Mark Litwak
Top rated Entertainment & Sports attorney in Santa Monica, California
Practice Areas:
Entertainment & Sports,
Alternative Dispute Resolution,
Communications,
Intellectual Property
Education Qualification:
University of San Diego School of Law
Practice Areas:
Entertainment & sports,
Alternative dispute resolution,
Communications,
Intellectual property
201 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 300Santa Monica, California, 90401
First Admitted: 1977, California
Professional Webpage: https://www.marklitwak.com/mark-litwak.html
Bar/Professional Activity:
- IFTA arbitrator, 2020
Videos:
- Video Clips of VLA seminar, Seminar for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, 2012
- Interview on the Stream.tv, Filmnut Interview, 2011
Representative Clients:
- Filmmakers: Netflix, Walden Media, Abominable Pictures, Jonathan Stern, Don Fox, Charles Acosta (Pendulum), Eileen Craft and Art Klein (Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School), Arthur Egeli (Unconditional Love), J. Todd Harris (Seven Girlfriends), Hal Schwartz (Crazy Love), Marty and Mark Stouffer (Wild America), Richard Shepard (The Matador), Sascha Rice (Mango Kiss), Brandon Cole (Six Figures), and Dwight Yoakam (South of Heaven, West of Hell). Documentary and Animation Filmmakers: Michael Shoob and Joe Mealy (Bush’s Brain), Amir Mann (Shanghi Ghetto), Neil Evans (Biker Dreams) and Mark Moormann (Tom Dowd & the Language of Music). Filmmakers in animation include cartoonist Gary Larson (The Far Side) and Phil Nibbelink (Who Framed Roger Rabbit). Hyphenates: Many of the firm’s clients wear multiple hats such as actress-producer-director Deanna Shapiro (The Legend of Cryin’ Ryan), actress-producer Luo Yan (Pavilion of Women) and filmmaker-actor Marty Stouffer.> Corporate: King World Direct, Sony Interactive (989 Studios), Abominable Pictures, Bedford Entertainment, Echo Lake Productions, Moulinsart SA (Tin Tin), The Hollywood Film Institute, Greg Thompson Productions, VisionScape Interactive, Centrifugal Films, Brasil Filmes Ltda., Entertainment Publicists Professional Society, Post Central Inc., Retirement Living Television, and Lance, Inc.
Transactions:
- Production counsel for numerous series includig Wet Hot American Summer, Shrink, Childrens Hospital, Other Space, NTSF:SD:SUV::, Garfunkel and Oates, Newsreaders, Hot Package, Hot Wives of Orlando and many others.
- Has served as production counsel for numerous television and new media programs and series produced by independent filmmakers as well as productions made for major studios, networks, and content providers including Netflix, Warner Bros., 2oth Century Fox, Cartoon Network, HBO, IFC, Yahoo!, Disney/ABC, Hulu, Paramount, Seeso/NBC, Comedy Central, Verizon, YouTube, Facebook and MTV., 2017
Special Licenses/Certifications:
- AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
Pro bono/Community Service:
- conducts seminars for California Lawyers for the Arts, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (New York) and other organizations.
- California Lawyers for the Arts award, 1991
Honors/Awards:
- Awarded Prize for best book on the film business, Winner, Kraszna-Krausz Foundation, 1996
- Named One of 25 Most Influential People in Independent Film, 2004
Educational Background:
- B.A. and M.A. from Queens College of the City University of New York, J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law.
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- Reel Power is a comprehensive look at the film business. Using interviews with 200 film insiders, including Jane Fonda, Barry Diller, Robert Altman, Martin Sheen, Robert Evans and Paul Newman - the author quotes at length - the author leads us through the maze of power and politics in Hollywood., Author, Reel Power, The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood, William Morrow, 1986, 1986
- Lectures include Century City Bar Association, California Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB)California Lawyers for the Arts, Texas Bar Association, Multimedia Law Institute, Volunteer Lawyers fo r the Arts (New York), Washington Lawyers for the Arts, New York County Lawyer’s AssociationThe American Film Institute (AFI), American University, Columbia University, Florida State University, Harvard University, Loyola Law School, The New School for Social Research, The Northwest Film and Video Center, NYU, Regents College, London, The Royal College of Art, London, San Diego State, San Francisco State, UCLA, University of British Columbia, University of California, Riverside, University of Colorado, Denver, University of Hawaii, University of Pennsylvania, University of Puget Sound, School of Law, Univ of Wisconsin, Washington Film and Video Association.
- Litwak is the author of 6 books: Reel Power, The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood (William Morrow, 1986), Courtroom Crusaders (William Morrow, 1989), Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry (Silman-James Press, 1994, 4th edition 2016) (winner of the 1996 Krazna-Kranz award for best book in the world on the film business), Contracts for the Film & Television Industry (Silman-James Press, 3rd Ed. 2012), Litwak's Multimedia Producer's Handbook (Silman-James Press, 1998) and Risky Business: Financing and Distributing Independent Film (Silman-James Press, 2004). He has contributed articles for The Los Angeles Times, The Business of Film, The Hollywood Reporter, Moviemaker and The Independent. He is the creator of the popular CD-ROM program Movie Magic Contracts., Author, Dealmaking in the Film and Television Industry, Entertainment, Movie, Television, Book Publishing, 2016
Industry Groups:
- Copyright
- Entertainment
- New Media
- Trademark
- Videogames
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