9 Tony Nominations & 3 Broadway.com Audience Awards for Peter and the Starcatcher
May 14, 2012
We congratulate Peter and the Starcatcher, last night it won three Broadway.com Audience Awards: Best Actress in a Play (Celia Keenan-Bolger), Best Funny Performance (Christian Borle), and Best New Play. The New York Times announced today that next year it will begin its national tour. Earlier this month, it was nominated for nine Tony Awards.
Radio Mouse Entertainment -- principals are Jason E. Grossman and CDAS Partner M. Kilburg Reedy -- is a co-producer of the play.
Peter and the Starcatcher was Tony-nominated for Best Play, Best Direction of a Play (Roger Rees and Alex Timbers), Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play (Christian Borle), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Celia Keenan-Bolger), Best Original Score (Wayne Barker and Rick Elice) Best Scenic Design of a Play (Donyale Werle), Best Costume Design of a Play (Paloma Young), Best Sound Design of a Play (Darron L. West), and Best Lighting Design of a Play (Jeff Croiter).
Peter and The Starcatcher opened April 15th to critical acclaim including raves from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and New York Magazine. Developed by Disney Theatrical Productions, the lead producers are Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price and Tom Smedes. Radio Mouse Entertainment is a co-producer.
The awards will be presented on Sunday, June 10th at The Beacon Theatre. (It will air live at 8pm EST on CBS).
Nancy E. Wolff at CEPIC 2012, London
May 8, 2012
CDAS Partner Nancy E. Wolff will be in London at CEPIC (Centre of the Picture Industry) 2012, which runs from May 15th through May 18th. Ms. Wolff will be serving on two panels and a breakout session. Following a brief overview of the differing copyright systems in the U.K., U.S. and Europe, the sessions will provide critical insights into each of these copyright-related legal initiatives including Small Claims initiatives in U.K. and U.S., Orphan Works, Anti-Piracy measures, the ACTA Treaty and more.
On May 16th from 3pm to 4:10pm she will be on the panel - An Update on Legal and Legislative Copyright Issues in the US and Europe.
On May 17th from 9:30am to 1pm she will be on the panel The Legal and Political Framework - Pressures on the Picture Industry.
And on May 17th from 2pm to 4:30pm she will be running the breakout session Orphan Works: Should We Avoid Them, or Use Them?
The conference and these sessions promise to provide a lively and informative dialogue on these important intellectual property issues.
Eleanor M. Lackman @ INTA: Managing Your Brand in Social Media
April 23, 2012
On Monday, May 7, from 1:30pm to 3:30pm, at the annual INTA conference in Washington, D.C., Eleanor M. Lackman (@EMLackman) will be moderating the table topic, “Best Practices in Social Media: Managing Your Brand While Keeping Your Loyal Fans”. (Note that this session is sold out but Ms. Lackman and CDAS attorney Joshua S. Wolkoff look forward to seeing their friends and meeting new colleagues at INTA this year).
With the advent of social media – from Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube, to blogs, apps and social gaming– comes great opportunity to market your brand to consumers in many new ways, but it also carries risk of losing the ability to control how and where your brand is used. The interactive nature of social media requires careful thinking about strategy in branding and enforcement: a step that the public doesn’t like could “go viral” and lead to damaging public backlash.
This discussion will focus on discovering some of the tricks and best practices for helping to ensure a brand’s presence in social media enhances its reputation both on-and-off line. Related issues will be covered, including privacy, COPPA regulations regarding children; endorsements, affiliation disclosures per FTC; contests and sweepstakes; safe harbors under DMCA, CDA; TM territorial rights vs. non-territorial realities of social media, third-party terms of service, and how to enforce your rights without being branded a “trademark bully”.
(Ms. Lackman focuses on litigation, arbitration and counseling in copyright, trademark, digital media, and commercial matters. She speaks widely and is often quoted on intellectual property issues including in a recent interview with her in Forbes).
Once Again, New Life for My Reincarnation
April 22, 2012
From record-breaking crowd-funding, to theaters, to PBS, public acclaim for My Reincarnation has once again given this compelling film renewed life. After an impressive theatrical run, the critically-acclaimed, award-winning documentary was picked-up to make its television premiere on PBS’ POV, kicking-off POV’s 25th season. It airs Thursday June 21 at 10pm. Jennifer Fox’s documentary follows Yeshi, the Westernized son of Buddhist master Chogal Namkhai Norbu. Yeshi has been acknowledged since the age of 5 to be the reincarnation of Khyentse, a great Dzogchen Buddhist master himself. Still Yeshi through his teens rebuffs a life expected by others as he remains emotionally estranged from his father. We follow Yeshi’s spiritual awakening as he struggles with who he truly is.
The film was supported by record-breaking crowd-funding, its producer/director Jennifer Fox raised $154,000 on Kickstarter, the most for a finished film and the most per donor of any film ever. (Robert I. Freedman represents producer/director Jennifer Fox, and Zohe Films).
N.Y. Times Critics' Pick UNRAVELED Now in Theaters
April 17, 2012
Unraveled, produced and directed by CDAS Partner Marc H. Simon, which opened Friday, has been met by praise from critics.
"Bolstered by animated re-enactments and Bob Richman’s frosty cinematography, Unraveled is a mesmerizing one-man dive into narcissism, entitlement and unchecked greed," writes Jeannette Catsoulis in The New York Times. (The film is a New York Times Critics' Pick).
The documentary has won acclaim -- "spellbinding"... "the thrust of a Great American noir or black comedy" -- across the media including in The Los Angeles Times, in Forbes, Slant Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, IBT, The Huffington Post, in two New York Law Journal features recently, and in an interview with Mr. Simon on CNBC, an interview on Bloomberg Law TV and a recent feature in the Business section of The New York Times.
In the New York Law Journal, Mr. Simon reflects, “Mr. Dreier is representative of many white-collar criminals like fellow Ponzi schemers Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford “who have been exposed in the current era of financial and corporate crime. The film is a microcosm of all that we've seen. He is representative of these times, and I think that's the value of this film.”
Unraveled is showing at the Village East Cinema in New York, in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and on cable systems’ video-on-demand.
Unraveled was co-produced by Miranda Bailey of Ambush Entertainment and CDAS clients Matthew Makar of Elementary Films and Steven Cantor of Stick Figure Productions. (Click here to “Like” Unraveled on Facebook).
Amish: Out of Order
April 17, 2012
Shunning - family, friends and community turning their backs on one of their own, and one of their own making the choice to never turn back. These are the risks the individuals in Amish: Out of Order face. This mesmerizing 10-part documentary series premieres on the National Geographic Channel tonight at 10pm ET. The show explores Ex-Amish youths who have made the difficult choice to leave their families and faith, and for the most part have been shunned by their old communities. The show is executive produced by client Daniel Laikind / Stick Figure Productions. Join the discussion about this fascinating series on Facebook. Frederick P. Bimbler represents Daniel Laikind and Stick Figure Productions.
