ENTERTAINMENT
Caution: No Funny Business.
Jonathan has dealt with the full arc of where creativity meets commerce.
He has acted as counsel in respect of over 50 independent productions; negotiated for over 20 years with and on behalf of talent, games developers, producers and licensees (BBC Worldwide, PBS, Hasbro and more); spent eight years as Head of Legal for Ragdoll Productions (Teletubbies, In the Night Garden, Boohbah, Brum, Tots TV, Rosie and Jim, Twirlywoos, Abney and Teal and more).
From development through commissioning, to production, distribution and beyond, into the realms of IP protection, media and personality rights… the idiosyncrasies of the entertainment industry are manifold. Union agreements, collecting societies, secondary revenue streams, royalty calculations, tax credits – the list goes on. We regularly help creatives, talent, production companies and financiers navigate a complex landscape with confidence:
- Development and acquisition of content
- Development and production finance
- Co-production agreements – including multi-jurisdictional agreements
- Commissioning and output agreements
- Talent, staff and crew – freelance and employment
- Creators and key talent, format fees, profit share and equity participation
- Animation and special effects production agreements
- Location agreements, including lease and licence negotiations
- Mediation and dispute resolution
- Acquiring, protecting and exploiting content
- Personality rights/endorsements
- Music commissioning, music licensing, publishing agreements, record deals
- Distribution, including television, film, gaming and format rights
- Licensing, including master toy and other merchandising agreements, book and magazine publishing, digital publishing, trademark and patent licensing
- Associated strategy planning,
- Content compliance and regulatory compliance
In relation to entertainment matters, the best representation requires more than a comprehensive understanding of current law, more than a sharp eye for the detail…
it requires deep experience of the industry and an affinity with its people and their dreams.
“JdeM’s long experience of a wide range of content creation, production and distribution deals has proved invaluable. Repeat instructions are well-deserved.”