From the destiny of TikTok to the state of LeBron’s tattoo, these A-list attorneys drive offers that form tasks on the display screen, stage and past.
Revealed on September 21, 2024
Illustration by Victor Kerlow
The leisure business in New York Metropolis, similar to Los Angeles, has been adjusting to the consequences of the post-strike contraction on high of a struggling economic system. Nonetheless, the 25 attorneys on THR’s New York Energy Lawyers checklist have been saved busy serving to their purchasers with negotiating sports activities rights, inking offers for theater, movie and TV, launching clothes strains, taking over behemoths like Google and navigating the legalities of AI. The attorneys on this checklist have been chosen for the profile of their purchasers and the impression of their instances, with enter from business friends and different leisure stakeholders. Try their impactful work on headline-making instances and powerhouse expertise offers.
Profiles by Alison Brower, Winston Cho, Caitlin Huston, Katie Kilkenny, Etan Vlessing and Alex Weprin
Robert Auritt (CDAS)
Brooklyn Legislation Faculty
CORPORATE
Auritt labored as exterior common counsel on the U.S. portion of the 2024 ICC Males’s T20 Cricket World Cup, which was held in Lengthy Island. “It was a real thrill to be involved with bringing this global event to the U.S. for the first time as I believe that it represents the beginning of massive growth for cricket’s popularity in the U.S. market,” he says. And he labored on behalf of purchasers in search of to license their knowledge for coaching generative AI methods, a key pattern throughout the business. “Ethical AI licensing is the only way for copyright owners to be able to control, and to be compensated for, the use of their work as the foundation on which the AI industry is building its services,” he says.
Most shocking merchandise on my desk (*25*)
Jared Bartie (Willkie Farr)
Northwestern
CORPORATE
There are few tales extra impactful in the world of sports activities proper now than the altering possession panorama. For Bartie, chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Sports activities Transactions Apply, it has made for a really busy 12 months. “The increasing impact of institutional capital and the direction forward with respect to professional sports and sports-adjacent properties is the ‘right now’ sports business angle to follow,” he says.
Energy lunch spot “My desk.”
My responsible TV pleasure “Any episode of any season of Dateline.”
David Berlin (Schreck Rose)
College of Texas
TALENT
Shoppers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — newly minted EGOTs after scoring an Emmy for his or her composition “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?” from Hulu’s Solely Murders in the Constructing — additionally wrote songs alongside Pharrell Williams for the Might 2025 Common characteristic Atlantis, impressed by the star’s childhood. Berlin noticed Shaina Taub notch two Tonys (greatest e book and greatest rating of a musical) for her musical Suffs, and he helped information breakout Cole Escola’s absurdist darkish comedy play Oh, Mary! to Broadway.
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Ally McBeal!”
App I can’t stay with out “NYT Games.”
Gary Bornstein (Cravath)
Harvard
LITIGATION
Epic Video games turned to Bornstein to deal with all issues associated to antitrust litigation towards Google over allegedly anticompetitive conduct in the distribution of cellular apps and the dealing with of in-app funds. The three-year battle culminated in a verdict towards the tech big that would remodel your complete app retailer economic system. Past his antitrust work, Bornstein represents Paramount’s particular committee of the board of administrators in litigation in regards to the firm’s proposed merger with Skydance. He’s additionally reportedly representing three Murdoch siblings in their battle with Rupert over the way forward for his media empire.
Favourite social media “None. Not my thing.”
Carrie Casselman (Davis Wright Tremaine)
Columbia
CORPORATE
Along with companion Grey Coleman, Casselman represents The Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Membership and different nonprofit institutional theaters throughout the nation. She additionally works with top-tier well-liked entertainers and media firms making inroads into theater. “I love working with clients that really see what they can do on the live stage as complementary to other media,” says Casselman. “It’s a unique way of experiencing work.”
Most shocking merchandise on my desk “A flashlight/multitool right next to my desk phone — I’ve never had to fix something with it, but I’m ready if circumstances warrant!”
App I can’t stay with out “The WNYC App — nerd alert.”