The Hunger Games Continues to Slay at the Box Office
April 16, 2012
Update 4/16/12: The Hunger Games becomes the first movie since Avatar to top the box office for four weekends in a row.
Update 4/9/12: The Hunger Games continued to dominate at the box office in its third weekend. The film crossed the $300 million mark in record time, the fastest to cross that mark (17 days) of any non-summer or non-holiday film ever.
Update 4/2/12: The Hunger Games continues its box office winning streak, beating all competitors in theaters again in its second weekend. The film is now the fastest ever non-sequel to gross a quarter billion dollars.
As a recent feature in The New York Times, A Radical Female Hero From Dystopia, and other reports have noted, there are 36.5 million copies of The Hunger Games book trilogy in print (a 55% jump from the 23.5 million copies in print at the start of 2012). The books have been on the New York Times Bestseller List for three consecutive years, and it has occupied the top three spots of the USA Today Bestseller List for the last ten weeks. Amazon recently announced that Suzanne Collins was the bestselling author of all-time on its Kindle e-reader.
Janis C. Nelson represents the author of The Hunger Games book series Suzanne Collins.
The King’s Speech Opens on London’s West End
April 10, 2012
David Seidler's play began its season at Wyndham's Theatre last week. The film version of The King's Speech, which starred Colin Firth, won four Oscars last year but Seidler originally wrote the story for the stage. He then developed the screenplay, and the play was left unproduced until now…
“Adrian Noble’s sure-footed production combines well judged humor with poignancy…” raves the Evening Standard. Charles Edwards’ performance as King George VI – the king who struggles to overcome his stammer and find his voice – has been praised by critics as “superb” …“terrific”…“fantastic, moving, funny…” … “bringing subtlety, understated wit and mercurial flair.”
Jonathan Hyde as Lionel Logue, the King’s Australian maverick speech therapist, is “absolutely charming” (Daily Mail). New layers added in this production to Logue’s character, family and the politics of the time have been especially applauded. “Is one lesson of this admirable production that theatre is more truthful than film?” (Time Out, London).
Frederick P. Bimbler represents the show’s producer Michael Alden.
Wishful Drinking April 10 – April 22 at Victoria Theatre, Dayton
April 10, 2012
Carrie Fisher begins a two-week run of her one-woman show Wishful Drinking this week at Dayton’s Victoria Theatre.
Wishful Drinking has completed sold-out runs across the U.S., won the Outer Critics Circle Award, and it was filmed for what became an Emmy-nominated HBO special last year. Alternately wry, uproarious and sobering, Wishful Drinking recounts Carrie Fisher’s life in a family of Hollywood legends, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, her adventures as a cultural icon after starring as Princess Leia in Star Wars at 19 years-old and how her life was forever changed. She received a Grammy nomination in the Spoken Word Album category for her memoir Wishful Drinking, and the book was on the New York Times bestseller list for 14 weeks. Her bestselling follow-up memoir Shockaholic released in late 2011 to critical praise.
Frederick P. Bimbler represents Carrie Fisher and the production.
The Moth Diaries Opens Friday, April 20
April 9, 2012
Acclaimed director Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol, American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page) returns with the neo-Gothic horror The Moth Diaries, based on the bestselling novel by Rachel Klein. This coming-of-age chiller follows Rebecca and her friendship with Ernessa, a mysterious new arrival at an isolated boarding school. As their friendship spirals into obsession and delusion, the line between reality and the supernatural bleeds together. Susan H. Bodine represents the director/screenwriter Mary Harron. (The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is distributed by IFC and opens Friday, April 20).
Sofia Vergara Hosts SNL April 7th!
April 2, 2012
Update 4/9/12: A hit with critics and audiences, the show was one of the highest-rated shows of the season. Ms. Vergara also made a popular appearance recently on NuevOn, a broadband tv venture of Latin We and Electus International. (Frederick P. Bimbler represents Latin We).
Watch Frederick P. Bimbler’s client Sofia Vergara as she hosts Saturday Night Live (her SNL hosting debut) this weekend April 7th. One Direction will be the musical guest for the episode.
“I’m very happy, very excited because I never thought I was going to be part of that TV show,” Ms. Vergara told reporters. “I think it’s an American tradition. It’s a TV show that the whole world knows, so for me, it’s an honor to be part of that group of actors that are known for their excellence.”
Ms. Vergara, who has been nominated for two Emmys and two Golden Globes for her role as Gloria on Modern Family, also co-stars in the Bobby and Peter Farrelly-directed Three Stooges movie that hits theaters on April 13.
The Hunger Games Smashes Box Office Records
March 26, 2012
“Relax, you legions of Hunger Gamers. We have a winner,” raves Peter Travers in Rolling Stone.
A host of film critics have joined these legions, helping spread the five-alarm box office fire of this first installment in the film franchise based on the wildly successful book series by CDAS client, author Suzanne Collins. “This Hunger Games is a muscular, honorable, unflinching translation of Collins' vision,” wrote Entertainment Weekly.
The Hunger Games' opening weekend box office (according to The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and other sources) took in over $155 million (domestic), ranking it the third largest opening of all time (not adjusted for inflation). Shares in its studio, Lionsgate, jumped soon after the opening bell on Wall Street.
Jennifer Lawrence, who debuted in her Oscar-nominated role in (CDAS client film) Winter’s Bone, plays the protagonist of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeeen.
At its star-studded premiere, Elizabeth Banks, who plays Effie Trinket in the film, observed "The passion of these fans is unlike anything I have ever been involved with. For me the biggest star here is Suzanne Collins, who wrote the books and is the creator of this entire universe.” (CDAS Of Counsel Janis C. Nelson represents Suzanne Collins).
Broadband TV Channel "NuevOn" Set for Launch
March 26, 2012
NuevOn, a celebrity-oriented Hispanic pop-culture and lifestyle Google/YouTube channel, launches in April. One of its shows generating buzz features international star and author Alejandro Chaban in a health-focused reality series. NuevOn is the new broadband television venture of Latin We and Electus International. (Frederick P. Bimbler represents Latin We).
Please check back here for a spotlight on more NuevOn shows (and follow NuevOn in social media including Twitter for their latest news).
Spring Film Festivals Spotlight Client Movies
March 21, 2012
Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry opens the Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto; (the festival runs from April 26 through May 6). The documentary directed by Alison Klayman, (and winner of the Special Jury Prize, Documentary at Sundance), offers an unprecedented look at artist and activist Ai Weiwei, known for his architecture, subversive art, and his calls for greater transparency on the part of the Chinese state. (For Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, Legal: Robert I. Freedman for producer MUSE Film/TV. Marc H. Simon represents producer Adam Schlesinger).
