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Dolphin EntertainmentC
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2026-08-13
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Earnings documents stored for DLPN.

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Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-13

Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Revenue growth of 2.5% for the quarter was driven by high-profile agency presence at major industry events including Cannes Lions, Tribeca Film Festival, and Comic-Con. Management launched Graviteur Studios, a production vehicle designed to capitalize on the 'gravitational pull' of creators and influencers across streaming, television, and theatrical platforms. The core business is transitioning toward significantly improved free cash flow as legacy bank debt and high-cost New York and Los Angeles leases roll off over the next two years. Profitability in Q2 was temporarily suppressed by approximately $360,000 in one-time retention bonuses and an additional $360,000 in elevated litigation-related professional fees. The company utilizes a 'marketing consortium' model, leveraging its existing PR and influencer agencies to provide a built-in marketing engine for new internal ventures. Management remains highly aligned with shareholders, with the CEO expecting to surpass a 5% ownership stake via an active 10b5-1 buying plan. Management expects a 'real step up' in profitability for Q3 2026 as non-recurring retention bonuses and elevated legal fees roll off the balance sheet. The DealMaker partnership is expected to launch its first venture before the end of 2026, with a goal of scaling to three or four deals annually to create a steady pipeline of equity upside. The Digital Department is entering its 'prime season,' with management citing encouraging signs in August for the critical back-to-school and holiday brand campaign period. Future cash flow improvements are structurally locked in, with $2.2 million in annual debt service ending in late 2028 and $1 million in annual lease savings starting in late 2027. Strategic focus for the second half of 2026 includes securing a 'signature client' for the Dolphin Intelligence AI service to establish it as a standalone revenue stream. Approximately $127 million in Net Operating Losses (NOLs) are available to shield future cash flow gains from taxation as the company reaches profitability. The DealMaker and Graviteur ventures are structured to require zero capital from Dolphin's balance sheet, instead generating cash marketing fees alongside equity stakes. International sa…Read full document

Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Revenue growth of 2.5% for the quarter was driven by high-profile agency presence at major industry events including Cannes Lions, Tribeca Film Festival, and Comic-Con. Management launched Graviteur Studios, a production vehicle designed to capitalize on the 'gravitational pull' of creators and influencers across streaming, television, and theatrical platforms. The core business is transitioning toward significantly improved free cash flow as legacy bank debt and high-cost New York and Los Angeles leases roll off over the next two years. Profitability in Q2 was temporarily suppressed by approximately $360,000 in one-time retention bonuses and an additional $360,000 in elevated litigation-related professional fees. The company utilizes a 'marketing consortium' model, leveraging its existing PR and influencer agencies to provide a built-in marketing engine for new internal ventures. Management remains highly aligned with shareholders, with the CEO expecting to surpass a 5% ownership stake via an active 10b5-1 buying plan. Management expects a 'real step up' in profitability for Q3 2026 as non-recurring retention bonuses and elevated legal fees roll off the balance sheet. The DealMaker partnership is expected to launch its first venture before the end of 2026, with a goal of scaling to three or four deals annually to create a steady pipeline of equity upside. The Digital Department is entering its 'prime season,' with management citing encouraging signs in August for the critical back-to-school and holiday brand campaign period. Future cash flow improvements are structurally locked in, with $2.2 million in annual debt service ending in late 2028 and $1 million in annual lease savings starting in late 2027. Strategic focus for the second half of 2026 includes securing a 'signature client' for the Dolphin Intelligence AI service to establish it as a standalone revenue stream. Approximately $127 million in Net Operating Losses (NOLs) are available to shield future cash flow gains from taxation as the company reaches profitability. The DealMaker and Graviteur ventures are structured to require zero capital from Dolphin's balance sheet, instead generating cash marketing fees alongside equity stakes. International sales for the film 'Youngblood' are dependent on upcoming film markets in Toronto and Los Angeles, as a domestic streaming deal has not yet materialized. Litigation costs remained elevated at $360,000 for the quarter, though management anticipates these will return to 'normal levels' starting in Q3. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here. Management intends to finance creator-led films by laying off risk to third-party distributors or splitting costs, similar to the model used for 'Blue Angels.' The studio focuses on low-budget, high-ROI projects, noting that creator-led films can achieve massive box office success with production budgets around $1 million. Visibility into the second half of the year is high, as brand contracts for holiday campaigns typically firm up by September. Management expressed confidence that the division will grow year-over-year based on early August indicators. The DealMaker partnership provides a 'one-two punch' of access to capital and best-in-class marketing, allowing Dolphin to earn both cash fees and equity without capital outlay. The Copper Books partnership offers national distribution through Simon & Schuster, serving as a unique business development tool to attract high-profile PR clients who wish to publish books.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-12

Dolphin Entertainment Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results

ACCESS Newswire
Q2'26 Revenue Rises 2.5% YoY to $14.4 Million; H1'26 Revenue Up 3.8% YoY to $27.2 Million MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / August 12, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, commented: "Total revenue for the second quarter grew 2.5% year-over-year to $14.4 million, and revenue for the first half of 2026 grew 3.8% to $27.2 million, continuing the top-line growth trend we saw in the first quarter. Our underlying business performed well across the portfolio this quarter. Turning to the bottom line, net loss increased slightly to $1.6 million from $1.4 million in the prior year period. The net loss was impacted by retention bonuses paid to certain employees during the quarter ended June 30, 2026 in the amount of $360,000 and increased legal and professional fees, including approximately $360,000 of litigation-related legal costs. The retention bonuses are not intended to recur and the legal fees are expected to moderate going forward. Taken together, we believe the underlying trajectory of the business remains strong, and we expect a meaningful sequential improvement in profitability in the third quarter as both headwinds subside. I'd like to also reiterate that following several years of acquisitions and growth-related investment, Dolphin is well positioned to realize the benefits of that work. We continue to operate in highly attractive sectors, and with rising underlying profitability, modest capex requirements, and approximately $127 million in NOL carryforwards, we remain confident in our ability to generate meaningful free cash flow in the periods ahead. Finally, with insiders holding a substantial stake in the company, management remains deeply aligned with shareholders in the pursuit of long-term value. In fact, under the 10(b)(5) buying plan currently in place for myself, I expect to own over 5% of the DLPN common stock in the next week or two. A few other recent highlights: we continue to make progress with our DealMaker partnership and remain on track to bring our first deal to market this year, and we launched Graviteur Studios, a new creator-led content venture with KYNETIC Media Ventures. We would also remind investors that our bank debt matures in just over two years, which will…Read full document

Q2'26 Revenue Rises 2.5% YoY to $14.4 Million; H1'26 Revenue Up 3.8% YoY to $27.2 Million MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / August 12, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2026. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, commented: "Total revenue for the second quarter grew 2.5% year-over-year to $14.4 million, and revenue for the first half of 2026 grew 3.8% to $27.2 million, continuing the top-line growth trend we saw in the first quarter. Our underlying business performed well across the portfolio this quarter. Turning to the bottom line, net loss increased slightly to $1.6 million from $1.4 million in the prior year period. The net loss was impacted by retention bonuses paid to certain employees during the quarter ended June 30, 2026 in the amount of $360,000 and increased legal and professional fees, including approximately $360,000 of litigation-related legal costs. The retention bonuses are not intended to recur and the legal fees are expected to moderate going forward. Taken together, we believe the underlying trajectory of the business remains strong, and we expect a meaningful sequential improvement in profitability in the third quarter as both headwinds subside. I'd like to also reiterate that following several years of acquisitions and growth-related investment, Dolphin is well positioned to realize the benefits of that work. We continue to operate in highly attractive sectors, and with rising underlying profitability, modest capex requirements, and approximately $127 million in NOL carryforwards, we remain confident in our ability to generate meaningful free cash flow in the periods ahead. Finally, with insiders holding a substantial stake in the company, management remains deeply aligned with shareholders in the pursuit of long-term value. In fact, under the 10(b)(5) buying plan currently in place for myself, I expect to own over 5% of the DLPN common stock in the next week or two. A few other recent highlights: we continue to make progress with our DealMaker partnership and remain on track to bring our first deal to market this year, and we launched Graviteur Studios, a new creator-led content venture with KYNETIC Media Ventures. We would also remind investors that our bank debt matures in just over two years, which will free up nearly $2.2 million in annual principal and interest payments, and we continue to anticipate roughly $1 million in annualized lease savings once our large New York City and Los Angeles leases expire in the second half of 2027. Given our NOLs, which substantially shield us from cash taxes, the bulk of these combined savings should flow directly to the bottom line, providing a further tailwind to free cash flow." Q2 2026 and Recent Highlights Total revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2026, was $14.4 million, an increase of 2.5% from $14.1 million last year. Total revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026, was $27.2 million, an increase of 3.8% from $26.3 million last year. Operating loss was $1.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2026, compared to an operating loss of $0.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2025. Operating expenses for Q2 2026 were $15.5 million, including non-cash expenses of $0.5 million related to depreciation and amortization, approximately $0.4 million of non-recurring retention bonuses at certain subsidiaries, and legal and professional fees higher than usual due to litigation costs of approximately $0.4 million. This compares to operating expenses of $14.1 million in Q2 2025. Net loss for Q2 2026 was $1.6 million as compared to a net loss of $1.4 million for Q2 2025. Basic and diluted loss per share for Q2 2026 was $(0.13) based on 12,848,706 weighted average shares outstanding, compared to basic and diluted loss per share in Q2 2025 of $(0.13) based on 11,168,572 and 11,232,511 weighted average shares outstanding, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA for Q2 2026 was approximately $243,000, compared to approximately $628,000 in Q2 2025. Adjusted EBITDA basic and diluted earnings per share for Q2 2026 was $0.02 based on 12,848,706 weighted average shares outstanding, compared to $0.06 basic earnings per share for Q2 2025 based on 11,168,572 weighted average shares outstanding and $0.04 fully diluted earnings per share for Q2 2025 based on 17,426,405 weighted average shares outstanding. Cash and cash equivalents were $7.7 million as of June 30, 2026, compared to $8.8 million as of December 31, 2025. Dolphin Launched Graviteur Studios, a creator-led, content venture, in partnership with KYNETIC Media Ventures Continued to advance the DealMaker partnership, targeting the Company's first deal to market later this year Subsidiaries and clients had a successful showing at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity and the Cannes Film Festival Subsidiaries powered high-profile campaigns at San Diego Comic-Con 2026 42West Delivered a standout film and TV slate at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival Landed multiple nominations for clients at the 78th Emmy Awards Drove high-profile campaigns at Anime Expo 2026 for Nebula17, TOHO International and GKIDS Shore Fire Media Client Handcraft Entertainment partnered with Takasago to develop fragrances, flavors and consumer products defining the world of "global" J-Pop The Door Named Agency of Record for Palm Tree Crew amid the lifestyle brand's expansion into hospitality, real estate and golf The Door's DISRPT division represented U.S. SailGP around major U.S. race events Elle Communications Clients took the stage at the NEXUS Global Summit 2026 The Digital Dept. Partnered with Vidcon to power a featured creator gifting lounge at Vidcon Anaheim 2026 Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: August 12, 2026Time: 4:30pm ETToll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 402529Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 403685Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s (DLPN) offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. CONTACT: James CarbonaraHAYDEN IR(646)[email protected] ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio - developing and investing in breakthrough content, products and experiences - and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including No. 1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100 and the PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 120. Follow us on Instagram. DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(Unaudited) DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESCONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(Unaudited) Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In order to provide greater transparency regarding our operating performance, the financial results in this press release refer to non-GAAP financial measures that involve adjustments to GAAP results. Non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain income and/or expense items that management deems are not directly attributable to the Company's core operating results and/or certain items that are inconsistent in amounts and frequency, making it difficult to perform a meaningful evaluation of our current or past operating performance. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is defined by Dolphin as net (loss) or income adjusted for (i) interest, (ii) taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) acquisition costs, (v) change in fair value of convertible note, (vi) allowance for credit losses, (vii) litigation costs, (viii) loss on extinguishment of debt, and (ix) other one-time or non-cash costs. Beginning this quarter, the Company is also presenting Adjusted EPS. Adjusted EPS is calculated by dividing Adjusted EBITDA by the weighted average number of basic and diluted shares outstanding for periods in which the Company reports Adjusted EBITDA consistent with the Company's convention for GAAP earnings per share. Management believes that the presentation of operating results using this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful supplemental information for investors by providing them with the non-GAAP financial measure used by management for financial and operational decision making, planning and forecasting and in managing the business. This non-GAAP financial measure does not replace the presentation of financial information in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial results should not be considered a measure of liquidity and are unlikely to be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures provided by other companies. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Loss to Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation of GAAP loss per share to Non-GAAP earnings per share (based on Adjusted EBITDA) Includes income tax expense and allowance for credit losses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 for which the per share adjustments are inconsequential. SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-08-12

FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 43 paragraphs
Operator

Please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the conference over to your host, James Carbonara, with Hayden IR. James, you may begin.

James Carbonara

Thank you, operator. Once again, good afternoon, everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that during the course of this conference call, management may make forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involve risks and uncertainties that could differ materially from actual results. Please refer to the forward-looking statements contained in the earnings release published today, as well as the most recent SEC filings and reports. During the call, management will also discuss non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA or loss. The company believes that these will provide helpful information for investors. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the earnings release. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Bill O'Dowd, Chief Executive Officer of Dolphin. Bill, please proceed.

Bill O'Dowd

Thanks, James, and welcome everyone. As always, I'll start by walking through the key highlights, then Mirta will take you through the detailed financials before we open it up for your questions. Revenue for the quarter came in at $14.4 million, up 2.5% year-over-year, and $27.2 million for the first half, up 3.8% compared to last year. Driving that top line was another busy quarter for our agencies. We were front and center at several large events since we last spoke in May, including the Cannes Film Festival the week after our last earnings call, and the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June, which is the preeminent conference of the year for the marketing industries.

Bill O'Dowd

Also, 42West had a big presence at the 25th Tribeca Film Festival in June and picked up multiple Emmy nominations last month. The Digital Department ran the creator gifting lounge at VidCon Anaheim. Elle Communications' clients were on stage at the NEXUS Global Summit in New York City, and just a few weeks ago, we were all over, really all over San Diego Comic-Con, where I'm pretty sure we saw James Carbonara dressed up as Darth Vader. The thing I really want to spend a minute on is something new, Graviteur Studios. We announced this after we last spoke in May and then announced it, excuse me, in June, timed to the start of the Cannes Lions Festival I just mentioned. We built Graviteur with our partners at KYNETIC Media Ventures, which is run by David Freeman, someone Dolphin and myself have been doing business with for over 15 years.

Bill O'Dowd

David ran the digital division of CAA since its inception. When he left at the start of the year to start Kinetic, we developed together the idea of a production studio for leading creators and influencers, many of whom he signed at CAA. Both KYNETIC and Dolphin believe that audiences will follow creators across platforms, and we certainly witnessed that with the box office success of two movies directed by creators this spring. In fact, the name of our studio is a portmanteau of gravity and auteur, signaling that these creators are auteurs in their own right and that they wield gravitational pull on their audiences who follow them. We believe we can help produce, distribute, and market creator-led content across streaming platforms, television networks, and theatrical releases. It's a natural extension of everything we've learned running a marketing consortium sitting inside pop culture for years.

Bill O'Dowd

We know these audiences, we know these creators, and now we have a vehicle to actually build and own something with them. We're early days here, but we think this could become a meaningful part of the story over the next few years, and we'll keep you posted as it develops. Now let's talk about the bottom line because the numbers this quarter need just a couple of notes of context. Two things to note, in fact. One, we had about $360,000 of one-time retention bonuses land in the second quarter across a few of our subsidiaries. Two, legal and professional fees related to our litigation ran about another $360,000 in the quarter. We believe this number will come down to normal levels in Q3 and going forward, and the underlying business held up just fine anyway.

Bill O'Dowd

We expect a real step up in profitability in the third quarter as these two items roll off. Here's how we think about the bigger picture. The core engine of this business is already pointed toward meaningfully better free cash flow, independent of anything new we do. Our bank debt matures in just over two years, actually two years from next month, freeing up almost $2.2 million a year in principal and interest payments. Our large New York and Los Angeles leases roll off in the back half of next year, which we believe will lead to savings of another roughly $1 million a year. With approximately $127 million of NOLs on the balance sheet, almost all of those savings will flow straight to the bottom line. That's the base case, and it doesn't require anything new to go right, just running the businesses we already have.

Bill O'Dowd

Finally, with insiders holding a substantial stake in the company, management remains deeply aligned with shareholders in the pursuit of long-term value. In fact, under the 10b5-1 buying plan currently in place for myself, I expect to own over 5% of the DLPN common stock in the next week or two. What DealMaker and Graviteur Studios represent is optionality on top of that. With respect to DealMaker, our strategic partnership began in February, and we used the rest of Q1 and Q2 to put together our respective teams and processes and to evaluate a pipeline of potential deals. We believe we're getting closer to having our first deal and to creating a steady flow of deals coming to market after that. We both like a couple of the names we're evaluating, and we still expect to have our first deal in the market before the end of the year.

Bill O'Dowd

Between that, Graviteur, and our other ventures, we feel we have got real upside sitting on top of a business that is already heading towards strong free cash flow on its own. I will turn the call over to Mirta Negrini, our Chief Financial Officer, to walk through the numbers in more detail. Mirta?

Mirta Sanchez Negrini

Thank you, Bill, and good afternoon, everyone. I will now review our 2026 second quarter financial results. Total revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2026 was $14.4 million, an increase of 2.5% from $14.1 million in the same quarter of prior year. For the six months ended June 30, 2026, total revenue was $27.2 million, an increase of 3.8% from $26.3 million in the same period in prior year. Our operating loss was $1 million for the second quarter of 2026, compared to an operating loss of approximately $100,000 for the same period in 2025. Operating expenses for Q2 2026 were $15.5 million. As Bill noted, this included approximately $400,000 of non-recurring retention bonuses for certain employees, which will not be included in Q3 of 2026 or Q2 of next year.

Mirta Sanchez Negrini

In addition, we had approximately $400,000 of legal and professional fees related to our litigation that we are working to reduce going forward. This compares to operating expenses of $14.1 million in Q2 of 2025. Net loss for Q2 of 2026 was $1.6 million, compared to a net loss of $1.4 million in Q2 2025. Basic and diluted loss per share for Q2 2026 was $0.13, based on approximately 12.8 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared to basic and diluted loss per share of $0.13 in Q2 2025, based on approximately 11.2 million weighted average shares outstanding. Turning to adjusted EBITDA. After adding back non-cash and other one-time items, our adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter of 2026 was approximately $243,000, compared to approximately $628,000 in the second quarter of 2025.

Mirta Sanchez Negrini

As Bill discussed, the year-over-year change is driven almost entirely by the retention bonus times and the elevated litigation costs. For the six months ended June 30, 2026, adjusted EBITDA loss was approximately $224,000, compared to a loss of approximately $82,000 in the prior year period, reflecting the same factors. This quarter, we have introduced adjusted earnings per share. Adjusted EBITDA basic and diluted earnings per share for Q2 2026 was $0.02, based on approximately 12.8 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared to $0.06 basic earnings per share for Q2 2025, based on approximately 11.2 million weighted average shares outstanding, and $0.04 fully diluted earnings per share for Q2 2025, based on 17.4 million weighted average shares outstanding. We think this gives you another way to track our progress on a per share basis, and we plan to continue reporting it alongside adjusted EBITDA for future quarters.

Mirta Sanchez Negrini

Our cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2026, were $7.7 million, compared to $8.8 million as of December 31, 2025. With that, I'll turn it back to the operator to open the floor for questions. Operator, would you please poll for questions?

Operator

Certainly. At this time, we'll be conducting a question and answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment, please, while we poll for questions. Your first question today is coming from Derek Greenberg from Maxim. Derek, your line is live.

Derek Greenberg

Hi. I wanted to ask about the Graviteur Studios project. Maybe if you could just explain the structure of that a little bit more in terms of how much you own versus Kinetic, how much financing do you provide creators, and just the overall economics of that project.

Bill O'Dowd

Sure. Hi, Derek. Thank you for the question. Graviteur is something that was a natural for us and David. As I say, we go back 15 years with David, who ran the creator division, the digital division of Creative Artists Agency. Why? Because we're used to structuring films and TV shows and streaming series. We've done that for 30 years, right? Using creators as either talent in front of the camera or talent as directors is certainly something that all of Hollywood has shown an interest in the last three or four months. I'm proud to say we were building this at the start of the year before it became in vogue. Mostly because we know that the people who follow these influencers will look for their content across platform.