Dale Cendali (Kirkland & Ellis)
Harvard
LITIGATION
Cendali performed a significant position in a precedent-setting determination regarding the copyrightability of tattoos when a jury in April rejected allegations that Take-Two Interactive’s use of LeBron James’ ink in its video games violated the rights of the artist who crafted them. “This was an important case for the entertainment industry in being able to depict people realistically as they choose to look, as well as for tattooed people who expect the right to control their own bodies,” she says. She additionally represents the household of William Styron, the late creator of novel Sophie’s Selection, in a breach of contract lawsuit over the rights to a stage manufacturing of the e book.
App I can’t stay with out “The Yankees YES app.”
My responsible TV pleasure “Miss Scarlet and the Duke.”
Marc Chamlin (Loeb & Loeb)
NYU
TALENT
As a longtime “trusted adviser” to Oprah Winfrey, Chamlin works throughout her large portfolio, from scripted sequence and specials on weight reduction and AI to her launch alongside Dwayne Johnson of the Individuals’s Fund of Maui to assist victims of 2023’s wildfires. Consumer Glenn Shut will star reverse Kim Kardashian in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Honest on Hulu and in Netflix’s Knives Out 3. Chamlin additionally labored with Andy Cohen on his best-selling Daddy Diaries and his new publishing imprint cope with Crown Books. Together with his palms in company in addition to expertise offers, “I’ve always had a really diverse practice, which reflects my restless soul,” he says.
App I can’t stay with out “Audible.”
Marcie Cleary (Frankfurt Kurnit)
Yale
TALENT
Cleary reps rising comedy skills like Chloé Hilliard, Rekha Shankar and Eagle Witt in the face of unprecedented business disruption. “Opportunities for talent continue to be somewhat limited, so I am often being called upon by my clients not only to help navigate complex deals, but also to think creatively about developing content that will expand their professional opportunities,” Cleary says.
How I have a good time a giant win or closing a deal “I go to bed early!”
Grey Coleman (Davis Wright Tremaine)
College of Virginia
CORPORATE
As major exterior counsel for a number of prestigious nonprofit theaters, Coleman noticed the fruits of his labor this previous 12 months as numerous new musicals developed throughout the nation, together with Hell’s Kitchen, Suffs and Water for Elephants, went on to open on Broadway.
Most shocking merchandise on my desk “A small vase illustrating the ‘seven ages of man’ speech from As You Like It, and a small tambourine used in the original production of Hair.”
Lisa Davis (Frankfurt Kurnit)
NYU
TALENT
Throughout the previous 12 months, Davis’ consumer Michael Harriot’s e book Black AF Historical past made the New York Instances best-seller checklist, and the Kennedy Middle introduced that her consumer the Apollo Theater is ready to obtain one in every of its namesake honors. However she says the sorts of Hollywood creatives she represents are presently going through obstacles: “We’re in an inflection point in the entertainment and media industry. … There are a lot of challenges coming from every direction for creative people.”
My track of summer season 2024 “ ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar.”
Peter Grant (Grubman Shire)
Penn
TALENT
Grant represents a few of Hollywood’s highest-profile gamers on each coasts, together with Spike Lee, Robert De Niro and Girl Gaga. He was behind Ana de Armas’ deal on the brand new Ron Howard film Eden and Bruce Springsteen’s negotiations with Disney for an upcoming documentary and scripted movie, and he additionally advises on enterprise affairs for David Letterman’s manufacturing shingle Worldwide Pants and former HBO head Richard Plepler’s Eden Productions. For Grant’s purchasers, AI goes to be a significant space of concern for the subsequent few years: “We spend a lot of time these days stopping people from doing things with our clients’ likenesses,” he says.
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Jack McCoy from Law & Order.”
My track of summer season 2024 “Same as 1984 — ‘Panama’ by Van Halen.”
Gregory Hessinger (Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp)
St. John’s College
CORPORATE
As a go-to labor and employment lawyer, Hessinger had a ringside seat on business disruption when advising the AMPTP and the most important studios throughout final 12 months’s actors and writers strikes. “It seems I’ve been saying this my entire 30-plus years in the entertainment industry, but changes in technology and distribution platforms will place pressure on some of the most fundamental frameworks that labor and management have used to divide the pie for several decades,” he says.
App I can’t stay with out “Fishbrain.”
My track of summer season 2024 “ ‘Saturn’ by SZA.”
