Joseph Calabrese
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-6743
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
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Christopher D. Brearton
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-8437
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
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Matthew Erramouspe
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-6749
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
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Robert Haymer
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-6870
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
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Christopher Murray
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-6855
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
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Stephen Scharf
1999 Avenue of the Stars, 7th Floor
Los Angeles, CA, 90067
Phone: +1-310-246-6813
Fax: +1-310-246-6779
LAWYERS
- Related Practices
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Anschutz Film Group
Cerberus Capital Management
Clarity Partners, LP
D B Zwirn & Co. LP
DIC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.
DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
Elloitt Associates
Home Box Office, Inc.
International Olympic Committee
Intrepid Films LLC
Legendary Pictures
Lionsgate Entertainment
MGM
Revolution Studios
SanDisk Corporation
Shine Ltd.
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Soros Fund Management LLC
The Walt Disney Company
The Weinstein Company
Univision Communications, Inc.
Warner Bros.
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Entertainment and Media
For almost 100 years, O’Melveny & Myers LLP has represented motion picture studios, television and music companies, sports organizations, financial institutions, strategic investors, and individual talent on groundbreaking and significant industry deals. As financial pressures and technological changes force entertainment and media companies to re-think their content-delivery vehicles and to re-tool their business models, one thing remains the same - they continue to turn to the same law firm that guided a previous generation of entertainment and media industry leaders during Hollywood’s and Television’s Golden Age.
Our reputation as the “go-to” law firm for complex media and entertainment transactions is predicated on our in-depth industry knowledge, our extensive experience, and our rich tradition of approaching every deal with diligence, perspective, and innovation.
Key Facts
- Few law firms can match O’Melveny’s track record in high-profile media and entertainment transactions. For example, we represented long standing clients Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., and Lions Gate Films in their joint venture with Viacom Inc., and Paramount Pictures to create a next-generation premium television channel and video-on-demand service, and represented MGM in the formation of United Artists, a partnership between MGM, actor Tom Cruise, and chief executive Paula Wagner, resurrecting the historic UA brand, and led the US$500 million capital raise; Shine Limited in its leveraged US$200 million acquisition of Reveille, the largest independent television producer in the US; Warner Bros. in its joint venture with CBS to create The CW network; Bob and Harvey Weinstein in their exit from Disney/Miramax Films; and Soros Fund Management in the US$900 million purchase of DreamWorks’ film library from Paramount Pictures.
- Our experience in structured slate-financing deals is unmatched. We represented Elliott Associates, L.P. in a sweeping US$1 billion deal to co-finance at least 75 percent of Universal Pictures’ release slate through 2011, financing underwritten by Elliott through a new partnership between the hedge fund and Relativity Media LLC.; Legendary Pictures Funding in its approx. US$1 billion recapitalization and expanded co-financing agreement with Warner Bros; The Weinstein company in its US$1.2 billion securitization to make and distribute films; Dark Castle Entertainment in its ground-breaking US$240 million structured financing; The Walt Disney Company in its multi-picture slate financing and creation of Magic Films II, LLC; and Sony Pictures Entertainment in its multiple slate co-financing deals with Relativity Media.
- Our deep experience with new media rights, large presence in Silicon Valley, and extensive background in the entertainment industry, allow us to help our clients create new business models while protecting their intellectual property in the face of constantly changing technology. For example, we represented Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in its licensing agreement with Microsoft Corporation, in which all of MGM’s recent theatrical releases and many classics from the vast MGM film library will be available through Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE service on a video-on-demand basis; we represented HIT Entertainment in the licensing of home entertainment distribution rights (including electronic sell-through rights) for a family entertainment library; and we assisted SanDisk Corporation in obtaining digital licenses to launch The Rolling Stones “Bigger Bang” CD and back music catalogue on new Trusted Flash Tm Memory card digital platform.
- We have a proven track record of success representing various sports organizations in cutting edge deals. For example, we helped implement a competitive bidding process for the International Olympic Committee for its television and new media broadcast deals around the world; we represented the San Francisco Giants in the extension of its broadcast license and its acquisition of an ownership stake in the regional sports network Fox Sports Net Bay Area; we represented the controlling investor in the acquisition of the new Seattle Sounders Major League Soccer franchise; we assisted Univision in the acquisition of mobile platform exhibition rights to the 2006 FIFA World Cup; and we have provided legal advice in the financing of some of the nation’s state-of-the-art sports complexes, including stadiums and arenas in San Diego, Los Angeles, Francisco, and Portland.
- Lawyers in our international offices are active participants in their local and burgeoning media and entertainment markets. For example, in Japan we recently helped THINK Corp. establish a subsidiary to create animated films in Japan; assisted Napster Japan in signing up more than 260 companies to provide content for its online music download service; and represented Softbank Corp. in a joint venture to launch MySpace Japan. In China, we pioneered local cinema joint ventures for one of the major studios, advised Gemstar-TV Guide Intel, Inc., in connection with its China licensing issues, and represented a major U.S. satellite TV network with its China market entry strategy. In London, we represented DIC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. in its £105 million placement and admission to the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, and advised Ingenious Media Plc in the structuring and closing of Europe’s biggest fund to invest in unquoted media companies.
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Digital Cinema Implementation Partners
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Overture Films LLC
San Francisco Giants
The Weinstein Company
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