Lights, Camera, Action: Paul Hastings Expands Entertainment and Media Practice in Europe

November 07, 2019

London - Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today the expansion of the firm’s Entertainment and Media capabilities with the launch of a European-based team led by Stephen Saltzman, chair of the Asia Entertainment and Media practice, who has relocated to London. The team advises production, distribution and media companies and financial institutions, funds and high net-worth investors in Europe and Asia as well as US based clients on cross-border entertainment and media transactions in these regions.

“Our Entertainment and Media team has seen a significant increase over the past few years in the number of cross-border transactions we are handling and having Steve located in London will allow us to strengthen our work for our European and Asia based clients and establish a gateway for our US based clients who have business in Europe,” said Craig Emanuel, the global chair of the Entertainment and Media practice.
While maintaining his European facing practice of advising clients primarily in Germany, Italy, France and the U.K., Saltzman, over the last fifteen years has also built a Greater Asia practice that has been recognized both in China and the U.S. for his handling complex and multi-jurisdictional transactions. This expertise is invaluable in today’s ever changing geopolitical environment with its impacts on cross-border transactions in the entertainment and media space.

“We are seeing a continued shift in interest by many media and entertainment clients towards transactions in Europe, with Chinese clients in particular looking to the region for content and partnership opportunities,” said Saltzman. “Our European Entertainment and Media practice expansion combines the firm’s global footprint with the relationships and depth of knowledge our team has cultivated over the course of our careers in Hollywood.”

The Paul Hastings Entertainment and Media practice advises on some of the most complex and diverse cross-border matters, including:

a syndicated loan to Sonar Entertainment, a major independent television production company operating in the US, Canada and the UK;
the French safeguard proceedings of EuropaCorp, one of the leading independent film studios in Europe;
advising Germany and US based production company Constantin Film in the multi-party co-financing with Toho Towa and Tencent for the cinematic adaptation of the Japanese video game “Monster Hunter”;
the representation of Extraordinary Entertainment in its financing arrangement for the establishment of a new China‑based theatrical development company;
the negotiation and closing of the producer deal and Netflix’s acquisition of the film “The Power of the Dog,” which will be co-produced with U.K. and Australia based See-Saw Films.

The Paul Hastings London office has doubled in size and revenue in the past five years, and was also named “Finance Team of the Year” at The Lawyer Awards 2018, “Restructuring Team of the Year” at the British Legal Awards 2018, and “Europe Law Firm of the Year – Transactions” at the Private Equity Real Estate Awards 2018

Paul Hastings’ global team serves as business advisors and develops innovative solutions for entertainment and media clients. Paul Hastings guides clients through the ever-changing landscape of complex licensing arrangements, domestic and international debt and equity capital transactions, talent agreements, dispute resolution, restructuring and more. With deep market experience, the team works closely with the firm’s corporate, finance, bankruptcy, tax, and capital market groups to provide practical, interdisciplinary advice on clients’ complex legal issues. The firm’s global interdisciplinary team is at the forefront of the market, with savvy, deeply experienced advisors who work closely with clients to develop innovative solutions for financing, corporate, capital, and distribution and cross border transaction matters. Paul Hastings also provides a full breadth of talent representation in film, television and digital media.

Paul Hastings is a leading global law firm with a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Through a collaborative approach, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to client service, the professionals of Paul Hastings deliver innovative solutions to many of the world’s top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.