Also at Hot Docs, and continuing to build momentum after its recent success at SXSW, the documentary The Imposter is the gripping story of a 13 year-old boy who disappeared in 1994. He returns home almost four years later to tell a shocking account, but all is not as it seems. (For The Imposter, Legal: Susan H. Bodine for A&E, Producer/Financier). Also at Hot Docs, the documentary Searching for Bill makes its North American premiere. (Legal: Susan H. Bodine for producer David B. Sørensen). And The List, centering on an American serviceman and his rescue of Iraqis, directed and produced by Beth Murphy, is an official selection for the festival. (For The List, Legal: Timothy J. DeBaets for Beth Murphy and Principle Pictures).
Robot & Frank (winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at Sundance) opens the Sarasota Film Festival (which runs April 13 through April 29). The debut of writer/director Jake Schreier, this sci-fi dramatic comedy tells the story of Frank, an elderly man with declining memory, whose children concerned for his well-being buy him a caretaker robot with unexpected results. The film also opens the Phoenix Film Festival (which runs March 29 - April 5). And it has been selected for the San Francisco Film Festival, (April 19 - May 3), which will also feature Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. (For Robot & Frank, Legal: Marc H. Simon for Park Pictures).
The family drama Arcadia (which won the Berlin Film Festival's Crystal Bear) has also been selected for the Sarasota Film Festival. Marc H. Simon is providing production legal services for the film, packaging it for distribution and represents the film’s producer Jai Stefan and his company Shrink Media, as well as the lead financier Jeremy Bailer and his company Madrose Productions. Mr. Simon was also an executive producer on the film.
First Position also screens at the Sarasota Film Festival. Directed and produced by Bess Kargman, this documentary follows six aspiring dancers (ages 9-19) as they prepare for the ballet's toughest youth competition. (Marc H. Simon represents Bess Kargman and provided legal services for the financing and production of the film).
Side by Side screens at the Tribeca Film Festival; (the festival runs April 18 through 29). This documentary offers a look at the past and future of the craft of filmmaking. (The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Marc H. Simon and producer and client Justin Szlasa). And The List screens at Tribeca.
The Girl starring Abbie Cornish was selected for the Theatrical Competition at Tribeca. David Riker's film, which makes its long-awaited premiere here, centers on a young woman who takes a one-off job ferrying illegal immigrants over the Texas/Mexico border and winds up caring for a 9-year-old girl. Andrea F. Cannistraci represents producer Paul Mezey (who was featured recently in Deadline).
No Look Pass, the compelling documentary about an Asian-American basketball superstar from Harvard, has recently been honored with the Verizon Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at The San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival, as well as the Audience Award for Best Documentary at San Francisco IndieFest. (Janis C. Nelson and Marc H. Simon represent the producer/director Melissa Johnson).
Check back here as more client films are added to festival line-ups.
Mama's Boys of the Bronx
March 21, 2012
Featured recently in The New York Post and the Huffington Post, the reality series Mama’s Boys of the Bronx premieres on TLC on Monday, April 9.
The series stars five boyhood friends in their 30s who each proudly live at home with their mother. The cast includes Anthony, 35, who has given up his job at a car-dealership to pursue his dream of producing a cartoon about the guys in “Da Neighborhood”, Giovanni, 38, (aka Johnny Margarita), an aspiring fashion designer, and Peter, 28, an aspiring actor who teaches math.
As they look to settle down, some try frequent dating to meet a "nice girl" while others look to finally wed their high school sweetheart. It is not easy for them to resist the mounting pressures to marry, but the biggest resistance to their love-lives often comes from “mama” herself. “What you’ll see is a very authentic window into this Italian-American culture in The Bronx," says TLC's Alon Orstein, "The stereotype might be that if you’re living at home with your parents you’re stuck there, these guys want to be there." Joshua B. Sessler represents members of the co-producer {Be}mused LLC.
Fashion Protection: Will it Wear Well?
March 14, 2012
CDAS Partner Nancy E. Wolff will be speaking at the 27th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference in Arlington, Virginia. Her event, "Fashion Protection: Will it Wear Well?", will be held Thursday, March 29, 1:45p to 3:15p, and will address the Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Protection Act, a controversial proposed bill. Many argue it will be essential, others argue it would be harmful and a boom to lawyers. This promises to be an informative and compelling discussion.
Tropfest 2012: Now Open for Entries
March 13, 2012
Tropfest New York (and Tropfest International), the world’s largest short film festival, is now open for entries through Thursday, May 10, 2012.
Finalists will be screened in Bryant Park, Saturday June 23rd.
Tropfest is free to attend. The festival is an outdoor celebration complete with live music and entertainment, red carpet arrivals, and highly anticipated film screenings, followed by an awards ceremony.
Founded 20 years ago in Sydney, Australia, Tropfest is supported by some of the biggest international film stars, and in Australia attracts a live national audience of more than 150,000 people on a single night with live satellite links to outdoor locations throughout the country. Over the years Tropfest has spread from country to country including the recently launched Tropfest in Abu Dhabi.
Marc H. Simon represents Tropfest.
Susan H. Bodine @ FICG27
March 1, 2012
Partner Susan H. Bodine attends the Festival Internacional de Cine in Guadalajara, Mexico (FICG27) (Friday, March 2 to Saturday, March 10). As the premier film festival in Latin America, FICG serves as a rich forum for the creative exchange between professionals, filmmakers, critics, students, and audiences of Ibero-America. It is a diverse selection of international movies, including national films. Its Official Section is composed of features, documentaries, and short films from Mexico and Ibero-America. On Monday March 5, Ms. Bodine will speak on a panel that addresses opportunities for cooperation between the US and Latin America in the audiovisual area.
Big Data, Big Issues
February 27, 2012
Reminder: Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams and Sheppard LLP is proud to sponsor the Fordham Center on Law and Information Policy’s (CLIP's) Sixth Annual Symposium, Big Data, Big Issues later this week. (Friday, March 2, 8:30am to 6pm). The event, which immediately sold out, addresses the new form of data processing, “Big Data,” in which computers analyze massive databases to make useful predictions, and the benefits and risks this brings, including threats to individual privacy. The conference examines the rise of Big Data and considers how the law can address its privacy concerns without hampering innovation. CDAS Partner Eleanor M. Lackman serves on the Board of CLIP which helped advise, guide, and plan the conference --- CLIP’s marquee event of the year. Since the Board was formed attendance as tripled and let to happily surprising rapid sellouts.
