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
International Olympic Committee
Legendary Pictures
SanDisk Corporation
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Soros Fund Management LLC
The Weinstein Company
Univision Communications, Inc.
Warner Bros.
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Entertainment and Media
For more than 75 years, O’Melveny 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 Soros Fund Management in the US$900 million purchase of DreamWorks’ film library from Paramount Pictures; MGM in the formation of United Artists Entertainment LLC, a partnership between actor Tom Cruise, and chief executive Paula Wagner, and led the US$500 million capital raise for the revamped studio, providing multi-picture production and world-wide distribution financing; 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 Dark Castle Entertainment in its ground-breaking US$240 million structured financing.
- Our experience in structured slate-financing deals is unmatched. Among others, we represented Legendary Pictures Funding in its approximately US$1 billion recapitalization. This included an expanded and improved co-financing agreement with Warner Bros., a new US$600 million senior credit facility with Dresdner Bank, and the amendment and restatement of approximately US$200 million of mezzanine credit; The Weinstein Company in its US$1.2 billion securitization to make and distribute films; 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 and large presence in Silicon Valley, combined with our extensive background in the entertainment industry, allows us to help our clients create new business models while protecting their intellectual property in the face of constantly changing technology. For example, we assisted SanDisk Corporation in obtaining digital licenses to launch The Rolling Stones “Bigger Bang” CD and back music catalog on the new Trusted Flash™ Memory card digital platform, and we represented MGM in its digital distribution agreements for VOD, SVOD, and electronic sell-through (“download to own”) with Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, NetFlix, Bit Torrent, Google, MovieLink, and YouTube.
- 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 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, San 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 on 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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Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
Dark Castle Entertainment
The Weinstein Company
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.
International Olympic Committee
Participant Productions
Soros Fund Management
SanDisk Corporation
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