Bill O'Dowd

We see in the world, seeing popular people that do short-form video on TikTok are creating long-form videos on YouTube, and they're creating quite a following. If anything was proven by a couple of the films that were released theatrically in May, they were wild successes. These movies, "Backrooms" and "Obsession," highest grossing films in their distributors' histories, is saying something. They were each with creator directors who had built a following online and then made their first feature film, or second feature film in one case. They don't need big budgets. "Obsession" was made for $750,000, and it's done over $200 million at the box office. It gives you a sense of just how successful I was referencing, the level of success I was referencing.

Bill O'Dowd

In terms of financing, we'll look to finance those movies how we would if they were part of Dolphin Films. Oftentimes, we lay off the risk. When we can, occasionally, something like a "Blue Angels" that worked out very well for us, we might split the cost with a distributor like IMAX in that case. In other cases, we may be able to lay it off entirely, as we did for the most part with "Youngblood," right? The budgets will be a little smaller than the other projects, I would think, on average. Again, because with some of these projects, you can make them for even less than $1 million or around $1 million. It wouldn't be a big capital investment anyway, but most of the time, we'll try and lay them off as they are. If that is helpful.

Derek Greenberg

Okay. Got it. Well, I was wondering if you could possibly unpack how to think about the performance of the business across all your divisions. If you're seeing relative outperformance in certain areas versus others, specifically maybe within The Digital Department, I was wondering how growth is there and how that segment is performing.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. The Digital Department, it's definitely the subsidiary that we believe will have tremendous mid and long-term growth potential for us. We are happy with how the first half of the year went. Also, we have some visibility going into their prime season of the second half of the year. So much of their success in any given 12-month period depends on the time period between back to school and the holidays, and especially the holidays. You generally, you don't need to wait till November and December for that. You'll get a really strong indication by September, because the brands will start reaching out to talent, the influencers in this case, to contract for brand campaigns that will be running in November and December. They'll need to start contracting in September and October.

Bill O'Dowd

We certainly don't have a reason to believe that the business won't grow from last year when it really had a great second half of the year. We believe that'll happen again this year. We're seeing encouraging signs on that already here in the first half of August. A couple of our companies are so seasonal, I should say, like The Digital Department that the first half of the year numbers, while very comparable to last year, revenue's up a little, some core operating income metrics might be down a couple hundred thousand, but it really comes down to the second half of the year for us and what our success will look like as we continue to grow the companies.

Derek Greenberg

Okay. Thank you. On the Youngblood movie, I was wondering, I think last call, you said there is still potential for an international distribution agreement, possibly streaming distribution agreement. I was wondering if there's any updates on those two items.

Bill O'Dowd

No, the streaming's a little disappointing to us. We had thought that we would have a streaming deal by about now. International will often take through the international sales markets, which in the second half of the year have not occurred yet. That's often Toronto Film Festival, which is the week after Labor Day, and the American Film Market, which is in Los Angeles in November, the first week of November. So we might need those two markets to start firming up some of our international sales on Youngblood. But we're working with our distributor, Well Go, to really make a stronger push to get a streaming sale in the U.S. certainly here in the second half of the year, but it would be great if we could see what we can do here in Q3. But it has not occurred yet.

Derek Greenberg

Okay. Got it. On another initiative that was fairly new, the Dolphin Intelligence marketing capabilities for AI. I was wondering just how that's progressing, what you're seeing there.

Bill O'Dowd

I would say we have a couple of big calls coming up here in the next two weeks, and many clients have expressed an interest in it, but what we're seeing in the early days is we're folding it into existing PR contracts, or it's being layered on top of existing PR contracts. What we're going to try and do is break out the service to be more of a standalone because we think it's valuable in its own right, and we haven't had the signature client yet that would take it and say, "Look, we've signed up blank for this service." I think that's a mission for us here in the second half of the year, just because it's all upside to us. If we get it, there's no additional cost to us to service or provide the service from what we've already invested in.

Bill O'Dowd

It's something that we're excited about because it's a great return on investment from this point forward, right? I think that one is something we're looking to accomplish before the end of the year. I think definitely, speaking of upside, the first of the DealMaker ventures to enter the market will be the poster child for upside for Dolphin as we put a pipeline together, as I mentioned in my prepared remarks with DealMaker, to be able to do ventures together with consistency.

Bill O'Dowd

Just to remind everyone, what qualifies as a venture, I should say, would be something that a startup or an existing company that's starting a new product line or a venture of some sort, which would pay Dolphin through its subsidiaries cash marketing fees, that we would get paid to market the venture, but we would also receive an ownership stake in the venture as well. Those are the perfect combination of upside with cash contracts. We're not trading our work for equity. We're actually getting both. With DealMaker being a tool in our tool belt together with the venture to go raise capital, then it won't be for lack of funds that someone could actually then hire Dolphin and its subsidiaries to market the product. It's a pretty interesting one-two punch of you get the best-in-class marketing companies with access to capital that DealMaker provides.

Bill O'Dowd

I would say that's our biggest focus as management is to get the first deal in market before the end of the year. Then maybe even, how close can we be to announcing a second venture by the end of the year as well? That's where our focus is.

Derek Greenberg

Yeah. Great. That's super helpful. Maybe just on DealMaker, just maybe if you could talk about the pipeline a little bit more. You just said that you could possibly have another deal right after. I was wondering the cadence of how many deals per year, the timing from here.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. It's a little bit like starting up Graviteur, right? Or a film slate. You need a few months or whatever period of time, depending on what you're starting, right? To build the deal flow or have the pipeline. No different here. We announced this project at the end of February, or second half of February, I believe, and worked with DealMaker to evaluate. We set out that we would give each other three months, I think I even said that maybe on the last quarterly earnings call, and evaluate deals together and then pick the first one we'd go out with. We have two deals we like quite a bit. We both would look to proceed, and we're in the process of seeing if we can close on them to then take them to market.

Bill O'Dowd

I think we were hoping to do at least one by the end of the year. I feel very confident we'll be able to do that, and hopefully another one, like I said. I think I mentioned we would be comfortable saying we could do two next year if we did one this year. But obviously, we're going to shoot to get to the point where we could do three to four a year with pretty steady regularity. That's our hope. Since they can span all types of industries and/or categories, some might be consumer products, some might be live events, some might be something unique that's not in one of those two categories. It allows us to both create a variety in our slate, as well as put different subsidiaries of ours as kind of like the lead marketing agency.

Bill O'Dowd

It won't be six straight ventures that all need one agency to market a particular consumer product that they have an expertise in. We would be spreading it out, and that allows us to create a pretty robust and steady pipeline. We just imagine the day in three years' time, and we've got half a dozen to a dozen of these in market in three or four years, and you've got these choose your flavor, right? Optionality, lottery tickets, upside catalysts, whatever it may be, that any one of them, we would hope, would have exit values to us in the certainly eight figures and hopefully even higher. So that's what makes it a venture versus just a joint project of a couple of our companies. So that's what we're building, and we're pretty excited about it.

Derek Greenberg

Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Last one for me, just on the Copper Books partnership, just maybe you could talk about how that's going.

Bill O'Dowd

Sure. On the Copper Books. One other thought I had just as I wrapped that last one, I just remembered, matter of fact, I should point out again with the DealMaker partnership, those ventures I was mentioning require zero capital of Dolphin. So each of that slate, those projects we envision having in three to four years that are growing in the market, we hope to an eventual exit, they required zero capital off our balance sheet. So that's why we went looking for a partnership. That's why DealMaker was so strategic to us. As a matter of fact, in each of those ventures, we imagine we're getting paid to market them. So that's the upside for us. In terms of Copper Books, yep. A lot of our publicists, a lot of our PR agencies in general, are excited about having this partnership.

Bill O'Dowd

We have many of our clients either want to write books or have already written books. Many of our clients have already written books and want to write more. So having that partnership that gives us national distribution and in many cases, global distribution through Simon & Schuster, is really a great asset. We're fans of Allie Trowbridge, who started Copper Books and is the CEO, and she's very tight with many of our members of our senior management. We're excited. It'll take us time, just like with Graviteur and just like with DealMaker, to build up a pipeline of things that would otherwise go through this partnership. A book that's already been written and finished in the last six months already has a distribution partner, so it'll take a little bit of time to get the water through the pipes, so to speak.

Bill O'Dowd

But it's a great tool for us to have. It's something different from any competitor in the PR space or the influencer space that we know of. It could become a nice little resource for us, too, to who knows, identify new clients that we can offer this to, that sways them to hire our marketing firms for it because, of course, we'd be marketing those books as well. So it might take a minute, maybe we'd have something to say on Q3. I would imagine by the time we get to the 10-K next year, we'll be able to talk about it more in depth. But that's another of the three announcements we made in the first half of the year that speak to the upside potential of having built this group, DealMaker, Copper Books, and Graviteur. That's how we see all of them.

Bill O'Dowd

They're great in their own right, and they're additionally great at business development for us because they're differentiated. No one competitor of any of our companies has any of those three capabilities. We're pretty excited for all three.

Derek Greenberg

Okay. Makes a lot of sense. All right. Well, thank you for taking my questions.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. Thank you for asking them, Derek.

Operator

Thank you. There were no other questions in queue at this time. I would now like to hand the call back to Bill O'Dowd for closing remarks.

Bill O'Dowd

Oh, well, thank you. Thank you everybody for listening. We're continuing to build, as you heard, and every quarter is three months closer to the happy days of the free cash flow from the leases that expire in the second half of the year now, next year. One year after that, we're finished paying off our bank loan that was used to make those acquisitions that built this super group. Brick by brick, as they say. We're entering our fun season. The second half of the year is always better for us than the first half of the year. Many of our companies surge, as I said, between September and December. The Digital Department, certainly one of them. 42West is another. Of course, those two are our biggest revenue companies. When they swing up, the whole company swings up.

Bill O'Dowd

Many of our companies are having a great start to the second half of the year. Shore Fire Media is doing very well, to name a leader for us. We're excited to report our numbers in November. With that said, I'll look forward to speaking to everybody again then. Thank you very much for your time.

