Los Angeles, CA. Nixon Peabody LLP announced that Corporate partner Nicoleas Mayne, recently recognized in Variety’s Legal Impact Report,and Sonia Nayak, who also serves as the managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office, will lead the law firm’s growing Entertainment & Sports practice team.
Further bolstering the team’s capabilities, Nixon Peabody also welcomes Loren Shokes and Samantha Wainaina who have joined as associates based in the firm’s Los Angeles office.
Nixon Peabody has long represented clients across the creator economy, celebrity-backed brands, and the rapidly converging worlds of traditional entertainment, sports, digital media, and gaming. The firm’s attorneys have represented some of the biggest stars across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, including recent work with rising talent such as Fortnite’s most-followed creator Andre “Typical Gamer” Rebelo (Jogo Studios) and digital breakout Nathan “Unspeakable” Milner, along with brands, platforms, and new media networks that interact with talent. For instance, the team represented the recently announced Source Golf network in connection with its founding talent agreement with Bryson DeChambeau.
Nixon Peabody also serves as legal counsel to the Bay Area Host Committee, building the legal framework for a region-wide Super Bowl LX celebration and future large-scale sporting events. The firm’s attorneys also represent a range of creator-focused funds, incubators, and management companies, such as digital-first leader Night Inc.
“Entertainment, sports, and the creator economy no longer exist in separate lanes,” said Mayne. “In addition to traditional deal work for talent, we’re helping some of the most recognizable celebrity-backed CPG brands launch, scale, and protect their assets. We’re working with YouTube-hosted networks to shape the future of media ad spend, advising emerging gaming platforms on in-platform live concerts and events with massive global audiences, and helping to bring large-scale sporting and experiential events to life. I’m excited to join forces with Sonia to lead this future-focused team.”
Mayne—whose practice sits at the intersection of entertainment and sports—advises high-profile celebrity and venture-backed brands, an impressive roster of creators, and a range of managers, agents, investors, and other companies interacting with the creator economy and name-image-and-likeness (NIL) markets.
Shokes, a professor of sports and entertainment law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, brings extensive experience spanning both private practice and in-house roles, including positions with Sony Music Entertainment, the National Football League, and the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Her practice focuses on intellectual property and technology transactions within the entertainment sector, representing clients across the entertainment, sports, consumer products, luxury fashion, and media industries.
Wainaina, a veteran in the film, television, and branding space, has built a career that traces a deliberate arc through the industry’s most respected institutions, where she developed a practice that spans the full range of entertainment transactions. A hallmark of her work is her experience advising A-list talent, athletes, media personalities, and cultural leaders on launching production companies, developing brand strategy, and expanding their platforms into multidimensional businesses with lasting commercial value.
“We are listening closely to what these industries need and intentionally building a practice that draws on our legacy strengths, particularly across sports and entertainment transactions, while positioning us for what’s next,” said Nayak. “We’ve been doing this type of work for years, but bringing it together under a unified banner underscores our focus on continued growth in this dynamic sector. We’re continuing to strategically expand our team in alignment with client needs, and we are thrilled to welcome Loren and Sam.”
Nayak, who has served in several leadership roles over more than 20 years with Nixon Peabody, centers her practice on real estate development, including tax credit finance, affordable housing, and commercial lending. She has leveraged those skills to help clients navigate mega events and the sports industry. Whether advising on large-scale sporting events or affordable housing initiatives, Nayak’s work is united by a common thread of economic development and community impact, driving collaboration among key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors.
“Sonia and Nic both embody the cross-department, cross-office leadership and entrepreneurial tenacity that we strive to foster at Nixon Peabody,” said Todd Tidgewell, leader of the firm's Corporate practice group, which includes the Entertainment & Sports team. “Our team thrives on innovation and the creative evolution across entertainment and sports. The addition of Loren and Sam, together with our dynamic group of attorneys, underscores a commitment to expanding our impact in this space.”
The Entertainment & Sports team includes a deep bench of experienced transactional attorneys, including partners Shaziah Singh and Marissa Wiley. The team also draws on talent and experience from across Nixon Peabody's full-service platform—including the firm’s Intellectual Property, Art & Cultural Property, Labor & Employment, Cybersecurity & Privacy, and Litigation practices—to provide coordinated counsel across the complete lifecycle of entertainment and sports transactions and disputes.
