Kirkland & Ellis, SJ Berwin and DLA Piper have advised on the private equity buyout of the media company behind iconic brands including Postman Pat and Rupert the Bear.

Kirkland's London office advised US buyout firm GTCR on the deal, which saw Entertainment Rights' principal UK and US subsidiaries sold out of administration to Boomerang Media, which is backed by GTCR.

The firm fielded a team from London including private equity partner Graham White and finance partner Neel Sachdev (pictured).

The deal was run as a pre-pack administration, with the acquisition negotiated over little more than a week.

SJ Berwin corporate partner William Holder advised Entertainment Rights on the deal, which also sees Boomerang take up brands including Casper the Friendly Ghost, Barbie, Lassie and The Lone Ranger.

DLA Piper advised Deloitte as administrator, with London restructuring and asset-based lending partner Lorinda Peasland leading the firm's team. DLA Piper also advised HBOS as the company's lender.

Sachdev told Legal Week: "The timeframe was very short and it was a great asset class. It feels very good that private equity could step in and save critical assets such as Rupert the Bear and Barbie."