Operator

Thank you. This does conclude today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time. Thank you for your participation.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-11

Earnings To Watch: Dolphin Entertainment Inc (DLPN) Q2 2026 -- GF Value Sees 11% Upside

GuruFocus.com

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) is set to release its Q2 2026 earnings on Aug 12, 2026. The consensus estimate for Q2 2026 revenue is 14.50 million, and the earnings are expected to come in at -0.07 per share. The full year 2026's revenue is expected to be $60.30 million and the earnings are expected to be $-0.10 per share. More detailed estimate data can be found on the Forecast page Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with DLPN. Is DLPN fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Revenue estimates for Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) have declined from $63.78 million to $60.30 million for the full year 2026 and remained flat at $69.00 million for 2027 over the past 90 days. Earnings estimates for Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) have declined from $0.23 per share to $-0.10 per share for the full year 2026 and declined from $0.33 per share to $0.31 per share for 2027 over the past 90 days. In the previous quarter of 2026-03-31, Dolphin Entertainment Inc's (NASDAQ:DLPN) actual revenue was $12.80 million, which missed analysts' revenue expectations of $13.56 million by -5.58%. Dolphin Entertainment Inc's (NASDAQ:DLPN) actual earnings were $-0.22 per share, which missed analysts' earnings expectations of $-0.10 per share by -120%. After releasing the results, Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) was flat in one day. Based on the one-year price targets offered by 1 analysts, the average target price for Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) is $5.00 with a high estimate of $5.00 and a low estimate of $5.00. The average target implies an upside of 362.96% from the current price of $1.08. Based on GuruFocus estimates, the estimated GF Value for Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) in one year is $1.20, suggesting an upside of 11.11% from the current price of $1.08. Based on the consensus recommendation from 1 brokerage firms, Dolphin Entertainment Inc's (NASDAQ:DLPN) average brokerage recommendation is currently 2.00, indicating an "Outperform" status. The rating scale ranges from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies Strong Buy, and 5 denotes Sell.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-08-06

Dolphin to Host Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call on Aug 12, 2026

ACCESS Newswire
MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / August 6, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, announced today it will host a conference call to discuss financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2026, on August 12, 2026, at 4:30pm ET. Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: August 12, 2026Time: 4:30pm ETToll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 402529Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 403685Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-look…Read full document

MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / August 6, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, announced today it will host a conference call to discuss financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2026, on August 12, 2026, at 4:30pm ET. Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: August 12, 2026Time: 4:30pm ETToll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 402529Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 403685Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/54390 ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Contact: James CarbonaraHAYDEN IR(646)[email protected] SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-13

Dolphin Entertainment Inc (DLPN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Revenue Growth and Strategic ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: May 12, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) reported a 5.2% increase in total revenue for Q1 2026, reaching $12.8 million. The company reduced its adjusted EBITDA loss by 25% year-over-year, indicating improved operational efficiency. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) has significant free cash flow potential due to low capital expenditure requirements and substantial net operating loss carry-forwards. The company announced a new publishing imprint venture with Copper Books and Simon & Schuster, which requires zero capital investment and offers 15% of the revenue. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) expects to realize significant annual cash flow savings from expiring leases and maturing bank debt, totaling over $3 million. The company's operating loss increased to $2.1 million in Q1 2026 from $1.8 million in the same period in 2025. Net loss for Q1 2026 was $2.7 million, compared to a net loss of $2.3 million in Q1 2025. Operating expenses rose to $14.9 million in Q1 2026, partly due to $900,000 in legal and professional fees and a $700,000 one-time distribution guarantee cost. Basic and diluted loss per share increased to $0.22 in Q1 2026 from $0.21 in Q1 2025. The company is still in the early stages of its Dealmaker Partnership, with the first deal expected later in the year, indicating potential delays in revenue realization from this initiative. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with DLPN. Is DLPN fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Can you provide an update on the Dealmaker Partnership and its expected impact on Dolphin's business? A: Bill O'Dowd, CEO, stated that they had a productive vetting call with Dealmaker and are confident in announcing their first deal by the end of the year. Each deal is expected to generate six-figure marketing revenue, and they aim to have multiple deals per year, starting with one to establish a rhythm. Q: Regarding the partnership with Copper Books, how does the 15% revenue share work, and what are your expectations for this venture? A: Bill O'Dowd explained that the 15% revenue share comes from the author's earnings and any consulting fees required to market the book. This partnership allows Dolphin to off…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: May 12, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) reported a 5.2% increase in total revenue for Q1 2026, reaching $12.8 million. The company reduced its adjusted EBITDA loss by 25% year-over-year, indicating improved operational efficiency. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) has significant free cash flow potential due to low capital expenditure requirements and substantial net operating loss carry-forwards. The company announced a new publishing imprint venture with Copper Books and Simon & Schuster, which requires zero capital investment and offers 15% of the revenue. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) expects to realize significant annual cash flow savings from expiring leases and maturing bank debt, totaling over $3 million. The company's operating loss increased to $2.1 million in Q1 2026 from $1.8 million in the same period in 2025. Net loss for Q1 2026 was $2.7 million, compared to a net loss of $2.3 million in Q1 2025. Operating expenses rose to $14.9 million in Q1 2026, partly due to $900,000 in legal and professional fees and a $700,000 one-time distribution guarantee cost. Basic and diluted loss per share increased to $0.22 in Q1 2026 from $0.21 in Q1 2025. The company is still in the early stages of its Dealmaker Partnership, with the first deal expected later in the year, indicating potential delays in revenue realization from this initiative. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with DLPN. Is DLPN fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Can you provide an update on the Dealmaker Partnership and its expected impact on Dolphin's business? A: Bill O'Dowd, CEO, stated that they had a productive vetting call with Dealmaker and are confident in announcing their first deal by the end of the year. Each deal is expected to generate six-figure marketing revenue, and they aim to have multiple deals per year, starting with one to establish a rhythm. Q: Regarding the partnership with Copper Books, how does the 15% revenue share work, and what are your expectations for this venture? A: Bill O'Dowd explained that the 15% revenue share comes from the author's earnings and any consulting fees required to market the book. This partnership allows Dolphin to offer premium book publishing services without capital investment, leveraging their existing client base and expertise in marketing. Q: Is there any revenue from the Youngblood movie this quarter, and are there updates on a potential streaming deal? A: Bill O'Dowd confirmed $450,000 in revenue from U.S. sales of Youngblood. The movie entered pay-per-view through a sub-distribution deal with Universal, showing promising sales. They plan to use these results to negotiate a favorable streaming deal, with updates expected in the next earnings call. Q: How is the Dolphin Intelligence marketing initiative progressing, and what are the future plans? A: The initiative, led by Mark Anderson, has signed its first clients for audits to improve AI search visibility. Dolphin plans to build momentum, with team members attending the Cannes Marketing Conference to further explore AI and influencer marketing opportunities. Q: What is Dolphin's current stance on mergers and acquisitions (M&A)? A: Bill O'Dowd mentioned that while they are not actively pursuing acquisitions, they remain open to opportunities that align with their strategic goals. The focus is on leveraging existing ventures like the Dealmaker Partnership for significant growth, rather than incremental acquisitions. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-13

Dolphin Entertainment Reports First Quarter 2026 Results

ACCESS Newswire
Q1'26 Revenue Rises 5.2% YoY to $12.8M Reiterates Expectations for Continued Revenue Growth, Significant Free Cash Flow Generation, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion in 2026 MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / May 12, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, commented: "While the first quarter is historically our lightest due to normal business seasonality, we are pleased to report continued top-line growth, with total revenue increasing 5.2% year over year to $12.8 million. Furthermore, we reduced our Adjusted EBITDA loss by 25% year-over-year. We emphasize Adjusted EBITDA because, given our significant non-cash amortization expenses and minimal capital expenditures, it is a much more accurate reflection of our true cash flow potential than operating income. As noted in our prior quarter's remarks, following several years of acquisitions and growth-related investment, Dolphin is now well positioned to realize the benefits of that work. We continue to operate in highly attractive sectors, and with rising profitability, modest capex requirements, and $127 million in NOL carryforwards, we remain confident in our ability to generate meaningful free cash flow in the periods ahead. Finally, with insiders holding a substantial stake in the company, management remains deeply aligned with shareholders in the pursuit of long-term value. Looking ahead, we are excited about the rest of 2026, 2027, and beyond. In addition to organic improvements in our existing business, there are readily identifiable catalysts that should increase earnings even more. We are making progress with our DealMaker partnership, and we just announced a publishing imprint venture with Copper Books and Simon & Schuster that allows us to offer premium book publishing services to our clients with no upfront capital required from Dolphin. We would also remind investors that our bank debt matures in less than two and a half years, which will free up nearly $2.2 million in annual principal and interest payments. Looking a bit further out, we continue to anticipate roughly $1 million in annualized lease savings once our large New York City and Los Angeles leases expire in the second half of 2027. Given our NOLs, which substantially s…Read full document

