Wade Layton



Managing Director, CIT Communications, Media & Entertainment

Wade Layton is Managing Director of CIT Communications, Media & Entertainment.

Areas of expertise:

  • Trends in the film and entertainment industries

  • Corporate financing

  • Senior debt & mezzanine financing


  • He started his career in 1989 at the Bank of New York, where he was responsible for leading the Western U.S. team in the Communications, Entertainment and Publishing Division. In this capacity, he developed, structured and executed leveraged financings with companies in the cable television, entertainment, programming, broadcasting and publishing industries. In addition, he oversaw a portfolio of $2 billion in commitments and marketed the bank's high-yield and treasury products.

    He was also a founding member of the Media & Communications Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Group. In 2000, he joined OneMediaPlace, a business-to-business, Internet-based exchange for advertising, as Chief Financial Officer. He was responsible for all financial operations, treasury and corporate development functions, including closing a $69-million equity round and the eventual sale of the company. Layton joined GE Commercial Finance in the Media & Communications Finance group in 2002, to lead the up-market origination effort, and then rose to Managing Director, focusing on the cable television, programming and entertainment sectors.

    He joined CIT in October 2005 as Managing Director and Group Head of the Entertainment Finance group. Throughout his career, Layton has committed more than $1 billion to film and television production companies and has served as a Lead Arranger on more than $6.5 billion in leveraged programming transactions. He graduated from the University of Kentucky and received an MBA from Cornell University.

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    Members of the press who have an interest in speaking with this executive can contact curt.ritter@cit.com .