Mike Hill (Covington)
Fordham
CORPORATE
Hill represented the NBA on its large $76 billion agreements with NBCUniversal, Disney and Amazon. “It is not every day that you get to work on deals of this magnitude that will reshape the business of the media industry and the way fans watch their favorite teams and players,” Hill says. However the altering media panorama, and in explicit the rise of recent types of bundles, additionally pose enterprise and authorized challenges. “It will be interesting to see how companies navigate those risks in light of market demands.”
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Kim Wexler from Better Call Saul.”
Wook Hwang (Sheppard Mullin)
Columbia
LITIGATION
After Amazon Studios was sued for copyright infringement over the Highway Home remake by the unique movie’s screenwriter, Hwang led the corporate in hitting again with counterclaims over the rights to the 1986 screenplay that spawned the film. The countersuit accused the author of fraud for mendacity to the U.S. Copyright Workplace that he’s the true creator of the script and might make the most of a provision in copyright regulation that permits for the reclamation of the rights to previous works. And Hwang has been on the middle of among the buzziest disputes of the Instagram age, representing Condé Nast in its swimsuit towards Drake and 21 Savage over their pretend Vogue cowl to advertise their album.
How I have a good time a giant win or closing a deal “I tell my preteen daughter, who tells me she doesn’t care.”
Most shocking merchandise on my desk “A custom mechanical keyboard that’s virtually silent when you type.”
Anders Linderot (Covington)
Cornell
LITIGATION
Linderot is on the forefront of multibillion-dollar First Modification litigation that may resolve the destiny of TikTok’s U.S. operations. To date, he’s obtained a preliminary injunction towards Montana’s ban of the platform and secured dismissal of Indiana’s lawsuit over inappropriate content material for kids and the safety of customers’ private info. Up subsequent: Main the problem to federal laws successfully banning TikTok. He says that the leisure business will proceed to see “governments probing the limits of their power to regulate content delivery, and challenges and opportunities resulting from the increasing overlap between the technology and entertainment industries.”
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Matlock.”
Favourite social media observe “First Amendment Twitter (for work) and TikTok (for fun).”
Jonathan Lonner (Grubman Shire)
Northwestern
TALENT
Alongside together with his colleague, fellow honoree Adam Rosen, Lonner represents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Actually Helpful Group. Along with serving to A24 plan an upcoming theater season on the off-Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre, which it bought in 2023, Lonner represents the Luther Vandross property, which lately screened a documentary at Sundance and Tribeca.
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Stuart Markowitz (L.A. Law).”
Favourite social media observe “Anything dog- or travel-related.”
Michael Mahan (Peikoff Mahan)
Southwestern
TALENT
Longtime consumer Ebon Moss-Bachrach simply scored his second Emmy for The Bear and can star as The Factor in Marvel’s The Incredible 4: First Steps, set for July 2025. Mahan additionally negotiated Isabella Merced’s deal to hitch season two of HBO’s The Final of Us, plus her roles in Alien: Romulus and DC’s hotly anticipated 2025 Superman. Carrie Coon will be a part of the third season of The White Lotus, and Cynthia Erivo will probably be contending for a greatest actress Oscar nom for Disney’s long-awaited movie adaptation of Broadway smash Depraved.
The most shocking merchandise on my desk “Sometimes a sleeping cat.”
My responsible TV pleasure “Jeopardy — nerd alert, I know.”
Lucy Popkin (Goodman Genow)
Stanford
TALENT
Home of the Dragon breakout Milly Alcock, a more moderen consumer for Popkin, can be DC’s new Supergirl and can also be capturing the Netflix restricted sequence Sirens, whereas Joseph Quinn (Gladiator 2), Nicola Coughlin and Luke Newton (Bridgerton season 4), and Chris Perfetti (Abbott Elementary) additionally had banner years. Popkin’s early profession as an expert ballet dancer, which included time as an American Guild of Musical Artists rep, has helped form her authorized work. “I so closely relate to being a performer and how impossible it is to advocate for yourself without being seen as demanding or a diva or difficult,” she says. “You really need representatives going to bat for you.”
Favourite social media observe “The Dogist. The highest and best use of social media is cute puppies.”
Energy lunch spot “Frankie’s 457 Spuntino, in my Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn neighborhood. Real power is never having to schlep to Midtown.”
Adam Rosen (Grubman Shire)
NYU
TALENT
With colleague Jonathan Lonner, Rosen has been working with A24 on programming for its newly bought off-Broadway theater, and with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Actually Helpful Group on new exploitations of his work, together with Amazon’s movie adaptation of Joseph and the Wonderful Technicolor Dreamcoat, directed by Jon M. Chu. Rosen represents Elton John for his work writing music on the brand new musical Tammy Faye.
