As I delve into the captivating stories of these remarkable legal minds, I am struck by their unwavering passion for their craft and the significant impact they have on the entertainment industry.
2023 saw these internal lawyers steer their companies through two setbacks and a turbulent economic climate. However, deal-making and production continued at full throttle, with these legal experts charting the most effective course forward. According to Stewart Goldstein, general counsel and head of business affairs and legal at Vice Media, it’s challenging now, but if everyone can exercise patience, there will be rewards sooner than later. I find it hard to imagine that we won’t be reflecting on this difficult period from a significantly better position within a year or two.
Francisco Arias
Leading figure responsible for business and legal operations at Fifth Season (previously Endeavor Content)
Tammy Brandt
Brandt, who started working with CAA in February 2023, manages a diverse range of responsibilities, from handling all corporate legal matters such as mergers and acquisitions, compliance, intellectual property, government relations, and governance, to overseeing the launch of CAA Vault, an internal service that securely stores clients’ digital identities for their control and ownership. This initiative addresses concerns related to consent, credit, and compensation in AI usage.
Steve Chung
Head lawyer at Walt Disney Television
Janell Coles-English
25 years ago, Coles-English was a fresh graduate from law school, working in a firm focused on FCC matters in Washington D.C., when she found herself drawn into the realm of children’s TV regulations. “I quickly discovered that assisting creators in overcoming legal obstacles while producing high-quality content was actually quite enjoyable,” she notes. Since then, she has spent two decades at Discovery managing business and legal affairs across their nonfiction and consumer products divisions. In 2022, she transitioned to Sony Pictures Television where she’s been closing significant deals with producers such as Jeff Collins (“Dance Moms”) and high-profile production agreements like the one between Sony and Meghan Markle for her new Netflix lifestyle series.
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland
National executive director and chief negotiatorSAG-AFTRA
Serving as SAG-AFTRA’s leader, Crabtree-Ireland guided the union through its longest strike lasting 118 days in 2023, successfully negotiating a new contract worth over $1 billion in additional compensation and benefits. Over his nearly 24 years with the organization, he played a crucial role in numerous significant events such as the SAG-AFTRA merger in 2012 and navigating the COVID crisis. It’s remarkable that someone who spent his earlier career as an L.A. County deputy district attorney prosecuting criminal cases in Compton found the entertainment industry intriguing enough to join. “I wasn’t deeply involved in the entertainment world,” Crabtree-Ireland reminisces, “but I thought this work seemed very appealing.
Stephen Dormer
Netflix’s Senior Director for Business & Legal Affairs in the film department, Dormer, plays a crucial role in managing the legal aspects of their content creation while also focusing on broader strategic goals. He is responsible for overseeing the development of technological tools to streamline contract drafting and workload management, as well as enabling the tracking, extraction, and analysis of deal financials, rights, and obligations. This data management innovation contributes significantly to bringing projects like “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” the “Knives Out” sequels, and a new “Happy Gilmore” sequel to fruition. Dormer expresses that securing the rights for extended versions of classic films such as “Happy Gilmore” and “Beverly Hills Cop” presents unique legal challenges, but it’s an exciting prospect to revitalize these cherished characters and narratives and provide fans with more of what they adore.
Tommy Finkelstein
Legal advisor and associate partnerIndependent Artist Group
Irene Flores
Legal advisor for Boardwalk Pictures
Stuart Goldstein
General counsel, head of business and legalVice Media
Goldstein led Vice Media out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023. Although the company underwent massive layoffs, Goldstein worked with management on the transition to a new model, Vice Studios Group, with a large library and production arms. Goldstein oversees all legal and business affairs for Vice Media, which comprises the Studios Group, Vice TV and Virtue, its advertising agency. Among his deals: Season 3 of “Gangs of London,” Max’s “Bama Rush” and ESPN’s “American Gladiators” doc. Goldstein notes that one of the biggest challenges was keeping the team’s morale up, but says, “This has been a year of recovery, and we are looking forward to a year of growth and showing our industry what we remain capable of. We have so many wonderful projects in the pipeline that we’re excited about.”
