Dealmaking in Film & Television Industry

Dealmaking -- the popular, award-winning self-defence book for everyone working in the film and television industry -- is now expanded (with more than 120 additional pages) and updated to include the latest legal rulings and entertainment technology developments. Addressing a general, non-attorney readership, it is a fascinating, highly accessible guide to current entertainment laws peculiarities, creative practices, and practical applications. Armed with this book filmmakers can save themselves thousands of dollars in legal fees as they navigate the shark-infested waters of the entertainment business. Whether you are a producer, writer, director, or actor, Mark Litwak will help you make the most of your business dealings while steering you clear of the many contractual traps that may await you.

There are bushels of legal details in this business that can drive the creative mind around the bend. Now there is a cure. Mark Litwaks Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry is packed with checklists, contract formats, definitions, sample litigation, and advice on avoiding the pitfalls, and its in plain, understandable American English! Hallelujah! Whether you are new to the business or have been through the mill, you will find this book thorough, concise, and a lot better than two aspirin and a week in the country. Sara Duvall, Chair, Electric Shadow Productions; Production Company, Fried Green Tomatoes, Mark Litwak has distilled the essential points out of the huge and often murky field of entertainment law, and he has presented those points clearly in a way that is practical, readable, and entertaining in itself. Lionel S. Sobel, Editor, Entertainment Law Reporter; Professor, Loyola Law School, An indispensable guide for the independent filmmaker. Will save readers thousands of dollars in legal fees and help novices avoid pitfalls and become savvy dealmakers. Dov S-S Simmens, President, Hollywood Film Institute, The best overall guide to dealmaking Ive seen. Solid information from a knowledgeable source. Gary Salt, Agent, President of Paul Kohner, Inc., This book breaks the secret code attorneys use, explaining the fine print and why its necessaryThis is a guide to entertainment law that is simple to understand and, believe it or not, a fun read. Litwak explains in a few hours what it took me years to learn. Dale Launer, Screenwriter, Ruthless People, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, My Cousin Vinny

Mark Litwak is a veteran entertainment attorney whose practice includes work in the areas of copyright, trademark, contract, multimedia, intellectual property and book publishing. He is also a producer's rep, assisting filmmakers in the financing, marketing, and distribution of their films. An acknowledged authority on the entertainment industry, he has been interviewed on more than 100 television and radio shows, including The Larry King Show, National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and news shows on the ABC and CNN networks. Feature articles have been written about him in California Law Business, Australian Lawyer, and the L.A. Weekly. Litwak is an adjunct professor of entertainment law at USC's Gould School of Law. He has also has taught entertainment and copyright law at the University of West Los Angeles, UCLA, and Loyola Law School and has lectured for the American, California, and Texas bar associations. He has presented seminars across the United States and in England, Australia, South Africa, and Canada. He is the author of six booksRisky Business; Reel Power, The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood; Courtroom Crusaders; Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry (winner of the 1995 Krazna-Kranz Moving Image Book Award); Contracts for the Film and Television Industry; and Litwak's Multimedia Producer's Handbookand the popular CD-ROM program Automated Contracts.