Six Barnes & Thornburg Attorneys Featured in Variety’s 2019 Legal Impact Report

LOS ANGELES – Variety magazine has named six Barnes & Thornburg entertainment, media and sports attorneys to its 2019 Legal Impact Report, a prestigious annual list that highlights the leading attorneys in the media and entertainment industries. The report includes practice group chair Jason M. Karlov and partners Carolyn Hunt, Rebekah Prince, Stephen Weizenecker, Bryan Thompson and Scott Witlin.

Karlov is featured for his work in music and live events, and his representation of Bob Dylan. At Barnes & Thornburg, he represents a variety of clients in the music, entertainment, live events, advertising and technology industries. Other clients include artists, such as Michael Bolton, T Bone Burnett, The Grateful Dead catalog, and Rufus Wainwright, as well as state of the art companies that work and invest in entertainment and technology such as “Crew” by True Rowing, as well as with respect to well-known brands such as the National Football League and the Olympic Games.

Hunt is lauded for her work advising on film, television and digital media, specifically for her representation of City National Bank in its production financings and MUFG Union Bank in its prints-and-advertising financings. She is a partner in the Los Angeles office and advises investors on media finance, entertainment transactions and distribution matters.

Prince is recognized for her work in sports, entertainment, media and corporate transactions and the representation of clients including Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook and Robert Herjavec. She is a partner in the Los Angeles office and represents buyers, sellers and investment advisors in connection with financings, mergers and acquisitions of private and public companies.

Weizenecker, a partner in the firm’s Atlanta office was featured for his accomplishments in production incentives, film, TV and video games. He was also recognized for his representation of Viacom, NBCUniversal and Ubisoft. At Barnes & Thornburg, he serves as counsel on tax incentives and financing for film, television and videogame clients. He has also has worked with numerous jurisdictions on developing or improving their economic incentives for the entertainment industry, specifically in Georgia.

Thompson was acknowledged for his work in TV, digital media and financing. Thompson is special counsel-corporate and entertainment in Barnes & Thornburg's Los Angeles office, where he focuses on television and digital matters. He counsels clients in a variety of corporate matters, including private placements, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and compliance, SEC compliance, strategic alliances and joint ventures, corporate financing, entity formations and capitalization, and licensing, including software and content licensing.

Witlin was noted for his work on employment litigation and union matters. Witlin is a partner and the administrator of the Labor & Employment Department in the firm's Los Angeles office. He is co-chair of the firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group and a member of the firm's Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group.

Attorneys in the Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group have a thorough understanding of the business, financing, distribution and licensing needs of the film, television, music, technology, gaming and sports industries. The group represents motion picture producers and distributors, serves as outside general counsel for musicians and entertainers, and negotiates significant marketing and promotional agreements.

Variety’s annual Legal Impact Report focuses on corporate in-house counsel, litigators and transactional attorneys who represent high-profile entertainment industry clients.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.