Horacio Gutierrez
Gutierrez, in his capacity as a board advisor and head of legal and compliance, has once again been recognized by Disney for his pivotal role in thwarting a significant proxy battle led by investor Nelson Peltz. His responsibilities encompass guiding corporate governance, public policy, and regulatory matters on a global scale for all Disney’s legal affairs. He expresses pride in the exceptional performance of the legal teams that have safeguarded and propelled Disney as a leader amidst the advent of a new era in entertainment. In terms of technological advancements such as AI, he shares the company’s enthusiasm about merging creative talent with technology. Although human creativity will remain central, Gutierrez emphasizes Disney’s dedication to investigating how AI could amplify and refine their content creation capabilities, efficiency, scalability, and speed.
Robert Hilton
In his role as Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, this individual played a key part in the 2023 formation of TKO Group Holdings, a $21 billion conglomerate resulting from the merger of WWE and UFC. Additionally, he has overseen several recent deals such as WME purchasing BDA Sports, music agencies True Grit and Red 11, literary agency Ross Yoon, and TKO’s investment in EverPass Media, a joint venture with RedBird Capital and the NFL. He emphasizes that sports ownership remains an attractive field due to the limited number of sports teams and leagues, which increases the value of such assets.
Chi Kephart
As the Head of Business Affairs and General Counsel at A. Smith & Co. Productions and Magical Elves, under Tinopolis USA, I’ve carried the lessons of diligence learned from my early days as a laborer for my Army Green Beret father’s construction business into this unscripted powerhouse. Recently, I’ve successfully closed numerous show deals, including one for Roku’s WWE series with John Cena, while managing the legal aspects for enduring hits like “Top Chef,” “American Ninja Warrior,” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” My older brother, who also became a contractor, once shared that our father had reprimanded him for being idle compared to my work ethic.
Lori Landrew
If you’re eagerly awaiting the launch of “full-cast” audiobook editions of the “Harry Potter” series in 2025, you can credit Landew and her legal team at Audible for securing the rights from Pottermore. She was instrumental in resolving a patent infringement case concerning Kindle and Amazon Music tech, as well as negotiating deals with Mercedes Benz, Air Canada, Sirius XM, and sister company Amazon MGM Studios to create TV series based on Audible content. “My team members are all specialists in their respective fields,” she notes. “I view myself as a conductor, ensuring that all their contributions blend seamlessly together.
Scott Lindley
Before attending law school, WassermanLindley worked as an accountant at Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. This early experience provided him with a strong foundation in financial fundamentals. However, his current role requires him to consider factors far beyond simple balance sheets when assessing potential mergers and acquisitions for Wasserman. As Lindley explains, “When the primary assets of a company are people, rather than one that merely manufactures products, the complexity increases exponentially.” In 2021 and 2022, Lindley served as the lead in-house counsel for Wasserman’s acquisitions of Paradigm Talent Agency’s U.S.- and London-based live music businesses, and in 2023, he played a similar role in the acquisition of Brillstein Entertainment Partners and its associated production company, Brillstein Creative Partners.
Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon
General counselSkydance
McKinnon plays a crucial role in Skydance’s discussions to establish a new Paramount, a multi-faceted deal involving National Amusements’ acquisition and the fusion of Skydance and Paramount. Simultaneously managing legal affairs for multiple studio divisions (film, television, animation, sports, and games) and the recently launched horror label Nocturna with Andy and Barbara Muschietti, she also considers AI-related concerns. She expresses her thoughts on potential shifts in monetization strategies by LLM owners, stating that such changes could potentially jeopardize the artists’ and creatives’ ability to utilize these tools.
Chris Miller
General counselNBCUniversal Studio Group
In the year 2023, Miller was appointed as General Counsel for the recently established NBCUniversal Studio Group, a unified content brand encompassing the company’s film and television studios. This move occurred during an ongoing WGA strike, with the SAG-AFTRA strike imminent within just ten days. Reflecting on the dynamic nature of the industry, Miller remarked, “The pace of change in the last five years has been unprecedented, surpassing even the 20 years that came before it. However, history has shown us that change is a constant factor, and our industry must learn to adapt to whatever challenges we may face in the future.