American Lawyer: Unraveled
February 27, 2012
Am Law Daily's recent article on the upcoming release of Unraveled, “Get Ready for the Marc Dreier Movie”, features links to interviews with Mr. Dreier and with the director/producer -- CDAS partner Marc H. Simon -- and background on Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP.
This feature documentary about disgraced attorney and philanthropist Marc Dreier, will be released by Go Digital on VOD and in theaters on April 13, 2012. Additionally, Showtime and CNBC have acquired TV rights to the film. Unraveled was produced by Mr. Simon, CDAS client Matthew Makar of Elementary Films, Steven Cantor of client Stick Figure Productions and Miranda Bailey of Ambush Entertainment.
Just days before Bernard Madoff captured headlines as the largest Ponzi schemer in U.S. history, Marc Dreier,a prominent Manhattan attorney, was arrested for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that netted hundreds of millions of dollars from hedge funds. Brazen forgeries and impersonations branded the white-collar crime spree remarkable. Unraveled is set in the "purgatory" of house arrest - - an upper East Side penthouse -- where the Court has ordered Dreier confined until his sentencing day. (Like Unraveled on Facebook here).
The trailer, generating buzz (click here), closes with this quote from Dreier: "It's easy to say you would never cross the line, but the line is presented to very, very few people."
Tribeca Acquires Side by Side -- Arcadia Wins Berlin's Crystal Bear
February 20, 2012
Berlin/New York: Tribeca Film announced it has acquired North American rights to Side by Side, after its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The documentary is an illuminating journey exploring the transition from film to digital technology and its implications, featuring top directors, producers, cinematographers and many others. Produced and hosted by Keanu Reeves and directed by Chris Kenneally, it is a compelling look at the past and future of cinema. Variety notes the fair use clips featured in the film, an aspect CDAS Partner Marc H. Simon's work focused on. The deal was negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers by Marc H. Simon and producer and client Justin Szlasa.
The family drama Arcadia won the festival’s Crystal Bear. Marc H. Simon is providing production legal services for the film, packaging it for distribution and represents the film’s producer Jai Stefan and his company Shrink Media, as well as the lead financier Jeremy Bailer and his company Madrose Productions. Mr. Simon was also an executive producer on the film.
CDAS @ Social Media Week 2012: “Nets of Social Networks: Minimizing Legal Risk in Social Media”
February 8, 2012
Once again Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP presented an exciting event on February 16 during global Social Media Week. “Nets of Social Networks: Minimizing Legal Risk in Social Media” featured Partner Kenneth N. Swezey and Partner Eleanor M. Lackman who presented on an array of legal issues affecting the social media landscape. Topics included best practices for mobile terms of use, intellectual property issues in navigating Apple/Android/Amazon application stores, handling cease-and-desist letters, compliance with the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and more. An entertainment and informative q&a followed which also featured CDAS Partner Joshua B. Sessler.
Go Digital Acquires Marc H. Simon’s Unraveled
February 8, 2012
As reported in Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline today, Go Digital has acquired U.S. rights to CDAS Partner Marc H. Simon’s feature documentary Unraveled, about disgraced attorney and philanthropist, Marc Dreier, and will be releasing it on VOD and in theaters on April 13, 2012. Additionally, Showtime and CNBC have acquired TV rights to the film. Unraveled was produced by Mr. Simon, CDAS client Matthew Makar of Elementary Films, Steven Cantor of client Stick Figure Productions and Miranda Bailey of Ambush Entertainment.
Just days before Bernard Madoff captured headlines as the largest Ponzi schemer in U.S. history, Marc Dreier,a prominent Manhattan attorney, was arrested for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that netted hundreds of millions of dollars from hedge funds. Brazen forgeries and impersonations branded the white-collar crime spree remarkable. Unraveled is set in the "purgatory" of house arrest - - an upper East Side penthouse -- where the Court has ordered Dreier confined until his sentencing day. (Like Unraveled on Facebook here).
Update: Clients' Films Honored
January 29, 2012
As the sun sets on Sundance, we congratulate our clients whose films were honored both at the festival and at the DGA Awards this weekend.
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry was awarded the Special Jury Prize, Documentary (which it shared with Live Free or Die) at the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. (Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry, Legal: Robert I. Freedman for producer MUSE Film/TV. Marc H. Simon represents producer Adam Schlesinger).
And Robot & Frank was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Prize (which it shared with Valley of Saints) this weekend at Sundance. The prize recognizes excellence in exploring themes of science and technology in feature films. (For Robot & Frank, Legal: Marc H. Simon for Park Pictures).
James Marsh won the Director Guild of America’s documentary prize this weekend for his film Project Nim. (Legal: Andrea F. Cannistraci for co-producer Maureen Ryan).
Report from Sundance
January 24, 2012
CDAS clients’ films Robot & Frank, The Imposter, Me@TheZoo and Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry are all enjoying successful premieres this week at The Sundance Film Festival. CDAS Partner Marc H. Simon is in Park City and reports enthusiastic receptions for all our clients’ films, and other exciting events and meetings.
Acclaimed by Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and listed by the L.A. Times as a top pick at Sundance, writer/director Jake Schreier’s debut Robot & Frank is a dramatic comedy about Frank, an elderly man with declining memory, whose children concerned for his well-being buy him a caretaker robot with unexpected results. (The film has been picked up by Sony Pictures Worldwide and Samuel Goldwyn Films).
Unfolding like a thriller, the documentary The Imposter tells the gripping story of a 13 year-old boy who disappears in 1994 and returns home almost four years later to tell a shocking account of kidnap and torture. His family is overjoyed but soon all is not what it seems.
The documentary Me@theZoo tells the fascinating post-modern tale of Chris Crocker, a video blogger from a small town in Tennessee and part of the first generation raised on the internet under constant self-surveillance. His YouTube declaration “Leave Britney Alone” which has been viewed hundreds of millions of times, catapulted Crocker to internet folk hero status overnight.
Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry offers an unprecedented look at artist and activist Ai WeiWei, known for his architecture, subversive art, and his calls for greater transparency on the part of the Chinese state. Director Alison Klayman chronicles the complexities of Ai’s life in this documentary beginning with his rise to prominence and his run-ins with China’s authorities. (Legal: Marc H. Simon for producer Adam Schlesinger).
(For Robot & Frank, Legal: Marc H. Simon for Park Pictures. For The Imposter, Legal: Susan H. Bodine for A&E, Producer/Financier. For Me@theZoo, Legal: Susan H. Bodine for Michael Stipe’s C-00 and Marc H. Simon for the producers. For Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry, Legal: Marc H. Simon for producer Adam Schlesinger).
Oscar Nominations for The Tree of Life
January 24, 2012
CDAS clients’ The Tree of Life was among the films leading in major Oscar categories when nominations were announced this morning.
