Entertainment and Media (high level expertise)

Reasons To Choose Jeff Mandell As Your Entertainment, Media or Intellectual Property Mediator:

I have genuine expertise in these areas as a result of my 25 years as an entertainment, media and IP attorney. During the last 20 years of my private practice, I was a partner at Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Brown. 

1. I will save you time on mediation day. I'll understand the controversy without you having to teach it to me (including nuanced drafting issues in the documents or correspondence).  
   
    
2. I can help you evaluate the claim. I understand the language of business and legal affairs, having negotiated and documented every kind of deal over a 25 year span. Only a couple of active neutrals can say this.
   
    
3. I can provide insight into industry custom and practice. Many entertainment controversies involve actions or inactions on the part of the financier, distributor, talent, etc that aren't addressed precisely (if at all) in the agreements. I'll understand the choices you face in these circumstances.
   
    
4. You can be confident that I will present your proposals accurately, and that I will be able to answer the other side's questions about the proposal without having to come back for you to tutor me what to say next.   
   
    
5. I understand the importance of maintaining personal relationships in the entertainment business.  Mediation is the best available forum for resolving issues and repairing personal relationships. (Unfortunately, this almost never happens with arbitrations or trials.)
   
     

Media & Entertainment Business Topics

Copyright

Rights of Publicity/Privacy

Chain of Title

Life story  and other "reality" story lines

Idea Submissions

Acquisitions, Transfer & Sales

Licensing/Sub-licensing

Unfair Competition

Business and Legal Affairs

Studio and Independent 

Actors, Directors, Writers, Producers, Executive Producers (and their agreements)

Fixed and Contingent Compensation

Credits

Written Agreements – short and long form

Multi-Party agreements

Multi-Project agreements

Production

Production Legal

Abandonment/Turnaround/Reversion

Real life production issues

Exigent Circumstances

Budgets

Delivery

Soundtrack

Guilds

WGA Agreement

DGA  Agreement

SAG Agreement

Disputes/Grievances/Sanctions

Financing

Studio

Independent

Split Rights

PreSales

Sales Agents

Slate Financing

Distribution

Acquisitions and sales

Sales Agents

Component of financing package/slate

Domestic/International

Web, Portable Devices and Video on Demand (VOD)

Cable, Satellite, Internet, Broadband

Accounting

Net Profits

Gross/Adjusted Gross

Pre-Break Participations of all Kinds

Cross-Collateralization

Allocation

Audits

Talent Agency and Manager Issues

Joint Ventures

Partnerships

Corporate, LLC and Partnership dissolution

Industry Custom and Practice regarding all of the above.