Entertainment and Media

Overview

Our team of dedicated entertainment lawyers helps clients find the right strategic partners, creatively structure deals, maintain ownership, and protect their rights across all entertainment and social media platforms. We understand the drivers in the entertainment law landscape and the unique factors that propel your business forward.

Our representation includes talent, management, consumer companies, and advertising agencies. NP clients range from emerging social media influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok — who need to protect and monetize their brands— to established superstar talent and estates. We handle all aspects of traditional entertainment issues related to TV, film, live theater, book publishing, and music. We also represent start-up and established consumer companies on their campaigns and talent engagement. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, many of our attorneys served as in-house counsel and in non-legal roles in the entertainment industry. This valuable experience enables us to provide our clients with exceptional guidance tailored to the evolving media and entertainment law landscape.

Representative Experience

• Counsel consumer brands on protecting and enforcing trademarks and copyrights, as well as negotiating collaboration agreements and global licensing deals with celebrity talent, athletes, and social media influencers.
• Advise social media personalities, including some of the most-followed and highest-earning content creators on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, in connection with protecting and monetizing their intellectual property.
• Represent world’s leading concert promoters, talent agencies, music venues, festivals, and live-streaming platforms in connection with negotiating tour sponsorship and endorsement agreements.
• Assist actors and models in negotiating endorsement and licensing agreements with consumer brands, joint ventures, manufacturing and distribution agreements for new product line launches, and publishing agreements and deals for television and film roles.
• Represent top recording artists, music producers, and songwriters in connection with negotiating recording agreements, distribution agreements, publishing agreements, and catalog sales.
• Represent professional athletes in connection with negotiating endorsement agreements,  appearance agreements, licensing agreements and joint ventures. 
• Advise award-winning advertising agencies on all aspects of their business, including negotiating master service agreements  and scope of work clauses  with their clients.
• Counsel TV and film producers, writers, and directors in negotiating production services agreements, option agreements, and handling legal production for unscripted and scripted television, documentary, and feature projects.

Recognition

• Nixon Peabody has been named a Tier 1 National firm for Litigation - Intellectual Property;Media Law; and Trademark Law in the 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®.
• Recognized in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report since 2022
• Recognized in The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyer List” (2022)
• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® in Entertainment (2022, 2023, and 2024)
• Recognized in Billboard’s “Top Music Lawyers” list (2022, 2023, 2024)