Mentors - Legal
There are countless legal pitfalls inherent in the world of film and video. Meet one on one with legal specialists for invaluable information to save you from costly problems in the future.
Mentor session signup is open to all Film, Gold and Platinum badge holders at a first-come, first-served basis. Registrants who signed up online must check-in 30 minutes before your mentor time slot to guarantee your spot. Limited on-site signup is also available for a small number of mentor sessions spots and will begin 30 minutes before the first time slot of each session.
To sign up for a mentor session click on the link for the mentor you are interested in meeting with:
Annie Lin --http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/224
Charles Prince -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/228
Dan Satorius -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/226
David Smallman -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/227
Deena Kalai -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/225
George Rush -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/223
Steven Beer -- http://mentor.sxsw.com/mentors/222
Presenters
Charlie Prince is an entertainment attorney in the film and television group at Grubman Indursky Shire & Meiselas, PC, one of the largest entertainment law firms in the country. As part of his job, he negotiates film and television contracts and attends film festivals around the world in connection with client projects. He is also the founder and executive director of both the Lighthouse International Film Festival, in Long Beach Island, NJ and the Friars Club Comedy Film Festival in NYC. He produced "Dealt Out", a feature-length documentary about underground poker clubs in New York City. He also founded and writes for www.CinemaStrikesBack.com, a website featuring coverage on international film festivals, film reviews and news. In 2009 he was certified as a Film Festival Professional by the International Film Festival Summit. He is a member of the Trustee Committee on Film for the Museum of Modern Art, the New Wave committee at the Film Society at Lincoln Center and is a board member for the Downtown Community Television Center in NYC.
Dan Satorius’ law firm is Satorius Law Firm, PC and he is Of Counsel with Lommen/Abdo. For over 25 years, he has represented clients in independent film and television including Academy Award, Emmy Award, Independent Spirit, and Sundance award winners. He frequently writes and speaks about entertainment law and was an adjunct professor of law at William Mitchell Law School. He is the Motion Picture and Television Vice-Chair of the ABA’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries. Dan has a Masters of Arts in Film Production and is a producer of award-winning films which gives him a unique ability to help his clients and their projects.
DAVID SMALLMAN is the managing member of Smallman Law PLLC, a
Manhattan-based boutique firm that specializes in media, entertainment and intellectual property law, and provides global insurance/risk management advice, including Fair Use opinions.
The firm is longstanding outside general counsel to Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE) and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR), and David is contributing
legal editor of The IRE Journal. Among other clients, Smallman Law PLLC
has represented documentary filmmakers Caveh Zahedi ("The Sheik and I"), Andrew Rossi (“Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times”) , Laura Poitras (“The Oath”), and Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight) and authors Joshua Foer ("Moonwalking with Einstein"), Grace Coddington ("The September Issue" and forthcoming memoir) and former CIA officer Valerie Plame Wilson (“Fair Game”).
Twitter: @dbslaw
Deena Kalai represents clients engaged in entertainment and the creative arts, including film, music, television, fashion, publishing, and digital media. She has counseled producers, writers, and directors engaged in both narrative features and documentaries. She is licensed in Texas and New York, and has offices in Austin and Manhattan.
George M. Rush is an attorney who has practiced law since 2001. George received his JD
from University of California Hastings College of the Law (2000) and received his undergraduate degree in English from University of California at Berkeley (1996). He is dedicated to supporting independent filmmakers, stewarding them in the business and
legal issues to make films both commercial and artistic successes. His clients include
producers, directors, screen-writers and investors in development, production and
distribution phases of filmmaking. George has served on the board of the Film Arts
Foundation and is an active member of the San Francisco Film Society. He also lectures frequently on legal issues for filmmakers and writes a monthly column on legal issues in
film for SF360.org. George provides both transactional and litigation services for films, as well as distribution advisory services on a case by case basis.
Steven C. Beer has served as counsel to numerous award-winning writers, directors and producers. He also represents industry leading film production, film finance and film distribution companies. Steven has served as counsel to numerous multi-platinum musical artists and has worked with high-profile production companies and record labels. Steven is the founder of R&B FM, LLC, a film production company focusing on producing music-oriented films. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, he established the entertainment and media law firm of Rudolph & Beer, LLP with Laurence H. Rudolph in 1993.