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “Miranda Hobbes.”
My favourite social media observe “LizaMinnelliOutlives.”
Josh Sandler (Granderson Des Rochers)
UCLA
TALENT
The broadcast sitcom renaissance has been good to Sandler’s purchasers, with Janelle James blowing up on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, and Brandon Scott Jones haunting on CBS’ Ghosts. Pete Davidson will seem in Amazon MGM Studios’ The Pickup. “When he and I met, it was pre-SNL,” Sandler marvels. “Now I just made a deal for him to star with his hero Eddie Murphy.”
Energy lunch spot “Krav Maga Experts — a different kind of power lunch.”
App I can’t stay with out “Chess.com is a love-hate relationship that started during the pandemic, and we’re currently taking a break, but I always go back.”
Alison Stein (Jenner & Block)
Penn
LITIGATION
Stein had a busy 12 months working with purchasers like Meta and Nintendo, however she has additionally been chopping offers on the forefront of generative AI. “It is incredibly important to recognize that a lot of partnerships are being forged between content companies and AI companies,” Stein says. “I believe this will lead to some interesting and exciting content and media projects, many of which are sure to be pioneering.”
Favourite social media observe “My brother, Sam Stein, managing editor of The Bulwark and MSNBC contributor.”
My responsible TV pleasure “Right now, I am ripping through Trying on Apple TV. It is so good!”
Alli Stillman (Latham & Watkins)
Penn
LITIGATION
Stillman scored Spotify a significant victory in September when a choose dominated that the streaming big will not be on the hook for practically $40 million in royalty funds sought by Eminem’s publishing firm, Eight Mile Fashion, for not having the right licenses to stream a whole bunch of songs from the rapper’s catalog. Additionally part of Stillman’s caseload: Defending OpenAI in a number of copyright infringement lawsuits introduced by authors and publishers.
Most shocking merchandise on my desk “Hot sauce.”
My track of summer season 2024 “‘Good Luck Babe’ by Chappell Roan.”
Rachel Strom (Davis Wright Tremaine)
Cardozo
LITIGATION
When Wendy Williams’ court-appointed guardian sued A+E Networks to impede the airing of a documentary on the previous discuss present host in February, the leisure model known as on Strom. A brief restraining order on the mission was reversed the subsequent day. “That was a true joy and privilege, kind of the reason that you go to law school doing the work that we love,” Strom says. A First Modification warrior, Strom additionally this 12 months assisted in getting a copyright lawsuit towards Abbott Elementary dismissed and is defending Netflix in a defamation lawsuit introduced by former Anna Sorokin pal Rachel DeLoache Williams over her depiction in the docudrama Inventing Anna.
If I have been a TV lawyer, I’d be “I wish I could say [Suits’] Jessica Pearson, but probably Miranda Hobbes.”
Favourite social media observe “Ellie the Elephant, the New York Liberty mascot and sometimes the only thing that gives me hope in humanity.”
Michael Williams (Frankfurt Kurnit)
Albany Legislation Faculty
TALENT
Previously 12 months, Williams has brokered numerous high-profile offers for his style purchasers, together with for Christie Brinkley’s new clothes line TWRHLL, photographer Petra Collins’ Nike Air Max DN marketing campaign and Miranda Kerr’s model ambassadorship of Michael Hill Jeweller. He additionally represents fashions together with Adwoa Aboah and Alessandra Ambrosio, photographers Inez & Vinoodh and Tyler Mitchell, inside designer Nate Berkus and burlesque artist Dita Von Teese.
App I can’t stay with out “Trident Mindset.”
Energy Lunch Spots “Emilio’s Ballato and Manhatta.”
Nancy Wolff (CDAS)
Rutgers
LITIGATION
AI increasing or threatening prized pictures collections has occupied Wolff in the previous 12 months. “I spend much of my time advising clients on best practices in using AI as a tool, helping clients license data sets for AI training and advising clients on the ever-evolving legal landscape around AI content,” she says. “In the new era of AI-generated images, and fake news, it’s important to preserve our visual history for generations to come.”
App I can’t stay with out “NYT Cooking.”
This story appeared in the Sept. 19 concern of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.
