Our Services
Film & Television
Transactions
Representing production companies, individual talent, and investors, we have experience with all facets of film and television deal making and have been involved in the development, production, and distribution of independent films, documentary films, and both scripted and unscripted television.
We provide pre-production legal services, including entity formation, drafting and negotiating production services agreements, option/purchase agreements, producer agreements, and pre-production clearance review of your content. For qualifying productions we also provide assistance with investment agreements.* We also provide production legal services for projects that are funded and ready to shoot, including drafting above the line talent agreements, below the line deal memos, vendor agreements, location agreements, studio/rental agreements, prop/art releases, talent releases, and music license agreements.
Once a production is completed, we also offer assistance with reviewing and negotiating distribution agreements, post-production clearance review, and the creation of collection management accounts.
*We do not, however, offer or provide any Tax, Accounting, or Securities advice and encourage clients to consult with those specialists before entering into any agreement to invest in or receive investments for a project.
Commercial
Production & Advertising
Not all productions are created equal. Unlike Film and Television projects, which can take months or years to bring from concept to completion, commercial productions go from start to finish in weeks or days and require fast turnaround on every aspect of the production, including legal services.
We are highly experienced working with commercial productions and regularly assist production companies with a wide range of legal services including: reviewing agency and client direct contracts; negotiating and drafting executive and director agreements, sales representation agreements, employee and social media agreements; reviewing below the line agreements such as location agreements, vendor agreements, and studio/stage agreement; providing guild and union advice, litigation counseling and pre-litigation dispute resolution; as well as general corporate legal advice.
First Amendment
In the Entertainment Business, First Amendment issues can arise both in the context of producing creative materials and in workplace conduct. There are many common misconceptions about what constitutes "fair use" and what "public domain" means (hint - it does not mean that it is simply available to the public because it's on the internet). Knowing what is and what is not protected is critical to avoiding costly litigation. The Firm has expertise with all aspects of First Amendment law, including:
-
Fair Use
-
Right of Publicity
-
Right of Privacy / False Light
-
Free Speech/Commercial Speech/Advertising
-
Libel/Libel in Fiction
-
Slander/Defamation
Copyright
Copyright is the foundation for virtually all entertainment endeavors, and your project's success (or failure) hinges on your ability to navigate the ins and outs of copyright.
We have significant expertise in the field, providing our clients with pre-publication review of creative materials, post-production clearance review, chain of title research, copyright registration, and infringement and termination advice.
Dispute Resolution
We regularly provide clients with dispute resolution services for: labor and employment issues that arise in the workplace or during the creation of entertainment projects, including union and guild grievances; enforcement of contracts; copyright and intellectual property claims; rights of publicity and rights of privacy claims; as well as general business disputes.