Five Barnes & Thornburg Entertainment Attorneys Lauded in Variety’s 2023 Legal Impact Report

LOS ANGELES —Variety magazine has named five Barnes & Thornburg attorneys from the Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group to its 2023 Legal Impact Report, an annual list that highlights leading attorneys in the media and entertainment industries. 

The report includes practice group chair and partner Jason Karlov and partners Carolyn Hunt, Bryan Thompson, and Scott Witlin as a transactional team. Variety also recognized associate Will Craver in the report’s Up Next list, which features emerging dealmakers who have made an impact in the entertainment sector over the past year.

Karlov is featured for his work in the music, television, film, live events, advertising, licensing and technology industries. Variety recognized Karlov’s representation of renowned music artists and legal work related to representing canonized artists such as Bob Dylan, John Fogerty and Ionic Recordings, as well as the NFL and NFL Network in entertainment matters. 

Hunt is noted for her work advising on film, television and digital media, specifically her representation of City National Bank, Hercules Films, Highland Films and Lionsgate Entertainment. She focuses her practice on media finance and entertainment transactions, including capital raisings, slate financing, credit lines, foreign incentive benefits, and co-productions. 

Thompson is lauded for his work in TV, digital media and financing. His clients include Erspamer Productions, Peyton Manning and Omaha Productions, and the feature-length documentary, “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down.” Thompson also represents TV One for development, production and distribution matters. 

Witlin is recognized for his work with labor and employment matters. He advises a group of independent theatrical film producers negotiating the Low Budget Theatrical Agreement with the IATSE union. Witlin’s clients include Sony Interactive Entertainment, the Los Angeles Lakers and content company Keshet International. He currently is actively advising clients in connection with the guild strikes anticipated this summer.

Craver is featured for his work alongside Karlov. Craver leads a team that analyzes music copyright claims, advises pro sports teams on music licensing and music issues related to live events, and created an analytical model team to estimate the costs of music licenses and determine settlement offers. Craver has handled music licensing matters for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Dodgers. Craver also handled legal work for Michael Bolton and music-related legal work for John Fogerty and T Bone Burnett.

Variety is one of the leading entertainment trade magazines. The Legal Impact Report is released annually to highlight legal professionals that have made significant deals and have litigated complex disputes for entertainment industry clients, studios, and networks. 

With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, South Florida, Texas, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.