Areas of Concentration:
Film, television, music and publishing
Negotiating contracts
Film production and consulting
Licensing intellectual property
Producer's representations
Media and advertising
Sports law
Significant Representations:
Producers' representative, distribution counsel, Contracorriente
Producers' representative, distribution counsel, Homewrecker
Producers' representative, distribution counsel, Children of God
Distribution consultant , Teenage Papparazzo
Producers' representative, distribution counsel, One Hundred Mornings
Distribution counsel, Sex Magic: Manifesting Maya
Producers' representative, distribution counsel, Zombie Girl
Executive producer, producers' representative, Sita Sings the Blues
Production counsel, W (Lions Gate)
Producers' representative, The Matador (City Lights)
Production counsel, The Ten (Think Film)
Producers' representative, legal counsel, Strange Culture (Sundance, New Video/Docurama)
Producers' representative, Red Without Blue (Sundance, Indipix)
Producers' representative, legal counsel, The Elephant King (New Films International)
Producers' representative, Tis' Autumn-The Search for Jackie Paris, 2006 (Outsider)
Legal counsel, This Film is Not Yet Rated (IFC)
Producer, legal counsel, Strange Culture
Legal counsel, producers' representative, Freedom's Fury
Producers' representative, Things To Do (Mongrel)
Associate producer, The Untold Story of Emmett Lewis Till, 2005 (Think Film)
Executive producer, Zombie Honeymoon, 2005 (Showtime)
Executive producer, Dorian Blues, 2005 (TLA)
Producer's representative, Sundance 2005: Who Killed Cock Robin?; Mall Cop; 5th World; This Revolution; Zombie Honeymoon
Producers' representative, Sundance 2004: Farmingville; Imelda; Persons of Interest; Let The Church Say Amen
Producer with Damon Dash, CEO of Roc-a-Fella Records, Death of a Dynasty, 2005
Executive producer, Aaron Carter, Oh Aaron-Live in Concert!, 2002 (Jive/BMG)
Co-executive producer, Empire, 2002 (Universal)
Legal counsel to Britney Spears, Crossroads, 2002 (Paramount)
Producers' representative, Derrida, 2002 (Zeitgeist)
Producers' representative, My Father, the Genius, 2002 (Sundance Channel)
Legal counsel, producers' representative, Daydream Believer, 2001 (Sundance Channel)
Legal counsel, producers' representative, L.I.E., 2001 (Lot 47)
Legal counsel, producers' representative, The Ballad of Ramblin' Jack, 2000 (Lot 47)
Legal counsel, Black and White, 1999 (Screen Gems)
Legal counsel, producers' representative, Man of the Century, 1999 (Fine Line)
Legal counsel, producers' representative, Tumbleweeds, 1999 (Fine Line)
Executive producer, legal counsel, Hi-Life, 1998 (Lions Gate)
Legal counsel, Niagara, Niagara, 1997 (TSG)
Legal counsel, Drunks, 1997 (TSG)
Producers' representative, Sick: The Life & Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist, 1997 (Lions Gate)
Disneymania, Walt Disney Records, (Executive producer)
Aaron Carter, Aaron's Party (Come Get It), Jive Records
Aaron Carter, Oh Aaron, Jive Records
Backstreet Boys, Backstreet Boys, Jive Records
Backstreet Boys, Millennium, Jive Records
Britney Spears, ...Baby One More Time, Jive Records
Britney Spears , Oops... I Did It Again, Jive Records
Britney Spears, Britney, Jive Records
Gin Blossoms, New Miserable Experience, A&M Records
Now 5, Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., Universal Music Group, The EMI Group, Zomba
N'Sync, N'Sync, RCA Records
N'Sync, No Strings Attached, Jive Records
N'Sync, Celebrity, Jive Records
O-Town, O-Town, Jive Records
Shrek soundtrack, Dreamworks Records
Sunday, March 11
