Atlanta – July 12, 2021 – Greenspoon Marder is pleased to announce the expansion of the firm’s Entertainment, Media & Technology Industry Group with the addition of eight new attorneys. Sandra Brown , Alan Clarke , Kendall Minter , and Peter Stathopoulos join the firm’s new Atlanta office. Aliya Nelson , Robert Rando , Jerry Juste , and Katie Heron join the firm’s New York office.
“We are thrilled to welcome this powerhouse entertainment team. They bring deep and significant experience in entertainment law working with some of the world’s biggest stars,” says Gerry Greenspoon , co-managing director at Greenspoon Marder. “Their wealth of knowledge in the entertainment arena and robust list of industry contacts will complement our current national team, and strengthen the services we can offer our clients across the firm,” says Michael Marder , co-managing director at Greenspoon Marder.
Ms. Brown focuses on strategic business counseling to clients and their business and management teams. For over 25 years, she has worked with a broad spectrum of talent, including award-winning recording artists, music producers, songwriters in Hip Hop, Pop, Rock, and Christian music, as well as independent filmmakers, music managers, music executives, professional athletes, and entertainment companies. Much of Ms. Brown’s practice focuses on structuring and negotiating agreements related to recorded music, music publishing, live performances, television talent agreements, independent film production, merchandising, sponsorships and endorsements. She was recognized as an “ASCAP’s Women in Music” honoree by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers.
With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Clarke concentrates his practice on entertainment industry matters, including contract drafting and negotiations, trademark and copyright sales and acquisitions and corporate law, as well as infringement issues and litigation. He regularly represents and counsels entertainment companies, athletes, actors, performers, producers, writers, publishers, and artists. As a seasoned practitioner, Mr. Clarke has extensive knowledge of the television, film and music industries, including the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. He is listed as “Top Rated” by Georgia Super Lawyers and Georgia Legal Elite for Entertainment & Sports.”
Mr. Juste focuses on entertainment and media law. He brings over 25 years of experience representing clients in high-level transactions and dispute resolutions with major companies throughout the recording, music publishing, digital distribution, live performance, and film & television industries. For almost two decades, he held senior Business Affairs positions at several of the world’s most iconic record labels (Motown, Universal, Republic, Island and Def Jam Records) where he oversaw numerous multi-platinum and Grammy award winning projects. Committed to giving back to his community, Mr. Juste was recognized with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Communications & Media by the YMCA of Greater New York.
Mr. Minter advises artists, actors, songwriters, record labels, publishing companies, managers, investors, industry executives, radio announcers, concert promoters, evangelists, producers (music, film and television), filmmakers, and other creative executive and entrepreneurial talent on various entertainment matters, media and intellectual property helping his clients build and monetize their brand and protect their intellectual property solidly and securely. Mr. Minter has received numerous accolades and was recognized with the Living Legend Entertainment Attorney Award by the National Bar Association. Mr. Minter is a co-founder of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association and actively serves on several other boards.
Ms. Nelson focuses on entertainment, intellectual property, and corporate transactional matters. She has substantial experience in all aspects of corporate and entertainment law, which includes representing sports, media, and technology companies, as well as marketing agencies and Grammy award-winning artists, songwriters, and producers. She serves as a trusted advisor and a fierce advocate for her clients. Ms. Nelson’s practice involves regularly advising board of directors and senior management of sports, media and technology companies, financial institutions, and real estate developers. She is actively involved with a number of charities and enthusiastically serves on the board of the Classical Theatre of Harlem.
Mr. Rando practices in the areas of complex commercial, patent and other IP litigation. With over three decades of experience, he has handled a wide range of technology matters, including computer hardware/software, biotechnology products, medical devices, silicon chip manufacturing, chemical compounds, food additives, pharmaceuticals, communications, alternative energy products, consumer electronics, security, internet, and e-commerce. He is a published author and frequent lecturer at law schools and other organizations. A skilled trial lawyer and legal scholar, he has filed Amicus briefs in most of the high-profile patent and other IP cases before the U.S. Supreme Court in the past 15 years. He has also served as a Special Master in numerous complex patent law cases.
Mr. Stathopoulos concentrates his practice in entertainment tax incentives, film finance, and state and local taxation, including state tax litigation. With more than 25 years of tax and entertainment law experience, he represents major motion picture studios, national broadcasters, cable companies, independent film production companies, and others in the entertainment industry, as well as lenders in film tax credit lending deals. Mr. Stathopoulos has helped shape tax policy related to the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which helped make Georgia one of the leading U.S. destinations for film, television, and digital entertainment productions.
Ms. Heron focuses her practice on entertainment law and intellectual property matters, including trademark and copyright registrations. She has experience representing clients in various entertainment contracts, including drafting and negotiating artist agreements, producer agreements, talent agreements, appearance releases, licenses, and recording deals. Ms. Heron also advises and counsels clients on entity structure, corporate governance and facilitates, manages, and performs due diligence in connection with merger and acquisitions deals.