Q1'26 Revenue Rises 5.2% YoY to $12.8M Reiterates Expectations for Continued Revenue Growth, Significant Free Cash Flow Generation, and Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion in 2026 MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / May 12, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, commented: "While the first quarter is historically our lightest due to normal business seasonality, we are pleased to report continued top-line growth, with total revenue increasing 5.2% year over year to $12.8 million. Furthermore, we reduced our Adjusted EBITDA loss by 25% year-over-year. We emphasize Adjusted EBITDA because, given our significant non-cash amortization expenses and minimal capital expenditures, it is a much more accurate reflection of our true cash flow potential than operating income. As noted in our prior quarter's remarks, following several years of acquisitions and growth-related investment, Dolphin is now well positioned to realize the benefits of that work. We continue to operate in highly attractive sectors, and with rising profitability, modest capex requirements, and $127 million in NOL carryforwards, we remain confident in our ability to generate meaningful free cash flow in the periods ahead. Finally, with insiders holding a substantial stake in the company, management remains deeply aligned with shareholders in the pursuit of long-term value. Looking ahead, we are excited about the rest of 2026, 2027, and beyond. In addition to organic improvements in our existing business, there are readily identifiable catalysts that should increase earnings even more. We are making progress with our DealMaker partnership, and we just announced a publishing imprint venture with Copper Books and Simon & Schuster that allows us to offer premium book publishing services to our clients with no upfront capital required from Dolphin. We would also remind investors that our bank debt matures in less than two and a half years, which will free up nearly $2.2 million in annual principal and interest payments. Looking a bit further out, we continue to anticipate roughly $1 million in annualized lease savings once our large New York City and Los Angeles leases expire in the second half of 2027. Given our NOLs, which substantially shield us from cash taxes, the bulk of these combined savings should flow directly to the bottom line, providing a further tailwind to free cash flow". Q1 2026 and Recent Highlights Total revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2026, was $12.8 million, an increase of 5.2% from $12.2 million last year. Operating loss was $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, compared to an operating loss of $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2025. Operating expenses for Q1 2026 were $14.9 million, including non-cash expenses of $0.5 million related to depreciation and amortization, a one-time non-recurring distribution guarantee of $0.7 million and legal and professional fees higher than usual due to litigation costs of approximately $0.2 million. This compares to operating expenses of $13.9 million in Q1 2025, including depreciation and amortization of $0.6 million and acquisition costs of approximately $0.4 million. Net loss for Q1 2026 was $2.7 million as compared to a net loss of $2.3 million for Q1 2025. Basic and diluted loss per share for Q1 2026 was $(0.22) based on 12,327,974 weighted average shares outstanding compared to basic and diluted loss per share in Q1 2025 of $(0.21) based on 11,162,026 weighted average shares outstanding. Adjusted EBITDA loss for Q1 2026 of approximately $(467,000) improved by 25% compared to approximately $(625,000) in Q1 2025. Dolphin Subsidiary clients shaped the Summer 2026 season with culture-defining festivals and events CEO was featured on Variety's "Strictly Business" podcast and discussed the creator economy's transformation of marketing and consumer product launches Expanded Miami footprint to support continued growth across subsidiaries Partnered with DealMaker to unlock community capital for celebrity and influencer brands Powerhouse subsidiaries led major brand activations during Super Bowl LX 42West Drove global film publicity at CinemaCon 2026 Delivered marquee talent and a standout film slate at the 2026 SXSW Festival, featuring a company-record 16 world premiere titles and three audience award-winners Celebrated an Oscar win as "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" took Best Documentary Feature at the 98th Academy Awards Clients presented, performed, and took home honors at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards (in partnership with Shore Fire Media) Landed six nominations for clients at the 98th Academy Awards Brought exciting and diverse projects to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival Shore Fire Media Client and Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti became the first African solo artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Clients earned 9 nominations for Independent Music's top awards Partnered with The Door on the launch of Pawn Shop, a new sports-driven hospitality concept Clients presented, performed, and took home honors at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards (in partnership with 42West) The Door Partnered with Shore Fire Media on the launch of Pawn Shop, a new sports-driven hospitality concept Launched a Miami hub, expanding Dolphin's South Florida presence DISRPT Agency, a division of The Door, powered "Art of Glam" during Oscars week, driving cultural momentum into Camille Rose's upcoming Beaut← Noir Elle Communications Client Harbor Fund announced Sundance Mountain Resort as the new long-term home of Harbor Film Forum The Digital Dept. Signed reality TV show stars, top beauty creators, and more Youngblood As hockey had a Hollywood moment, Dolphin's adaptation of the cult classic Youngblood premiered in Los Angeles Partnered with Vaneast Pictures to bring the sports drama Youngblood to Berlin for international sales Official trailer and key art were released for Hubert Davis' adaptation of the hockey classic "Youngblood" Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: May 12, 2026 Time: 4:30pm ET Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 364505 Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 53967 Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. CONTACT: James Carbonara HAYDEN IR (646)-755-7412 [email protected] ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)   DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited) Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In order to provide greater transparency regarding our operating performance, the financial results in this press release refer to a non-GAAP financial measure that involves adjustments to GAAP results. Non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain income and/or expense items that management deems are not directly attributable to the Company's core operating results and/or certain items that are inconsistent in amounts and frequency, making it difficult to perform a meaningful evaluation of our current or past operating performance. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is defined by Dolphin as net (loss) or income adjusted for (i) interest, (ii) taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) acquisition costs, (v) change in fair value of convertible note, (vi) allowance for credit losses, (vii) litigation costs; (viii) other one-time or non-cash costs. Management believes that the presentation of operating results using this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful supplemental information for investors by providing them with the non-GAAP financial measure used by management for financial and operational decision making, planning and forecasting and in managing the business. This non-GAAP financial measure does not replace the presentation of financial information in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial results should not be considered a measure of liquidity and is unlikely to be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures provided by other companies. Reconciliation of GAAP net loss to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA loss SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

TranscriptFY2026 Q12026-05-12

FY2026 Q1 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 41 paragraphs
Operator

Good afternoon, and welcome to the Dolphin Entertainment First Quarter 2026 earnings call. At this time, all participants have been placed on a listen-only mode, and we will open the floor for your questions and comments after the presentation. It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to your host, James Carbonara with Hayden Investor Relations. James, the floor is yours.

James Carbonara

Thank you, operator, and once again, good afternoon, everyone. Before we begin, I'd like to remind everyone that during the course of this conference call, management may make forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and involves risks and uncertainties that could differ materially from actual results. Please refer to the forward-looking statements contained in the earnings release published today, as well as the most recent SEC filings and reports. During the call, management will also discuss non-GAAP financial measures, including adjusted EBITDA or loss. The company believes that these will provide helpful information for investors. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP measures are provided in the earnings release. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Bill O'Dowd, Chief Executive Officer of Dolphin. Bill, please proceed.

Bill O'Dowd

Thanks, James, and welcome everyone. As always, I'll start by walking through the key highlights from our first quarter, and then Mirta will take you through the detailed financials before we open it up for your questions. For those who have followed Dolphin Entertainment for a while, you know that our business has a very natural seasonality to it. The first quarter is historically our lightest, and our revenue tends to build as the year goes on, usually peaking in a very strong fourth quarter. With that seasonal context in mind, we are pleased with our start to 2026. On the top line, total revenue grew 5.2% to $12.8 million. To give you just a quick flavor of what that growth looks like on the ground, our agencies have been at the absolute center of pop culture this year.

Bill O'Dowd

Our powerhouse subsidiaries led major brand activations during Super Bowl LX, and we dominated the awards circuit. 42West and Shore Fire Media clients took home honors at the Grammys, and we celebrated an Oscar win for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards. We also had a massive presence at South by Southwest with a company record 16 world premiere titles, and we are seeing fantastic cross-agency collaboration like The Door and Shore Fire teaming up to launch the new hospitality concept, Pawn Shop, in Los Angeles. Where I really want to focus your attention today is on our profitability and our cash flow potential. For the first quarter, we reduced our adjusted EBITDA loss from last year's first quarter by 25% year-over-year.

Bill O'Dowd

When we calculate adjusted EBITDA, we add back one-time and non-recurring items, along with our significant non-cash amortization costs that come from expensing the intangible assets we acquired through the years of building our marketing supergroup. We do this because it strips out the noise and gives you a much clearer, more accurate picture of our true cash flow potential. The takeaway there is that our core business is operating more efficiently, driving that 25% improvement. While Q1 has historically resulted in an adjusted EBITDA loss, it's also worth noting that in full year 2025, our adjusted EBITDA was a positive $2.9 million. This speaks to the seasonality in our business that I mentioned at the top of my remarks. We certainly hope to beat that adjusted EBITDA result this year.

Bill O'Dowd

Taking a step back, the broader thesis we laid out on our last call remains entirely intact. After several years of aggressive acquisitions and growth-related investments, Dolphin has built the infrastructure. We are now in the phase where we get to reap the benefits of that work. We operate in incredibly hot sectors, and with our rising profitability and very low capital expenditure requirements, we expect to generate significant free cash flow going forward. It's also worth reminding everyone that we are sitting on approximately $127 million in federal and state Net Operating Loss carryforwards. Because of those NOLs, we pay very little in cash taxes. That means as our EBITDA grows, it translates almost directly into free cash flow.

Bill O'Dowd

Since our management team and insiders hold a substantial stake in the company, you can be sure we are deeply aligned with our shareholders in driving long-term value. Looking ahead to the rest of this year, to next year and beyond, we are incredibly enthusiastic. Alongside the organic growth we expect from our agencies, we have several major catalysts lined up. First, we are making strides with our DealMaker partnership. We are having good conversations and are targeting having our first deal on the market later this year. This is a perfect example of a catalyst that leverages our existing marketing acumen and carries highly attractive margins. Second, we just announced earlier today the launch of a publishing imprint venture with Copper Books and Simon & Schuster.

Bill O'Dowd

This gives us the ability to offer premium book publishing services to our clients, whether that's a children's book, James Carbonara's favorite, a cookbook, or a novel. The best part of this model is that Dolphin puts up 0 capital, but we receive 15% of the revenue. It's exactly the kind of capital-light venture we love to pursue. Finally, we want to reiterate two massive contractual catalysts that will fundamentally change our free cash flow profile. First, we expect to realize about $1 million in annualized lease savings when our large legacy leases in New York and Los Angeles expire before the end of 2027. Second, our bank debt matures in roughly two and a half years. Paying that off will save us almost $2.2 million annually in principal and interest.

Bill O'Dowd

Combined, that is over $3 million in annual cash flow savings that we expect will flow almost entirely to our bottom line. In short, the infrastructure is built. We expect continued revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA margin expansion throughout 2026, and we are very excited to watch our incremental revenue flow disproportionately to the bottom line. With that, I will turn the call over to Mirta Negrini, our Chief Financial Officer, to walk through the numbers. Mirta?

Mirta Negrini

Thank you, Bill, and good afternoon, everyone. I will now review our first quarter 2026 financial results. Total revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2026 was $12.8 million, an increase of 5.2% from $12.2 million in the prior year same quarter. Our operating loss was $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2026 compared to an operating loss of $1.8 million for the same period in 2025. Operating expenses for Q1 2026 were $14.9 million. As Bill noted, this included unusual items, specifically $900,000 in legal and professional fees, as well as a one-time direct cost of $700,000 related to a distribution guarantee for Youngblood.

Mirta Negrini

This compares to operating expenses of $13.9 million in Q1 2025, which included acquisition costs of approximately $400,000. Both periods included non-cash depreciation and amortization expenses of roughly $500,000 and $600,000, respectively. Net loss for Q1 2026 was $2.7 million compared to a net loss of $2.3 million in Q1 of 2025. Basic and diluted loss per share for Q1 2026 was $0.22 based on 12.3 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared to a basic and diluted loss per share of $0.21 in Q1 2025 based on 11.2 million weighted average shares outstanding. Finally, turning to adjusted EBITDA.

Mirta Negrini

After adding back non-cash items like depreciation and amortization, as well as the one-time Youngblood guarantee and the unusually high legal fees related to outstanding litigation, our adjusted EBITDA loss for Q1 2026 was approximately $467,000. This represents a 25% improvement compared to an adjusted EBITDA loss of $625,000 in Q1 2025, reflecting the underlying strength of our core operations. With that, I'll now turn it back to the operator to open the floor for questions. Operator, would you please poll for questions?