Terrence Malick was nominated for Best Director, Emmanuel Lubezki was nominated for Best Cinematography and the film has been nominated for Best Picture.
(For The Tree of Life, Legal: Susan H. Bodine, Frederick P. Bimbler and Andrea F. Cannistraci for River Road Entertainment).
Also, Drive was nominated for Best Sound Editing (Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis). (For Drive, Legal: Marc H. Simon for FilmDistrict).
The 84th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. ET
Hunger Games Spiking Sales “whipping up a five-alarm box-office fire” - N.Y. Times
January 24, 2012
Sales of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy are spiking, reports this week’s New York Times. When production began last year on the Lionsgate adaptation of the Hunger Games trilogy there were 9.6 million books in the trilogy in circulation. An online marketing push and MTV spotlights “added kindling” to buzz already spreading across the internet, and by November 16 million books in the trilogy were in print in the U.S. There are now 23.5 million Hunger Games books in print in the domestic market.
The Hunger Games film, which opens March 23 and stars Jennifer Lawrence as the young heroine Katniss Everdeen, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where the government televises an annual fight to the death between a teenage boy and girl.
CDAS Of Counsel Janis C. Nelson represents the Hunger Games trilogy’s author Suzanne Collins.
(Ms. Lawrence, who announced this morning's Oscar nominations, made her own Oscar-nominated debut in another CDAS client film, Winter’s Bone).
Kenneth N. Swezey at The Literary Works and Related Rights Committee
January 20, 2012
The Literary Works and Related Rights Committee meets Monday, January 23 at the New York City Hilton during the NYSBA 2012 Annual Meeting, to discuss the legal and business landscape affecting literary works, (e-books and related emerging platforms) and strategies to meet these and other growing innovations in publishing and content distribution. Kenneth N. Swezey co-chairs this committee.
The Literary Works and Related Rights Committee seeks to digest, synthesize, and establish a discourse on the intersection of the legal and business landscape affecting literary works. The Committee addresses intellectual property rights in literary works and transactional strategies to meet these and other innovations in publishing and content distribution.
Mary E. Rasenberger at CSUSA’s Registration and Recordation in the 21st Century
January 20, 2012
On Saturday, February 4, (from 12:30pm to 1:30pm), CDAS Partner Mary E. Rasenberger will be at The Copyright Society of the USA’s 2012 Mid-Winter Meeting in L.A. on the panel with the Copyright Office entitled Registration and Recordation in the 21st Century. The panel addresses the future of registration and recordation and related goals of the Copyright Office over the next few years. This will include issues raised by the registration of online works, how the Copyright Office’s electronic registration system has changed registration practices, revisions to the Copyright Office Compendium currently underway, registration developments in foreign countries and an interactive discussion of the process. This is the last panel of the day and meeting.
Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP is proud to co-sponsor the CSUSA's 2012 Mid-Winter Meeting.
Broadcastr at Dealmakers Summit 2012
January 19, 2012
The annual DeSilva+Phillips Media Dealmakers Summit 2012, now in its tenth year, will be held Thursday, February 2 at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.
Last year, over 250 attendees, representing a combined $85 billion in 2010 M&A transactions, attended the summit. This year Andy Hunter and Scott Lindenbaum, co-founders of Broadcastr will be joining the distinguished lineup of speakers and moderators. Broadcastr is a new social-media platform for location-based audio that allows its users to listen, create and share recordings on an interactive map, and in Geoplay mode, hear relevant stories about their surroundings automatically stream through smartphones - like a “museum audio tour of the world”.
CDAS Partner Joshua B. Sessler represents Broadcastr.
Meet Math & Science Prodigy Jake Barnett
January 18, 2012
After some time auditing college level physics courses by night, math prodigy Jake Barnett soon dropped-out... of elementary school.
He was 8 years-old.
At age 12 he was doing paid scientific research, and today he is a straight-A honors college sophomore lecturing crowds at his university science symposium. Jake is now 13 years-old.
To help demonstrate he was ready for college, Jake taught himself all of high school mathematics in just two weeks. (His idea of fun is reciting from memory the infinite series of numbers known as pi, he memorized more than 200 in the series, backward and forward, in a single afternoon). Jake is the youngest person to be published in the prestigious physics journal “Physical Review A” and is the subject of a recent 60 Minutes feature. But there was a time when it seemed Jake may never reach college at any age. Diagnosed with autism at age 2, Jake retreated into his own world. It was a world he would later only move out of once he began dedicating his time to things he loved. Today his parents run a center for autistic children called Jacob’s Place.
An agreement with Warner Brothers for Jake’s life story rights was negotiated by CDAS Partners Timothy J. DeBaets and Joshua B. Sessler representing the Barnett family.
Mary E. Rasenberger at "21st Century Copyright Gone Wild"
January 18, 2012
CDAS Partner Mary E. Rasenberger will be speaking at Columbia Law this Thursday, January 26, from 12:10pm to 1:20pm on a panel entitled “21st Century Copyright Gone Wild: New Terms for Works in the Public Domain, Trying to Stop Foreign Peer-to-Peer Websites & So Much More!”
The event, co-hosted by two Columbia Law School student groups, the Federalist Society and the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Society, will be held in the main law school building, Jerome Greene Hall, room 105.
Robert J. Epstein at the Midem Music Conference, Cannes
January 17, 2012
The annual global music conference Midem takes place in Cannes from Saturday January 28 through Tuesday January 31. This global conference brings together nearly 7,000 participants, and approximately 1000 companies, including labels, publishers, artists, distributors and many others from over 77 countries. CDAS Special Counsel Robert J. Epstein will attend.
Al J. Daniel on Copyright Law and Its Basic Concepts
January 17, 2012
CDAS Partner Al J. Daniel is a panelist at the Copyright Law Committee’s Law Clerks Copyright Seminar entitled Copyright Law and Its Basic Concepts, Wednesday, January 25, 6pm -- 9pm, at the City Bar at 42 West 44th Street, NYC. The program will overview the key concepts in copyright law in the U.S., including how case law and interpretations have evolved and continue to evolve in the age of the internet and emerging content delivery.
Noms for Client Sofia Vergara - Golden Globe & SAG Awards
December 15, 2011
Frederick P. Bimbler and all of us congratulate client Sofia Vergara on her Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. The announcement came the day after her Screen Actors Guild nomination for Oustanding Female Actor in a Comedy Series.
Modern Family itself also picked up a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical, individual nominations for others in the cast and also led in SAG Award nominations. We’ll be watching the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday January 15, 2012 and the SAG Awards on Sunday January 29, 2012.
