If your only exposure to TikTok is seeing the occasional funny video pop up on Facebook or watching your nieces studiously rehearse one of Charli D’Amelio’s signature dances, then you could be forgiven for wondering what all of the fuss about a potential ban is about. Likewise, if you’ve heard of Fortnite but you have

1. AB5 Brings Uncertainty: The new California Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) became effective on January 1, 2020. Originally created to codify the California Supreme Court’s decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles (2018) 4 Cal.5th 903 (Dynamex), and to address the increase of misclassification of workers as independent contractors, the

The videogame industry is now the most profitable individual sector of entertainment, having experienced exponential growth over the past forty years. Great games can quickly generate a large and unusually engaged fanbase, and as a result it could be argued that games will be the single biggest source of major entertainment brands for the foreseeable

The market for unscripted podcasts –from true crime, to sex and relationships, to sports and pop culture – is exploding. With top podcasts bringing in five figures in revenue per episode and opening the door to multiple ancillary opportunities including merchandise and live touring, what do podcast producers need to know to protect themselves and

The homogenous nature of Hollywood’s output has been a source of frustration for some time, especially taking into consideration that the stories it has been telling (largely told from a white, cis male, heterosexual, US-centric point of view) do not reflect the composition of the world or its audience. The entertainment business has made some

Don’t Negotiate Your Own Deals. In an ideal world, you would never negotiate your own deals. The first reason for this is obvious – if you’re a creative or an executive, you have to operate in multiple different capacities and wear a lot of different hats. An experienced professional negotiator – whether lawyer or agent

A major trend over the past fifteen years has been the evolution of major sports teams into true media companies. Whereas previously sports teams’ media presence was limited to appearances during live games on broadcast television, today’s top teams, from Real Madrid and Manchester United to the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, are creating

The explosion of the professional eSports industry has created significant commercial opportunities for teams and individual players alike. As viewership for tournaments and online livestreams increases, and leading eSports personalities grow impressive social media footprints, eSports is increasingly perceived by certain brands as an important component in their marketing, social media and outreach strategy –

It’s a tale almost as old as Hollywood itself. A new movie comes out and garners some attention and commercial success and, before the first profit participation checks have been mailed (and even if the movie never turns a profit), a lawsuit has been filed alleging that some element of the movie was stolen from

By Simon N. Pulman Consumption of online video continues to grow at a rapid pace. Online video ad revenue is projected to reach nearly $5 billion in 2016, while premium streaming video distributors including Netflix, Hulu Plus and Yahoo are stepping up their licensing and commissioning of original content. Most industry observers believe that online