Operator

Certainly. The floor is now open for questions. If you wish to join the queue to ask a question at this time, please press star one on your telephone keypad. We do ask, if listening on speakerphone today, that you pick up your handset while asking your question to provide optimal sound quality. Once again, please press star one on your keypad at this time if you wish to join queue to ask a question. Please hold a moment while we poll for questions. We have a question from Derek Greenberg from Maxim Group. Derek, your line is live. Please go ahead.

Derek Greenberg

Hey, guys. Thanks for taking my questions. I wanted to start with just the DealMaker partnership. At the beginning of the call, Bill, you had mentioned you expect to announce your first deal from that later this year. I was wondering if you could just update us. I think on the last call, you had said that deals should generate around 6-figure fees per deal. I was wondering, A, if that math is still correct, if that's what you're seeing. Then, B, as we move forward, kind of just what your expectations are with that partnership in terms of like maybe deals per year or just how you think about how that can contribute to the business overall.

Bill O'Dowd

Sure. Thanks, Derek, for the question. We had a very nice, let's say vetting call with DealMaker at the end of April, sourcing or sharing the source deals that we have, to evaluate and talk about what we like, what they like, which ones we think are ready for market. It gives me the confidence to believe we'll be able to announce our first deal, maybe even before our next earnings call, but certainly have a deal in market by the end of the year. We have a couple that we're all very excited about. With that said, I do believe that each of these deals will result in 6 figures per year to Dolphin in marketing revenue.

Bill O'Dowd

I also believe that we'll be able to get to multiple deals per year in the market. We're gonna test with the first one, go through the process together, have that deal in market alone, not try and do 2 deals at once to start, but get the rhythm down and go from there. It'll impact later this year in a positive way, then it'll be a real driver for us in 2027.

Derek Greenberg

Okay, great. Then on one of the other catalysts you had mentioned, with today's announcement of the partnership with Copper Books, you had said you expect to get 15% of revenue with zero capital. I was wondering, is that in relation to, like, a publishing deal, or is that, like, book sales, how you think about that revenue? Just overall, your expectations for that partnership, and then kind of getting your pipeline of talent activated within that partnership.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. This is a real nice to have for us. We have many clients across most of our companies, quite frankly, that have either published books already, they're established authors or want to. The ability to offer this service to guide them to a national distribution deal through Simon & Schuster is something that really separates us, gives us a little bit of extra reason for the clients to want to either sign with us as a business development tool or retain our clients because we can offer services like this. We'll see the uptake. It's all net positive, as you can see, no investment from Dolphin in this relationship. From that sense, it's anything is additive. We'll see how many take us up on it and how much it grows over time.

Bill O'Dowd

The publishing industry in general, the book world, is something that we have a couple of irons in the fire on that we think can be very additive to Dolphin. It's entertainment, right? It's something that our companies are already experienced at promoting and marketing. Each of our marketing companies have helped launch books or clients with books or held events for book launches. It's a natural extension for us, and Copper Books is a trusted source. Allison Trowbridge that founded Copper Books is a dear friend of many of us within the company. She has a fabulous business, and Simon & Schuster is obviously one of the big publishers. We're excited for it and looking forward to seeing where it will go.

Derek Greenberg

Okay, great. Just on that 15% revenue, if you could just clarify if that was like publishing deal between author and the publisher, if it's book sales, just with that number?

Bill O'Dowd

Sure

Derek Greenberg

revenue.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. That'll be 15% of the author's keep. Any consulting fees that are required to get the book into market. That's what that represents.

Derek Greenberg

Okay, great. I wanted to ask about the Youngblood movie. I had two questions there. First, if there is just any revenue from this quarter that was related to the premiere and box office run for Youngblood. My other question is just if there's been any updates on a potential streaming deal or your expectations there.

Bill O'Dowd

Sure. Yeah. The, we recognized $450,000 of revenue in this quarter, from U.S. sales of Youngblood, which is nice. In terms of the streaming sale, I'll go to the middle part, if I could. Sorry. After the theatrical release, we put a movie out for pay-per-view. It did enter pay-per-view through a sub-distribution deal with Universal. We've been told that the first month was looking good, a few hundred thousand in sales. We'll get a full report in the next 30 days, which I could share, of course, on the second quarter earnings call. We're gonna try and use that positive result from the pay-per-view sales to help drive a favorable streaming deal for ourselves.

Bill O'Dowd

We're waiting on that report, and then hopefully we'll have something to share about a streaming sale on the Q2 earnings call.

Derek Greenberg

Okay, great. That's super helpful. Could you touch on just how the revenue share for the pay-per-view works?

Bill O'Dowd

Typically, in this case, we'll receive somewhere in the neighborhood of 40%-50% of that revenue when there's a sub-distributor like that of Universal Pictures, after they take their fee for doing that. That could be offset by marketing costs and from the 1st month or 2 of revenue. As a general rule of thumb, I think you could probably expect something like that in that range.

Derek Greenberg

Okay. Got it. I wanted to turn to another initiative you guys had, I think towards the end of last year, just on the Dolphin Intelligence and your marketing initiatives. I was wondering just how that's progressing and what you're seeing.

Bill O'Dowd

Yeah. That is run by Mark Anderson, who has spoken on a few panels in the last 2 months, I think, on this topic and is as big a, and I say this with love, as big a geek on this topic as anybody I know, and certainly in the broader industry that we work in. The clients have expressed a strong interest in this service. I think we have signed our first 2 clients to do what we call the audit, where we go in and effectively audit the results when people search in the general area that that client works in to show them if they are showing up on AI searches, and if not, why not? So that we can take remedial action.

Bill O'Dowd

It started, and we think the momentum will pick up. Mark will be with me, and we'll have about eight of our team members across Dolphin Entertainment at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. It's in Cannes, France, at the end of June. Not to be confused with the Cannes Film Festival that started today. But the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, I would say that AI is AI and influencer marketing are the two twin topics that probably are between them, 90% of the conversation in marketing today. The use of AI and the continued growth of influencer marketing. We have members of our influencer marketing team going to that conference. We have members of our consumer products team. We have Mark from our Dolphin Intelligence team. I'll be there.

Bill O'Dowd

Our chief of staff will be there. It'll be a good conference for us, and I would expect we'll have some more momentum behind Dolphin Intelligence coming out of that, the biggest conference of the year.

Derek Greenberg

Great. Great. Guess just my last question. I was curious how you think about potential M&A from here. Obviously, it was a huge part of your past and history, but I was wondering now that you view the platform as largely built out, if you still plan to opportunistically pursue M&A or just if you had any thoughts on that front.

Bill O'Dowd

Sure. Yeah, I guess you will never say never, right? I don't know of a single acquisition in a pipeline today. If something comes across our desk or if there's a skill set that, you know, who knows where the world's going, right? If there's a skill set we determine that we need, we could go back into the market. We certainly haven't forgotten how to acquire companies, but we're more focused today on our DealMaker partnership, on our venture, so to speak, that can create disproportionate upside for us along with our organic growth, of course. That has always been the mousetrap that we were trying to build that was a, you know, a better mousetrap, so to speak, right?

Bill O'Dowd

If we could build this group to a certain scale and have it grow organically so our profits are growing every year, both revenue and profits, but that we could once the group was finished, so we had enough horizontal scale across earned media to provide a suite of marketing services that would influence the outcome of ventures that we pursue, that we could take ownership stakes in, then that's the, that's the better mousetrap, right? Some of these DealMaker type opportunities or some of these ventures that we're evaluating now, they're 10 X's, maybe more. That's what we want to pursue, and quite frankly, a better use of our opportunity cost than incremental acquisitions would be, in our view.

Derek Greenberg

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for taking my question.

Bill O'Dowd

Oh, sure.

Operator

Thank you. There are no further questions in queue at this time. I would now like to hand the call back to CEO Bill O'Dowd for closing remarks.

Bill O'Dowd

Well, sure. Thank you. The closing remarks after Q1 usually start with, I know we just spoke 6 weeks ago. We have the short span here and nothing major to report since we last spoke after our phenomenal Q4 to end 2025. We'll get back into our normal rhythm now of speaking again in 90 days. I think in that type of timeframe, we may have something exciting to talk about, 1 or 2 things, and certainly an update on our DealMaker partnership. As I had mentioned, those are the huge opportunities that we see in our future, big catalyst for us coming out of that.

Bill O'Dowd

In the meantime, the blocking and tackling of just incrementally doing better per quarter, year-over-year, and each quarter gets us one quarter closer to those cash savings that I've really talked quite a bit about on our last couple of calls with the leases expiring and the term loan being paid off. It's gonna free up a lot of cash flow for us, and that's always exciting too. Thank you, everybody, for the time, and look forward to talking to you in 90 days.

Operator

Thank you. This does conclude today's conference call. You may disconnect at this time. Have a wonderful day. Thank you once again for your participation.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-05-11

Dolphin to Host First Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call on May 12, 2026

ACCESS Newswire
MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / May 11, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, announced today it will host a conference call to discuss financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026 on May 12, 2026, at 4:30pm ET. Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: May 12, 2026 Time: 4:30pm ET Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 364505 Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 53967 Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-look…Read full document

MIAMI BEACH, FL / ACCESS Newswire / May 11, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and content production company, announced today it will host a conference call to discuss financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2026 on May 12, 2026, at 4:30pm ET. Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: May 12, 2026 Time: 4:30pm ET Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 364505 Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 53967 Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53967 ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Contact: James Carbonara HAYDEN IR (646)-755-7412 [email protected] SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-03-27

Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Transitioned from an 8-year acquisition-led strategy to a focus on organic growth and infrastructure integration, resulting in 27% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4 2025. Demonstrated significant operating leverage by tripling full-year adjusted EBITDA on only 10% revenue growth, showing the platform's ability to convert incremental revenue into profit. Attributed performance to the 'cross-selling powerhouse' created by vertical scale in earned media and horizontal scale across pop culture segments. Emphasized a capital-light business model where incremental EBITDA converts almost directly to free cash flow due to minimal CAPEX requirements and $127 million in tax-shielding NOLs. Launched Dolphin Intelligence to capitalize on the 'new golden age of earned media,' where AI models prioritize credible editorial content over traditional advertising. Maintained a disciplined venture strategy of contributing marketing expertise and relationships rather than balance sheet capital to secure equity stakes with asymmetric upside. Expects adjusted EBITDA to continue growing significantly faster than revenue in 2026 as the company benefits from high flow-through on existing infrastructure. Anticipates incremental revenue contributions from the DealMaker partnership and Dolphin Intelligence services to ramp specifically in the second half of 2026. Projects approximately $1 million in annualized lease savings following the expiration of the New York lease at the end of 2025 and the Los Angeles lease at the end of 2027. Targets full repayment of bank debt by September 2028, which management expects will further reduce interest expense and enhance net profit margins. Assumes historical seasonality will persist, with the first quarter typically being the lightest and revenue building toward a peak in the fourth quarter. Recorded a $6.7 million goodwill impairment and $1.3 million notes receivable write-off in the prior year (2024), which normalized the 2025 comparative operating loss. Acknowledged that the theatrical window for the feature film 'Youngblood' underperformed, though management remains optimistic about the upcoming streaming and digital distribution tail. Identified contractual lease expirations in New York (late 2026) and Los Angeles (late 2027) as non-speculative drivers for future bottom-line improvement. Our analysts just identified a stock with the potent…Read full document

