one of the largest industry groups at Houlihan Lokey.

“MESA’s sector focus is at the leading edge of the evolution of the media, entertainment, and marketing sectors and their relationships with global media and technology investors and buyers at all stages of growth are exceptionally strong,” said Scott Adelson, co-president and global co-head of corporate finance at Houlihan Lokey. “In addition, as has been the case with other recent acquisitions, the strong cultural compatibility between the two companies was highly attractive to us, and we’re confident that it will contribute to a seamless and rapid integration. We are delighted that the MESA team has become an integral part of our TMT Group,” he continued.

“We have had inquiries over the years from numerous investment banks, but we saw Houlihan Lokey as the ideal fit based on their strategy, leadership, and deep entrepreneurial spirit and DNA,” said Patricof. “Joining Houlihan Lokey considerably expands our global footprint and will enable us to offer MESA’s legacy client base, several of which are market-leading businesses, a significantly expanded suite of products and services. The entire MESA team is excited to begin this new chapter and join the Houlihan Lokey team to build the preeminent TMT practice in the industry.”

New York-headquartered MESA focuses on serving high-growth companies across the media and entertainment landscape.