International Film Financing: A Global Prospective for 2021

Rick Offsay, Co-Chair of the firm’s Entertainment, Sports & Media Practice, provides strategic advice to clients across a broad array of transactions.

Mr. Offsay represents strategic industry participants (including studios, production companies, networks / streamers, and digital media startups) as well as financial investors (including private equity, alternative lenders, and high net worth individuals), and other entertainment, sports, and media clients.

He helps clients through all stages of the business lifecycle, from equity and debt financing to strategic arrangements to exit transactions, with particular experience structuring joint ventures. Mr. Offsay leverages broad deal experience and industry understanding to help clients navigate complex transactions.

David is the Managing Member of Pierce Law Group LLP, a full-service boutique law firm established in 1996 in Beverly Hills, California serving the creative community, emerging start-up companies, and certain high net-worth individuals. with a specialty in representing indie filmmakers. David’s law practice includes entertainment law, intellectual property (copyright, trademarks, right of publicity), film finance, production counsel, and labor & employment issues affecting the entertainment industry with an emphasis on film, television and new media. Prior to starting Pierce Law Group LLP, David worked for four years as an Associate Attorney at Fisher & Phillips, where he focused on management-side labor & employment law — a focus that he now applies to the needs of those in the entertainment industry.

With extensive knowledge in corporate law and business law, she specializes in legal planning and entertainment law.

Bill’s practice focuses on the representation of a wide range of clients in connection with the development, financing, production and exploitation of motion pictures, television programs and other forms of content. He has also worked as a management consultant advising major media interests, as a media executive, and as a journalist specializing in the international entertainment industry

Massimo Sterpi specializes in the Intellectual Property and has substantial experience in both transactional matters and litigation concerning patents, designs, copyright and trademarks. Over the last years, he has been very active on legal issues related to Disruptive Technologies, with particular focus on AI, Blockchain, robotics. He has litigated a very large number of IP cases, many of them involving cross-border issues, both before national and foreign courts, including the European Court of Justice.

Mr. Wang holds an LL.B and an LL.M from China University of Political Science and Law and Columbia University School of Law.  He is qualified to practice law in China and the State of New York.

Before he founded Chamzon Law Firm, Mr. Wang worked at the legal department of China Huaneng Group, Coudert Brothers LLP, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP and Broad & Bright Law Firm. Mr. Wang has over 20 years of legal practice experience in both China and the United States.

Mr. Wang has focused his practice on cross border transactions helping foreign companies enter into China, and at the same time helping Chinese companies go global.  His main practice area include the following: M & A, cross boarder investment, PE and VC, foreign direct investment, securities and capital market.  Mr. Wang has several clients from a variety of industries including automobile, oil and gas, healthcare, telecommunications, internet, entertainment and media, retailing and agriculture. Mr. Wang has provided legal services to many Chinese companies in their “Go-Global” oversea projects, and has also provided legal support to Chinese companies in their financing activities in both domestic and overseas capital markets.

Mark Edwards is the founder and managing partner of Edwards Creative Law, LLP, an entertainment law boutique with offices in Ottawa and Toronto and a practice that extends to every common law province in Canada. Mark’s personal focus is live-action and animated films and series, video games, and digital media.

Mark acts for Canadian producers and studios and for US and foreign buyers of Canadian entertainment products and services. He brings nearly 25 years of experience structuring, funding, financing, producing and exploiting linear and interactive media – to ensure that his clients minimize their risks while maximizing the benefits of Canada’s favourable production environment, low dollar and generous production tax credits.