Cutting Edge Group Acquires Music Catalog of Award-Winning Composer John Paesano
Cutting Edge Group (“CEG”), the leading specialist investor in and manager of media music rights, has acquired the royalty streams to Emmy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning composer John Paesano’s catalog. His catalog comprises 80+ scores spanning blockbuster films, prestige television, and AAA video games.
This acquisition is the latest step in Cutting Edge’s ongoing strategy to invest in best-in-class music from premier works of film, television, and video games. Paesano is one of the world’s top-grossing composers, with a cumulative global box office of over $1.8 billion. His music has accompanied some of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed entertainment properties of the past decade, many of which remain active franchises with ongoing sequels, reboots, and cross-platform expansions.
Tara Finegan, COO of Cutting Edge Group, said: “John’s music has defined some of the most moving and visceral works of entertainment of the last decade. It is hard to imagine global hits like the Maze Runner trilogy or Daredevil series without the brilliant music that accompanied them, elevating their storytelling in ways that stick with viewers long after the credits roll. We are delighted to have this opportunity to invest in John’s remarkable catalog and are excited to see how these works can continue to reach new audiences in the years to come.”
Tim Hegarty, Head of M&A at Cutting Edge Group, said: “Our dealmaking has always been focused on a clear thesis: seek out the best publishers, composers and songwriters who offer access to globally recognized IP with lasting commercial and artistic value. John’s award-winning catalog, which includes multiple active franchises and highly significant box office returns, sits exactly where artistry meets commercial durability, which is where Cutting Edge is firmly focused.”
John Paesano said: “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to come up in this business surrounded by great composers, directors, producers, and executives. I learned the craft by doing – absorbing everything I could and finding the language of storytelling through music. When I sat down with Cutting Edge Group, they really understood what I was seeking and showed great respect for the value of my work. This now allows me to move beyond momentum and focus on like-minded creators and projects that feel creatively aligned with who I am. I’ve learned that this is where I do my strongest and most satisfying creative work, and I’m deeply grateful to my team for making that possible.”
The catalog includes Paesano’s film scores for 20th Century Studios’ Maze Runner trilogy, which collectively grossed nearly $950 million worldwide across The Maze Runner (2014), The Scorch Trials (2015), and The Death Cure (2018). It also includes his score to the recent box office hit, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), which launched a new trilogy within the iconic Planet of the Apes franchise, with further films expected throughout the late 2020s.
Paesano’s work on major television properties form part of the transaction, including Amazon’s critically acclaimed animated series, Invincible, and Daredevil, one of Marvel Television’s earliest breakout originals. Paesano’s iconic Daredevil theme continues to resonate, including in the new series reboot, Daredevil: Born Again.
Other notable works in Paesano’s catalog include the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise; the DreamWorks Dragons series based on the How to Train Your Dragon universe; the latest Night at the Museum feature, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again; and the television series Truth Be Told. Beyond film and television, Paesano has also scored the award-winning Marvel’s Spider-Man video game series, as well as the video games Mass Effect: Andromeda, Gran Turismo Sport and Detroit: Become Human.
Paesano’s work has earned him a BAFTA Games Award for Best Music (Spider-Man: Miles Morales), an Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated TV Production (Dragons: Riders of Berk), and a World Soundtrack Award Public Choice honour (The Maze Runner). He has received Emmy and Grammy nominations for his work on The Defenders and Spider-Man 2, respectively.
The compositions and recordings from this acquisition join CEG’s total portfolio of over 400,000 owned and/or managed media music rights, valued at more than $1 billion.
CEG’s investment comes at a pivotal time for media music rights, as the proliferation of global streaming platforms, franchise re-exploitation, and increased licensing of productions by studios to new platforms have increased the commercial value of premium scores.
Paesano was represented in the transaction by Dave Kaplan at Surfdog; Peter Paterno and Michael Rexford at King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano; and Layth Carlson at Callas & Carlson. CEG was represented in the transaction by Michael Poster and Mehdi Sinaki of Michelman Robinson.