Encino-based Singer Burke is bringing its entertainment game to Mercer Global Advisors Inc., a Denver-based registered investment advisor with more than $80 billion in client assets.

Mercer announced on Oct. 7 that it had acquired Singer Burke for an undisclosed sum.

The deal comprises two divisions of Singer Burke. That includes Singer Burke Zimmer & Kogan, a firm that has provided accounting, tax, business management and financial consulting services to entertainment companies since the 1970s. Mercer Advisors also gained ownership of SB Capital Management Inc., a registered investment adviser with $1.2 billion in assets under management.

Jessica Caruso, Mercer Advisor’s executive managing director, said Singer Burke will be the RIA’s first partner focused on entertainment industry clientele; and it will join Mercer Advisors’ Regis Group, a division is reserved for family office clients with $25 million or more in investable assets.

“They’ve set the standard for serving creative professionals, showrunners, producers, writers and executives,” Caruso said of Singer Burke. “(They have) an interdisciplinary model that unites wealth management, tax and business management under one roof. That approach mirrors (our) philosophy of coordinated fiduciary service. Together we can deliver even more bespoke family office experiences for clients in media and entertainment while strengthening our Regis Group’s ability to meet the complex needs of ultra-high-net worth families nationwide.”

Matthew Burke, managing partner of Singer Burke, said the partnership will give his company the support to extend its footprint outside of the Los Angeles area.

“Within Mercer Advisors, the Singer Burke team will lead the firm’s growth in the entertainment and creative professional market, helping expand our reach beyond Los Angeles into other creative hubs like New York and Miami,” he said.

Burke will not open offices under its own nameplate in other cities. Rather it will operate within the Mercer Advisors framework to develop business with entertainment clients.

‘Seeking a partner’

Mercer Advisors also helps handles back-office operations for its 108 RIA partner firms. Mercer’s back-office tasks include compliance, IT, accounting, marketing and legal, according to a statement on its website.

Burke said that Mercer Advisor’s offer of support for back-office operations was a factor in his firm’s decision to join.

“We were seeking a partner with an extensive professional management team, enterprise-scale operations and technology, and a wider set of client services,” he said. “All of these things would allow us to return more of our time to existing and new clients.”

Burke said business for his clients has been good, despite three-year economic turmoil within the L.A. film and television business. “The entertainment industry has certainly been navigating both short-term disruptions and longer-term transformations,” he said. “But you wouldn’t look behind the curtain and say our clients have been stuck in the doldrums.”

He added that “the shift from feature films to serialized content has elevated the role of showrunners and creators, who are thinking more like business operators.”

Singer Burke’s 50 years working in Hollywood has given the firm’s business managers some perspective and expertise, Burke said.

“These aren’t uncharted waters for us. We’ve guided clients through similar industry pivots before, form the rise of streaming to syndication and franchise eras,” he said. “Liquidity management has always been central to our approach, and we you pair that with strong financial planning, clients gain the clarity to spot opportunities even amid volatility.”

According to a Singer Burke financial document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in August, the firm works with 41 high net worth individuals. The amount of assets under management for these individuals is more than $822 million. The firm works with 180 other individuals who have assets under management of more than $218 million.

The Singer Burke story started in 1972 when the firm’s founder Sandy Singer started his company as a family office for creatives, directors and agents. Burke joined the company in 1990 to expand its tax planning to a “holistic” financial planning program. In 2002, the firm founded an investment services firm through SB Capital Management.

Singer Burke’s clientele includes those who worked on TV series such as “The Pitt,” “Andor,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Rehearsal,” according to a Singer Burke representative.