Paige Olson
Chief counsel
Walt Disney Studios
In 1996, Olson began her career as an entry-level legal advisor at Disney (often referred to as “The Mouse House”), and currently manages all legal aspects for the diverse production sectors within Walt Disney Studios such as Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, Pixar, Searchlight, their music and theater groups. Additionally, she oversees teams handling marketing, clearances, rights and licensing, technology, and operations. During her tenure, she has played a crucial role in helping the studio navigate labor disputes that have affected the industry. Olson views negotiations as a means to unite individuals for the purpose of creating agreements that are fair, enduring, and beneficial to the entertainment industry as a whole, stating, “Negotiations aim at fostering collaboration to establish solutions that are balanced, sustainable, and conducive to a flourishing entertainment environment.
UnJu Paik, Lee Goldberg
UnJu PaikHead of global business affairs, licensing and distribution
Wondery
Lee Goldberg
Head of legal
Wondery
In their work on creating podcast agreements for hit shows like “Armchair Expert” and “New Heights” (valued at over $100 million), Paik and Goldberg emphasize the significant role Amazon’s synergies play in these deals, given that they are part of the same company. As Paik, who handles Wondery’s global content agreements, states, “We’ve been one of the companies that have excelled at expanding podcast intellectual properties into other domains.” Not only do they produce TV adaptations, but they have also achieved great success in leveraging e-commerce opportunities. Both Paik and Goldberg remain vigilant about regulatory updates to ensure compliance with current regulations as well as those under consideration.
Marni Pedorella
General counsel
Universal Studio Group
From a young age, Pedorella knew she wanted to be a lawyer. “I like puzzling through problems and coming up with solutions and helping people,” she says. Today, she leads a global team of approximately 75 lawyers and legal staff for USG’s 100-plus active series, ranging from the Dick Wolf-produced “Law & Order” and “One Chicago” franchises to Max’s “Hacks” and Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts,” as well as its rights acquisitions, talent agreements and outbound licenses to more than 25 platforms around the globe. Previously, she was the lawyer for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and “Saturday Night Live.”
David Perez
Head of business affairs, non-scripted
WME
Perez heads the WME team, pioneering advancements in artificial intelligence, specifically partnering with tech companies Vermillio and Loti on groundbreaking projects combating deepfakes and allowing clients to manage and profit from authorized digital likenesses. Perez expresses optimism about the technology’s future impact on their industry, noting significant progress already made over a short period: “I believe we’re yet to see the full extent of its potential in our field, but consider how much has changed even within the last year or two.” Beyond AI, Perez also brokered deals for numerous non-scripted shows, including Julia Fox’s hosting contract for “OMG Fashun” on NBC/Peacock.
Roy Rosenthal
Chief legal officer and corporate secretary
Scopely
In July 2023, Rosenthal played a significant role in Savvy Games Group’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely, marking the seventh largest purchase in the video game industry’s history. Moreover, he has forged strategic alliances with renowned entities like Marvel, Disney, Warner Bros., and content creators such as MrBeast. He has also brokered numerous deals for Scopely’s popular mobile game Stumble Guys, including collaborations with well-known intellectual properties (like Pac-Man, Barbie, “Ghostbusters”) and agreements to release it on Sony and Microsoft consoles. As he says, this is an opportune moment to seek out ambitious game developers seeking a secure, long-term home, and he looks forward to pursuing more merger and acquisition opportunities in the future.
Savalle Sims
Chief legal officer
Warner Bros. Discovery
This year, Sims played a significant role in the worldwide launch of Max, which initially appeared in Latin America and many parts of Europe (such as Central and Eastern Europe, Poland, the Netherlands, France, and Belgium). It’s scheduled to roll out in Southeast Asia towards the end of 2024. On top of this, she’s been instrumental in driving Warner Bros. Discovery’s DEI initiatives, spearheading projects like the Diversity in Entertainment Fellowship and the Street Law pipeline program partnership. She acknowledges that COVID-19 and strikes have presented unique difficulties, as they’ve forced us to reconsider what it means to jointly enjoy movies and collaborate.
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2024-09-11 23:19