Transitioned from an 8-year acquisition-led strategy to a focus on organic growth and infrastructure integration, resulting in 27% year-over-year revenue growth in Q4 2025. Demonstrated significant operating leverage by tripling full-year adjusted EBITDA on only 10% revenue growth, showing the platform's ability to convert incremental revenue into profit. Attributed performance to the 'cross-selling powerhouse' created by vertical scale in earned media and horizontal scale across pop culture segments. Emphasized a capital-light business model where incremental EBITDA converts almost directly to free cash flow due to minimal CAPEX requirements and $127 million in tax-shielding NOLs. Launched Dolphin Intelligence to capitalize on the 'new golden age of earned media,' where AI models prioritize credible editorial content over traditional advertising. Maintained a disciplined venture strategy of contributing marketing expertise and relationships rather than balance sheet capital to secure equity stakes with asymmetric upside. Expects adjusted EBITDA to continue growing significantly faster than revenue in 2026 as the company benefits from high flow-through on existing infrastructure. Anticipates incremental revenue contributions from the DealMaker partnership and Dolphin Intelligence services to ramp specifically in the second half of 2026. Projects approximately $1 million in annualized lease savings following the expiration of the New York lease at the end of 2025 and the Los Angeles lease at the end of 2027. Targets full repayment of bank debt by September 2028, which management expects will further reduce interest expense and enhance net profit margins. Assumes historical seasonality will persist, with the first quarter typically being the lightest and revenue building toward a peak in the fourth quarter. Recorded a $6.7 million goodwill impairment and $1.3 million notes receivable write-off in the prior year (2024), which normalized the 2025 comparative operating loss. Acknowledged that the theatrical window for the feature film 'Youngblood' underperformed, though management remains optimistic about the upcoming streaming and digital distribution tail. Identified contractual lease expirations in New York (late 2026) and Los Angeles (late 2027) as non-speculative drivers for future bottom-line improvement. Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Dolphin expects to earn six-figure annual marketing fees per brand plus equity stakes, focusing on raises between $0.5 million and $5 million that traditional banks often overlook. Management noted a robust pipeline from Hollywood talent agencies and expects to be in the market with the first joint capital raise by summer 2026. The division serves as both a high-margin advisory service for existing clients (AI readiness audits) and a business development tool to attract larger brands. Management views generative engine optimization as a critical new service because consumer behavior is shifting toward asking AI models for product recommendations at the point of purchase. Management expressed confidence in continued organic growth, emphasizing that even if revenue growth fluctuates, the focus remains on expanding margins from the current 5% toward double digits. The strategy relies on three 'dominoes' of cash flow catalysts: lease expirations in 2026/2027 and bank debt maturity in 2028. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here.

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-03-26

Dolphin Entertainment Reports Record Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results

ACCESS Newswire
2025 Revenue Rises 10% to $56.7M; Q4'25 Revenue Up 27% YoY to $15.6M 2025 Net Loss Decreases by $9.5M and 2025 Adjusted EBITDA More than Triples to $2.9M compared to 2024 Q4'25 Net Income of $1.0M vs. Net Loss of $2.0M in Q4 24 Q4'25 Adjusted EBITDA Swings to $1.7M Profit vs. $(0.5)M Year-Ago Loss Expects Continued Revenue Growth and Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion in 2026 MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / March 25, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, stated: "2025 marked a turning point for Dolphin. After several years of strategic acquisitions and growth investments, we are now reaping the benefits. Full-year revenue grew approximately 10% to $56.7 million, with fourth quarter revenue up 27% year-over-year to $15.6 million. Full-year Adjusted EBITDA reached $2.9 million, up 209% from $0.9 million. Q4 was particularly strong, with Adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.5 million in Q4 2024, a $2.2 million swing that underscores the operating leverage in our model. Our recently announced strategic partnership with DealMaker, our AI capabilities through Dolphin Intelligence, and our disciplined venture investments represent additional growth catalysts requiring little to no upfront capital. We expect continued top-line growth in 2026 and, just as in 2025, we expect Adjusted EBITDA to expand significantly faster than revenue. We have built the infrastructure and team to support a meaningfully larger revenue base, in which incremental revenue is able to flow disproportionately to the bottom line and we expect continued Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in 2026. We are excited about 2026, 2027 and beyond. Our bank debt matures within roughly two and a half years, which will save us almost $2.2 million in principal and interest payments on an annual basis. Furthermore, we expect approximately $1 million in annualized lease savings to be achieved after our large leases in New York City and Los Angeles terminate by the end of 2026 and 2027, respectively. These lease savings will enhance our operational leverage, and just as with our expectations of continued organic growth and margin expansion, nearly all these savings will flow directly to our…Read full document