Mary E. Rasenberger Panel: "The Google Books Settlement" (listen to podcast)
December 6, 2011
In March, the proposed settlement between Google and book publishers and authors over Google’s book scanning and book search programs, was rejected. On November 30, at the 2011 Conference on Copyright and Technology, a panel of legal experts including CDAS Partner Mary E. Rasenberger considered the unanswered questions that decision left behind. Click here to LISTEN to this panel “The Google Books Settlement: Good Riddance or Lost Opportunity?" (This podcast is part of the Copyright Clearance Center’s “Beyond the Book" series).
A Week of Honors for CDAS Clients' Films
December 3, 2011
The Tree of Life tied for Best Feature at the 21st Annual Gotham Independent Awards in New York Monday night. The next day the 2011 New York Film Critics' Circle Awards were announced; Brad Pitt (Best Actor) and Jessica Chastain (Best Supporting Actress) both won for The Tree of Life which also took the award for Best Cinematography. Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams won the NY Film Critics' Circle award for Best Non-Fiction Film. Also, the documentary Project Nim joined the quintet of films nominated yesterday by the Producer's Guild of America (PGA) for its documentary feature award. Only a few days earlier Project Nim had advanced in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature as it moved up to join the 15 documentaries shortlisted so far in that category for the 84th Academy Awards.
(For The Tree of Life, legal: Susan H. Bodine, Frederick P. Bimbler and Andrea F. Cannistraci for River Road Entertainment. For Cave of Forgotten Dreams, legal: Marc H. Simon for Creative Differences. For Project Nim, legal: Andrea F. Cannistraci for co-producer Maureen Ryan).
Zehra J. Abdi Presents "Copyright & Trademark Law Primer" at PLI
December 3, 2011
On Friday December 9 from 2:15pm to 3:30pm, CDAS attorney Zehra J. Abdi presents "Copyright and Trademark Law Primer" at the Practising Law Institute (PLI). This primer is part of PLI's annual Bridge-the-Gap program; newly admitted attorneys may attend the two-day Bridge-the-Gap program to satisfy all of their annual MCLE requirements.
Eleanor M. Lackman Speaks at PLI's "IP Licensing Issues"
December 3, 2011
On Thursday January 19, 2012 from 3:30pm to 5pm, Eleanor M. Lackman speaks on the panel “IP Licensing Issues” at the IP Issues in Business Transactions 2012 conference at the Practising Law Institute (PLI). Ms. Lackman will address IP strategies and protections necessary to achieve a timeline of goals for transactions involving copyright, trademark and publicity rights. Topics include grant backs, sublicensing rights, first sale issues, enforcement, quality control and more.
Mary E. Rasenberger on the Google Books Settlement
November 19, 2011
On Sunday, November 30, from 11:30am to 12:45pm, CDAS Partner Mary E. Rasenberger will be speaking at the C&T Conference on Copyright & Technology 2011. Her panel “The Google Book Settlement: Good Riddance or Lost Opportunity?”will be held at the Manhattan Penthouse. Now that the settlement is dead, what will happen next? What should happen?
Nancy E. Wolff on Art Law Panel at NYCLA
November 12, 2011
On Friday, November 18 (8:45am – 5:30pm) Nancy E. Wolff joins a panel of experts on art law at the NYCLA, 4th Annual Art Litigation and Dispute Resolution Institute. (CLE credit available).
CDAS Congratulate Clients’ Films Opening Today!
November 11, 2011
CDAS congratulates our clients on their films opening today. Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, Brazil’s highest-grossing domestic film and its Oscar bet for Best Foreign Film, opens today in the U.S.
Also Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss opens today in limited release. The Rum Diary starring Johnny Depp, which opened in the U.S. a week ago, has its U.K. opening today. And Immortals opens across the country today including in 3-D.
(For Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, Legal: Susan H. Bodine for director Jose Padilha. -- For Into the Abyss, Legal: Marc H. Simon for Creative Differences. -- For The Rum Diary, Legal: Marc H. Simon for FilmDistrict. -- For Immortals, Legal: Susan H. Bodine for Universal International).
Mary E. Rasenberger at Anti-Piracy Summit
November 11, 2011
Tuesday November 15 from 9:45am to 10:30am, Mary E. Rasenberger will speak on the panel “Around the World: Recap of Recent Legislative Efforts” at The Anti-Piracy and Content Protection Summit in Sentry Center, NYC. (The entire festival runs November 14-16th). Topics include updates on the pending Protect IP Act, new international regulatory proposals, and international ip support.
Mary E. Rasenberger Speaks on Righthaven at IPLJ
November 10, 2011
On Friday November 11, from 9:30am to 3:45pm, CDAS Partner Mary E. Rasenberger will speak at the 2011 IPLJ at a Fordham School of Law conference, “IP Bullying or Proactive Enforcement?” about the Righthaven cases.
Eleanor M. Lackman – The New Frontier: Clouds
November 10, 2011
Eleanor M. Lackman speaks on a panel entitled “The New Frontier: Clouds” as part of the 23rd Annual North American Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property Law Conference in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on November 12. This plenary, the closing panel of the conference, focuses on cloud-based media and how to navigate the web of IP, business and legal concerns in this rapidly evolving frontier.
Jennifer Fox’s My Reincarnation In Theaters
November 10, 2011
The critically-acclaimed documentary My Reincarnation is now in theaters in New York, poised to expand to other markets. Jennifer Fox’s documentary follows Yeshi, the Westernized son of Buddhist master Chogal Namkhai Norbu. Yeshi has been acknowledged since the age of 5 to be the reincarnation of Khyentse, a great Dzogchen Buddhist master himself. Still Yeshi through his teens rebuffs a life expected by others as he remains emotionally estranged from his father. This award-winning film traces Yeshi’s spiritual awakening as he struggles with who he truly is. (Legal: Robert I. Freedman for director/producer Jennifer Fox, and Zohe Films).
Andrea F. Cannistraci at Stock Footage: Creative Uses, Licensing and Fair Use at PIIP
November 10, 2011
"Stock Footage: Creative Uses, Licensing and Fair Use", an educational event co-hosted by the Parsons Institute for Intellectual Property (PIIP) and the Association of Commercial Stock Footage Licensors (ACSIL), was a great success. Panelists, including Andrea F. Cannistraci, spoke November 3 about the use of stock footage to produce content across media, the creative and legal opportunities and limitations inherent in using stock footage and the practical issues of licensing, clearances and the applicability of Fair Use doctrine. ACSIL is a non-profit association dedicated to promoting and advancing the professional interests of the stock footage industry. The Parsons Institute for Intellectual Property at The New School focuses on the intersections between intellectual property, ownership, expression, culture and media in the 21st Century.
Spreecast Launches Today!
