Wonderloom Media Buys YouTube True-Crime Channel Dr. Insanity

Former Wheelhouse exec Ed Simpson is getting into the creator business.

Simpson has teamed up with Content Partners to launch Wonderloom Media and the new venture has acquired its first YouTube channel, true-crime network Dr. Insanity.

This comes after Deadline revealed that Simpson had exited the Calabasas Confidential producer after working with founder Brent Montgomery for 15 years.

Simpson becomes CEO of Wonderloom Media with Content Partners providing financing to acquire Dr. Insanity, which has over 5.3M subscribers.

The channel, which was founded by Jared West, has received over 1.3B total views with videos such as How Police Captured Colorado’s Smartest Killer and When Dumb Karens Try To Attack Cops getting around 30M views each.

The move comes as YouTube continues to have a cultural moment as movie producers chase the viral success of films such as Backrooms and content creators like Subway Takes’ Kareem Rahma start getting nominated for Emmys.

Content Partners, founded in 2005, is an investment fund and asset management company that acquires the cash flows from intellectual property in film, television and music. Last month, the company, which has the rights to series including Forensic Files and movies such as Black Swan, closed a new round of capital with Carlyle Global Credit.

Simpson said, “YouTube is no longer the disruptor. It has become the incumbent. The creator economy has matured into one of the most important sectors in media, and Wonderloom is built with the creative and operational experience to deliver on the needs of creators as they expand into diversified media businesses. Dr. Insanity is the perfect first acquisition: a leading true crime channel with a strong editorial voice, a loyal audience, proven storytelling and meaningful room to expand. We are thrilled to launch this next chapter with Content Partners, and we are already partnering with creators ready to take their content further.”

“Our experience investing in content gives us a unique vantage point, and we’re applying that expertise to build this new venture,” added Content Partners EVPs Scott Hemming and Alphonse Lordo. “By evolving our content libraries into active creator partnerships, we will drive creator ascension, delivering hands-on support to help top creators build and scale high-quality, original programming at a pivotal moment for the industry.”