2025 Revenue Rises 10% to $56.7M; Q4'25 Revenue Up 27% YoY to $15.6M 2025 Net Loss Decreases by $9.5M and 2025 Adjusted EBITDA More than Triples to $2.9M compared to 2024 Q4'25 Net Income of $1.0M vs. Net Loss of $2.0M in Q4 24 Q4'25 Adjusted EBITDA Swings to $1.7M Profit vs. $(0.5)M Year-Ago Loss Expects Continued Revenue Growth and Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion in 2026 MIAMI, FL / ACCESS Newswire / March 25, 2026 / Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN), a leading entertainment marketing and premium content production company, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2025. Bill O'Dowd, CEO of Dolphin, stated: "2025 marked a turning point for Dolphin. After several years of strategic acquisitions and growth investments, we are now reaping the benefits. Full-year revenue grew approximately 10% to $56.7 million, with fourth quarter revenue up 27% year-over-year to $15.6 million. Full-year Adjusted EBITDA reached $2.9 million, up 209% from $0.9 million. Q4 was particularly strong, with Adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 million compared to Adjusted EBITDA loss of $0.5 million in Q4 2024, a $2.2 million swing that underscores the operating leverage in our model. Our recently announced strategic partnership with DealMaker, our AI capabilities through Dolphin Intelligence, and our disciplined venture investments represent additional growth catalysts requiring little to no upfront capital. We expect continued top-line growth in 2026 and, just as in 2025, we expect Adjusted EBITDA to expand significantly faster than revenue. We have built the infrastructure and team to support a meaningfully larger revenue base, in which incremental revenue is able to flow disproportionately to the bottom line and we expect continued Adjusted EBITDA margin expansion in 2026. We are excited about 2026, 2027 and beyond. Our bank debt matures within roughly two and a half years, which will save us almost $2.2 million in principal and interest payments on an annual basis. Furthermore, we expect approximately $1 million in annualized lease savings to be achieved after our large leases in New York City and Los Angeles terminate by the end of 2026 and 2027, respectively. These lease savings will enhance our operational leverage, and just as with our expectations of continued organic growth and margin expansion, nearly all these savings will flow directly to our free cash flow given our NOL federal and state carryforwards of $127 million. 2025 and Recent Highlights Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2025, was $56.7 million, an increase of 10% from $51.7 million last year. Operating loss was $0.04 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to an operating loss of $10.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Operating expenses for full year 2025 were $56.7 million, including non‑cash expenses of $2.4 million related to depreciation and amortization. This compares to operating expenses of $62.2 million in 2024, including depreciation and amortization of $2.4 million, and non‑recurring or non‑cash expenses of $8.0 million, consisting primarily of a $6.7 million goodwill impairment and a $1.3 million write‑off of notes receivable. Net loss for full year 2025 was $3.1 million, including non‑cash expenses of approximately $2.4 million related to depreciation and amortization and non-recurring net expenses of $0.5 million related to acquisition costs, debt extinguishment costs and a gain on the sale of a subsidiary. This compares to a net loss of $12.6 million for 2024, including depreciation and amortization of $2.4 million and non‑recurring and non‑cash expenses of approximately $8.0 million, primarily consisting of a $6.7 million goodwill impairment and a $1.3 million write‑off of notes receivable. Basic and diluted loss per share for full year 2025 was $(0.27) based on 11,558,485 weighted average shares outstanding compared to basic and diluted loss per share in 2024 of $(1.22) based on 10,306,904 weighted average shares outstanding. Adjusted EBITDA for full year 2025 was $2.9 million, compared to $0.9 million in 2024; Adjusted EBITDA for Q4 2025 was $1.7 million, compared to $(0.5) million in Q4 2024. Dolphin Partnered with DealMaker to Unlock Community Capital for Celebrity and Influencer Brands Dolphin's Powerhouse Subsidiaries Lead Major Brand Activations During Super Bowl LX CEO Featured on Variety's "Strictly Business" Podcast, Discusses the Creator Economy's Transformation of Marketing and Consumer Product Launches Expanded Miami Footprint to Support Continued Growth Across Subsidiaries Unveiled New 'Dolphin Intelligence' Division to Power AI-Driven Marketing and Communications Strategy and Execution for Partners Named One of Crain's Best Places to Work in NYC 2025 CEO Bill O'Dowd Named to PRNEWS 2025 People of the Year List; Company Recognized on Agency Elite 120 42West Celebrated Oscar Win as "Mr. Nobody Against Putin" Takes Best Documentary Feature at the 98th Academy Awards At Super Bowl LX, generated national media buzz for Funko's limited-edition Seattle Seahawks Pop! release and led widespread coverage of Puppy Bowl XXII, amplifying multi-network visibility and pet adoption awareness during the Big Game weekend. Landed Six Nominations for Clients at the 98th Academy Awards Brought Exciting and Diverse Projects to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival Garnered Four Nominations for Clients at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards Shore Fire Media Clients Named 2 of the 10 Best Podcasts in 2025, Including the No. 1 Pick Shore Fire Media and 42West's Clients Presented, Performed and Took Home Honors at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards Shore Fire Media and 42West Clients Earn 35 Nominations for the 2026 GRAMMY Awards The Door DISRPT Agency, a Division of The Door, Powered "Art of Glam" During Oscars Week, Driving Cultural Momentum Into Camille Rose's Upcoming Beauté Noir DISRPT delivered a headline-making moment at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show by orchestrating the debut of Bad Bunny's first adidas Originals signature shoe The Door Provided Strategic Communications Leadership for Hooters as the Iconic Brand Enters a New Era of Ownership and Cultural Relevance Elle Communications At Super Bowl LX in the Bay Area, drove national visibility for City Year and its NFL partnership by spotlighting the opening of East Palo Alto's first regulation-sized football field and related community activation Client Harbor Fund Announced Sundance Mountain Resort as New Long-Term Home of Harbor Film Forum Named Agency of Record for FDA-Cleared Neurostimulation Device Launched "The Shift," a Quarterly Report, Weekly Newsletter, and Live Workshop Series on the Future of Communications Led Press For "A Day of Unreasonable Conversation" Summit At The Getty Center The Digital Dept. The Digital Dept. Signed Reality TV Show Stars, Top Beauty Creators Ahead of Super Bowl LX, built social buzz for T-Mobile's Big Game commercial by activating creator Becca Tilley for exclusive behind-the-scenes content and talent interviews. Special Projects Had Another Successful Year of Talent Relations for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Fifth Annual Gala Honoring Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles, Bruce Springsteen, And Bowen Yang Youngblood As Hockey Has a Hollywood Moment, Dolphin's Adaptation of Cult Classic Youngblood Premiered in Los Angeles Dolphin Partnered with Vaneast Pictures To Bring Sports Drama Youngblood to Berlin for International Sales Official Trailer and Key Art Released for Hubert Davis' Adaptation of Hockey Classic "Youngblood" Partnered with Well Go USA for U.S. Distribution of YOUNGBLOOD Los Angeles Kings Joined Feature Film Youngblood Conference Call Information To participate in this event, dial in approximately 5 to 10 minutes before the beginning of the call. Date: March 25, 2026 Time: 4:30pm ET Toll Free: 888-506-0062 International: 973-528-0011 Participant Access Code: 255728 Webcast: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53793 Replay Toll Free: 877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 53793 Webcast Replay: https://www.webcaster5.com/Webcast/Page/2225/53793 This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. CONTACT: James Carbonara HAYDEN IR (646)-755-7412 [email protected] ABOUT DOLPHIN: Dolphin (NASDAQ:DLPN) is where cultural creation meets marketing execution. Founded in 1996 by Bill O'Dowd, Dolphin operates as both a venture studio-developing and investing in breakthrough content, products, and experiences-and a marketing consortium, featuring leading agencies across every communications discipline. At its core, the venture studio creates, produces, finances, markets, and promotes new businesses and cultural ideas - ranging from acclaimed film, television, and digital content to consumer goods, live events and partnerships that define entertainment and lifestyle. Surrounding this entrepreneurial engine, Dolphin's marketing prowess brings together best-in-class firms including 42West, The Door, Shore Fire Media, Elle Communications, Special Projects and The Digital Dept. Together, this collective delivers unmatched cross-marketing expertise and relationships across every vertical of pop culture - from film, television, music, influencers, sports, hospitality, and fashion to consumer brands and purpose-driven initiatives. Dolphin marketing has been the recipient of many accolades, including #1 Agency of the Year on the Observer PR Power List in 2025, The PR Net 100, and the PR News Elite 120. Follow us on Instagram here. DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Balance Sheets As of December 31, 2025 and 2024 (Continued) DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Balance Sheets (Continued) As of December 31, 2025 and 2024 DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Consolidated Statements of Operations For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024 Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures In order to provide greater transparency regarding our operating performance, the financial results in this press release refer to a non-GAAP financial measure that involves adjustments to GAAP results. Non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain income and/or expense items that management deems are not directly attributable to the Company's core operating results and/or certain items that are inconsistent in amounts and frequency, making it difficult to perform a meaningful evaluation of our current or past operating performance. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") is defined by Dolphin as net (loss) or income adjusted for (i) interest, (ii) taxes, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) write-off of assets, (v) impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, (vi) acquisition costs, (vii) equity based compensation, (viii) change in fair value of contingent consideration, convertible notes and warrants, (ix) allowance for credit losses, (x) loss on extinguishment of debt, (xi) gains or losses on sale of subsidiaries, (xii) litigation costs; and (xiii) impairment of capitalized production costs. Management believes that the presentation of operating results using this non-GAAP financial measure provides useful supplemental information for investors by providing them with the non-GAAP financial measure used by management for financial and operational decision making, planning and forecasting and in managing the business. This non-GAAP financial measure does not replace the presentation of financial information in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial results should not be considered a measure of liquidity and is unlikely to be comparable to non-GAAP financial measures provided by other companies. Reconciliation of GAAP net (loss) income to non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Investor releaseQuarter not tagged2026-03-26

Dolphin Entertainment Inc (DLPN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth Amid ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Full Year Revenue: $56.7 million, up 10% from the previous year. Fourth Quarter Revenue: $15.6 million, a 27% increase year-over-year. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA: $2.9 million, up over 200% from $900,000 in 2024. Fourth Quarter Adjusted EBITDA: $1.7 million, compared to a loss of $0.5 million in Q4 2024. Net Loss for 2025: Approximately $3.1 million, including noncash expenses. Operating Loss for 2025: $39.5 million, compared to $10.5 million in 2024. Operating Expenses for 2025: $56.7 million, including $2.4 million in depreciation and amortization. Basic and Diluted Loss Per Share for 2025: $0.27, based on 11,558,485 weighted average shares. Net Operating Loss Carryforwards: Approximately $127 million in federal and state NOLs. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with DLPN. Is DLPN fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: March 25, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) reported a 10% increase in full-year revenue, reaching $56.7 million. Fourth quarter revenue grew by 27% year-over-year, indicating strong organic growth. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year increased over 200% to $2.9 million, showcasing significant operating leverage. The company has $127 million in federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, which will shield cash payments for taxes. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) has formed a strategic partnership with Dealmaker, expected to be a significant growth catalyst by unlocking community capital for celebrity and influencer-led brands. Operating loss for the year was $39.5 million, a significant increase from the previous year's $10.5 million. The company reported a net loss of $3.1 million for 2025, despite improvements in revenue and EBITDA. Operating expenses remained high at $56.7 million, impacting overall profitability. The theatrical performance of the feature film 'Youngblood' underperformed, with future success dependent on streaming and digital distribution. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) faces seasonality in its business, with the first quarter typically being the lightest in terms of revenue. Q: Can you elaborate on the revenue opportunities from the Dealmaker partnership and how these opportunities will be sourced? A…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Full Year Revenue: $56.7 million, up 10% from the previous year. Fourth Quarter Revenue: $15.6 million, a 27% increase year-over-year. Full Year Adjusted EBITDA: $2.9 million, up over 200% from $900,000 in 2024. Fourth Quarter Adjusted EBITDA: $1.7 million, compared to a loss of $0.5 million in Q4 2024. Net Loss for 2025: Approximately $3.1 million, including noncash expenses. Operating Loss for 2025: $39.5 million, compared to $10.5 million in 2024. Operating Expenses for 2025: $56.7 million, including $2.4 million in depreciation and amortization. Basic and Diluted Loss Per Share for 2025: $0.27, based on 11,558,485 weighted average shares. Net Operating Loss Carryforwards: Approximately $127 million in federal and state NOLs. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 5 Warning Signs with DLPN. Is DLPN fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Release Date: March 25, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) reported a 10% increase in full-year revenue, reaching $56.7 million. Fourth quarter revenue grew by 27% year-over-year, indicating strong organic growth. Adjusted EBITDA for the full year increased over 200% to $2.9 million, showcasing significant operating leverage. The company has $127 million in federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, which will shield cash payments for taxes. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) has formed a strategic partnership with Dealmaker, expected to be a significant growth catalyst by unlocking community capital for celebrity and influencer-led brands. Operating loss for the year was $39.5 million, a significant increase from the previous year's $10.5 million. The company reported a net loss of $3.1 million for 2025, despite improvements in revenue and EBITDA. Operating expenses remained high at $56.7 million, impacting overall profitability. The theatrical performance of the feature film 'Youngblood' underperformed, with future success dependent on streaming and digital distribution. Dolphin Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:DLPN) faces seasonality in its business, with the first quarter typically being the lightest in terms of revenue. Q: Can you elaborate on the revenue opportunities from the Dealmaker partnership and how these opportunities will be sourced? A: William O'Dowd, CEO, explained that the Dealmaker partnership allows Dolphin to scale opportunities in launching consumer products with clients. The partnership helps raise capital for projects typically needing $0.5 million to $5 million, which are often overlooked by traditional investment banks. Dolphin earns marketing fees and potentially equity stakes in these ventures. The deal flow is expected to be robust, sourced from both existing clients and new opportunities within the Hollywood community. Q: What is the expected duration of deals under the Dealmaker partnership, and who are the typical investors? A: O'Dowd noted that a Regulation CF offering typically involves two months of preparation and aims to complete the raise within four months. The average investment size is around $1,000 to $2,000, targeting a broad online community. Dealmaker's success rate for completing raises is over 90%. Q: Could you discuss the timing for adding new ventures and any potential monetization events? A: O'Dowd stated that the Dealmaker partnership will accelerate venture opportunities. They plan to start vetting promising deals by late April, with hopes to launch the first venture by summer. The focus will be on traditional verticals like cosmetics, wellness products, and sports-adjacent consumer products. Q: How do you expect the new AI-driven Dolphin Intelligence division to contribute to growth? A: O'Dowd explained that Dolphin Intelligence will offer services like AI readiness audits and generative engine optimization. This division aims to enhance existing client relationships and attract new business by offering unique AI-focused marketing strategies, which are expected to drive revenue growth and improve operating margins. Q: Is the double-digit organic growth seen in 2025 sustainable going forward? A: O'Dowd expressed optimism about sustaining growth, emphasizing that incremental revenue should significantly impact margin expansion. The company aims to continue growing its adjusted EBITDA margin, driven by organic growth and strategic initiatives like the Dealmaker partnership and Dolphin Intelligence. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

As of 2026-08-15 • Updated weeklySource: Earnings sourceIngestion runbook