November 10, 2011
We congratulate Spreecast -- a social video platform that lets people broadcast together -- on its launch today. Marc H. Simon was pleased to be one of the inaugural Spreecasts as he was interviewed by Spreecast founder Jeff Fluhr about Unraveled, the 2011 documentary produced and directed by Mr. Simon and co-produced by CDAS client Stick Figure Productions.
Mobcaster Launches Today!
November 10, 2011
Mobcaster, a crowd-funding platform / online television channel launches today. Mobcaster pioneers an innovative way to discover and watch new television shows. This site allows TV creators to pitch their show ideas directly to the audience who then have the chance to choose what gets made. If audience members like the concept, they can pledge directly to the shows they want to see and if there is enough support, the show is produced. Fresh, talented writers and producers now have a platform to build their audience who then return to watch original, independent, audience-supported television programming. (Legal: Andrea F. Cannistraci and Joshua B. Sessler).
Kenneth N. Swezey @ Storyworld
November 3, 2011
Kenneth N. Swezey spoke on a panel discussing how to structure deals for transmedia properties at Storyworld in San Francisco on November 1st, the conference for multiplatform storytelling that reaches audiences across all platforms, from films, to books, games, social media and much more. The well-received panel “Pitching and Selling Your Idea – Challenges and Parameters” covered a host of challenges encountered in this emerging digital content format from initial pitching and steering your intellectual property from idea to execution, including deal structuring, leveraging new contracts and many strategies to develop your IP in conjunction with publishers, digital media producers, and studios involved in transmedia projects.
DOC NYC features Unraveled, First Position, Into the Abyss, No Look Pass and On Being There with Richard Leacock
October 20, 2011
Unraveled screens at DOC NYC November 5th and 9th. Directed and produced by CDAS Partner Marc H. Simon (After Innocence, Nursery University) and co-produced by Frederick P. Bimbler's client Stick Figure Productions, Unraveled is an intimate portrait of Marc Dreier, a prominent Manhattan attorney, arrested for orchestrating a massive fraud scheme that netted hundreds of millions of dollars from hedge funds. Interwoven with flashbacks, Unraveled is set in the "purgatory" of house arrest -- an upper East Side penthouse -- where the Court has ordered Dreier confined until his sentencing day.
First Position also screens November 5th at DOC NYC. Directed and produced by Bess Kargman, this documentary follows six aspiring dancers (ages 9-19) as they prepare for the ballet's toughest youth competition. The film has enjoyed raves from critics including in Variety.
Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss will open DOC NYC on November 2nd. Co-produced by CDAS client Creative Differences, this documentarytakes us inside a Texas prison to meet inmates convicted of triple homicide. Mr. Simon has handled the legal services and negotiations for the distribution of both films and has also handled the financing and production for First Position. North American distribution rights forInto the Abyss as well as First Position have been picked up bySundance Selects, a sister company of IFC Films, which enjoyed solid success with Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. (Mr. Simon also provided legal counsel for the distribution of Dreams as well).
Opening DOC NYC’s Tribute to Richard Leacock on November 4th is Jane Weiner’s work-in-progress On Being There with Richard Leacock. In this intimate portrait of documentarian Richard Leacock, Director Jane Weiner draws upon footage that she’s shot over 38 years of Leacock’s encounters with other master filmmakers and artists. The film includes footage from his classic films and never-before-seen segments from his personal archives. Ms. Weiner is represented by CDAS’ Robert I. Freedman.
Melissa Johnson's award-winning documentary, No Look Pass will make its East Coast debut at Doc NYC on November 5th and 7th. The film follows Harvard basketball superstar Emily Tay, who struggles to balance the rigors of playing for a professional basketball team in Germany while trying to maintain a relationship with her conservative Burmese-American immigrant parents, and gains the courage to “come out” in her lesbian relationship with a U.S. servicewoman on the cusp of the demise of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. Winner of the Special Programming Award for Freedom at LA's Outfest, it has been hailed as a “A masterful piece of documentary filmmaking… the most honest show of a lifetime.” CDAS’ Janis Nelson represents No Look Passdirector/producer Melissa Johnson and production company High Hip Productions.
CDAS is proud to once again co-sponsor DOC NYC.
Jim Harrison’s Novel The Great Leader on NYT Bestsellers List
October 20, 2011
Hitting the New York Times Bestsellers List this week, Jim Harrison’s newest novel The Great Leader finds his aging protagonist, Sunderson, hunting a cult leader. Pete Dexter in the New York Times writes, “it carbonates page after page. You might go so far as to compare it to Joe DiMaggio’s 56-page hitting streak.”… “30 odd books down the road and you can still feel the excitement every time he (Harrison) pulls something out of his ear, which pretty much happens on every page he writes.”… “Jim Harrison can break all the rules he wants and come out smelling like a rose.” J. Stephen Sheppard represents Mr. Harrison.
The Brisket Book: A Love Story with Recipes
October 20, 2011
Food writer, cookbook author, and brisket zealot Stephanie Pierson’s The Brisket Book: A Love Story with Recipes is now available in hardcover and e-book. "Some foods will improve your meal, your mood, your day, your buttered noodles. Brisket will improve your life,” Ms. Pierson declares. From Scandinavian Aquavit Brisket, to a Barbecued Brisket Sandwiches with Firecracker Sauce, to a vegetarian Seitan Brisket, there are recipes for every taste and occasion. “Brisket is a cross-cultural wonder,” Ms. Pierson writes, “a Jewish dish cooked in a Dutch oven with a Sicilian sauce served in North Dakota.” J. Stephen Sheppard represents Ms. Pierson.
CDAS Client NDI Gets Its Own Stage
October 16, 2011
For 35 years, CDAS client The National Dance Institute (NDI) has rented and borrowed space as it brought performance and arts education to thousands of New York City public school students, but last Tuesday a ribbon cutting ceremony opened NDI’s new home, in what was formerly P.S. 90 Public School, in Harlem. “I think of the center as a crucible of learning and the arts,” said Mr. d’Amboise, 77, founder of NDI and the subject of “He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’,” which won the 1983 Oscar for best feature documentary. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other dignitaries were on hand for the ribbon-cutting. CDAS’ Robert I. Freedman, who represents Mr. D’Amboise and NDI, has been an NDI Board Member for 12 years and was chair of the committee that financed, acquired and built the new facility.
Wishful Drinking’s Chicago Run Opens to Raves
October 5, 2011
Hot off two Emmy nominations for the filmed HBO special of her Broadway one-woman live performance, Wishful Drinking, Carrie Fisher’s Chicago run has opened to raves.
Chris Jones in the Chicago Tribune writes: “It's a savvy highlight of an extraordinarily well-constructed solo show: as shrewd and arresting and deliciously meta, a celebrity solo confessional as you are ever likely to see…”. And from the Chicago Stage Review: “Her banter with the audience is delightfully funny, confident and as fearless as her personal exposé… She is having a great time at her own expense and she creates a wonderfully intelligent, profoundly personal and extremely entertaining evening in the process.” Frederick P. Bimbler represents Carrie Fisher and the live-stage show.
