Trey Parker and Matt Stone form new studio

NEW YORK, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Trey Parker and Matt Stone, co-creators of TV's "South Park" and Broadway's "The Book of Mormon," say they have teamed up to form their own studio.

"Having worked with several different studios over the years, we came to realize that our favorite people in the world are ourselves," Parker and Stone said in a joint statement Monday. "We hope to work with ourselves for a long time and are excited to now work with ourselves in a much greater capacity."

The Raine Group, which describes itself as "a boutique merchant bank focused exclusively on entertainment, digital media and sports," will take a minority stake in Parker and Stone's Important Studios, providing advisory services as well as financing for future projects.

"Trey and Matt are unique content creators, having built two iconic global media brands. They have established themselves as thought leaders in the entertainment and digital world while at the same time using satire to make their audience aware of critical social issues," said Joe Ravitch, co-founder of the Raine Group.