Eleanor M. Lackman Named to INTA’s Internet Committee
October 5, 2011
Eleanor M. Lackman has been appointed to INTA’s Internet Committeefor the 2012-2013 term. The International Trademark Association (INTA) is an organization of several thousands of members from over 190 countries. Its Internet Committee advises INTA on policies and advocacy related to trademarks and the internet including domain name issues and matters involving general online trademark use. “It is an honor to be selected to join leading trademark practitioners from law firms, technology companies and other major corporations from around the world, to discuss and advise on legal and policy issues that will impact trademark owners and online trademark use in particular,” Ms. Lackman reports.
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within is Brazil’s Oscar Bet
October 4, 2011
Director José Padilha's Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (Tropa de Elite 2), Brazil’s submission for the 84th Academy Awards, opens November 11 in the U.S. This gritty crime thriller, (which passed its predecessor Elite Squad as Brazil’s most successful movie of all time), uncovers a far-ranging web of corruption amongst the special military police assigned to clean up the crime-ridden favelas of Rio. Next up, Mr. Padhila helms the re-boot of Robocop. Susan H. Bodine represents Mr. Padilha and provided production and distribution legal services for the film.
Mary E. Rasenberger (at left) and Eleanor M. Lackman (at right)
CDAS Brings In Two New Partners to Expand Its Copyright, Trademark & Digital Media Practice
September 26, 2011
Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP is expanding its digital media and intellectual property practice with strategic hires of two well-known attorneys in the copyright and trademark fields, Mary E. Rasenberger and Eleanor M. Lackman, who have joined the firm, each as a partner. (PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE).
Also, Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP is pleased to announce:
- Matthew A. Kaplan and Joshua B. Sessler have been promoted to partner.
- David E. Ashley and Joshua S. Wolkoff have joined the firm as associates.
- Janis C. Nelson joins the firm as Of Counsel in the firm’s Beverly Hills Office.
Motherhood Out Loud & The Fartiste
September 21, 2011
Motherhood Out Loud, (now in previews, opening October 4, Off-Broadway), is a new play about modern parenthood made up of scenes and monologues from celebrated American writers. M. Kilburg Reedy represents Susan Rose and Joan Stein, the co-conceivers. Also, The Fartiste, a new musical comedy, begins previews October 13 and opens October 27, Off-Broadway. With book by Charles Schulman and music and lyrics by Michael Roberts, the show is based on the strange but true story of a famed late-19th century Parisian music hall performer with an unusual talent. M. Kilburg Reedy represents composer/lyricist Michael Roberts and producing entity The Schulberts.
Relatively Speaking Now in Previews
September 20, 2011
Relatively Speaking, a comedy made up of one-act plays by Ethan Coen, Woody Allen and Elaine May, began previews September 20 and opens October 20 on Broadway. Frequent Coen Brothers collaborator John Turturro directs the cast which includes Julie Kavner. Each of the three one-acts follows a different branch of a single family tree. Timothy J. DeBaets represents Edward Walson, the co-producer of Relatively Speaking. (Mr. Walson is also an independent film producer (City Island) and cable television owner, he and his family own Service Electric Cable TV systems).
Timothy J. DeBaets & Robert I. Freedman: Super Lawyers
September 20, 2011
Timothy J. DeBaets has been named a Super Lawyer, and for the sixth year in a row, Robert I. Freedman has been named a Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas; the selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Super Lawyers magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is also published as a special section in leading city and regional magazines.
Client FilmDistrict’s Drive Owns the Road
September 19, 2011
Just as the race for audiences' and critics' summer winner seemed at its end, CDAS client FilmDistrict’s Drive is pulling to the front. Hot off its Cannes’ Best Director honors for Nicholas Winding Refn, Drive wound through last week’s Toronto International Film Festival with a boost of excitement. Since opening across the country last Friday, the film is generating broad critical heat right off the starting line. This high-octane action-drama stars Ryan Gosling as a wheelman who drives movie stunts by day and a getaway car by night. Marc H. Simon, who represents FilmDistrict, congratulates his client as their winning streak continues in "over Drive".
Toronto Film Festival: Into the Abyss & First Position
September 19, 2011
Werner Herzog’s Into the Abyss opened at the Toronto International Film Festival. (The ten-day festival ended this last weekend). The documentary takes us inside a Texas prison to meet inmates convicted of triple homicide. And First Position premiered at Toronto. Directed and produced by Bess Kargman, this documentary follows six aspiring dancers (ages 9-19) as they prepare for the ballet world's toughest youth competition. The film has enjoyed raves from critics including Variety. Marc H. Simon is handling the legal services and negotiations for the distribution of both films and has also handled the financing and production for First Position.
Variety reports that following the standing ovation for First Position, buyers were “immediately on the phone” and that the film “looks like this year’s Spellbound.”
North American distribution rights for Into the Abyss have already been picked up by Sundance Selects, a sister company of IFC Films, which enjoyed solid success with Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams.(Mr. Simon also provided legal counsel for the distribution of Dreams as well).
Congratulations to Our Emmy-Nominated Clients
September 18, 2011
Frederick P. Bimbler’s client Sofia Vergara was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress for a Comedy Series, for her work in Modern Family.
Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking (HBO) was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special (and the show also picked up a nomination for Outstanding Picture Editing for a Special). Mr. Bimbler represents Carrie Fisher and the live-stage show currently on tour in North America.
Stand Up To Cancer was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special. Stephen Sheppard, with assistance from Andrea Cannistraci and Robert Epstein, represents Stand Up To Cancer.
Smash His Camera (HBO) directed by Leon Gast was nominated for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. Marc H. Simon was production and distribution counsel.
Robert Freedman’s client Jerry Foley was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Series for his work on The Late Show with David Letterman.
The Pee-Wee Herman Show On Broadway (HBO) was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special. CDAS Partner M. Kilburg Reedy co-produced the Broadway show.
CDAS a Founding Member of Copyright Alliance’s Legal Advisory Board
August 9, 2011
Washington, August 9, 2011 - The Copyright Alliance announced the establishment of a Legal Advisory Board that includes CDAS as a founding Advisory Board member. Committed to promoting the cultural and economic benefits of copyright, the Copyright Alliance brings together a broad panoply of parties, from artists’ unions to major publishers. Its Legal Advisory Board will work with the Alliance and its membership to advance copyright strategy and develop a variety of projects and programs, including providing assistance to individual artists and creators, hosting educational events and webinars, expanding work with law schools and young lawyers, and contributing writing and research.
