Entertainment Transactions

/Overview

From talent and managers to media companies and investors, Nixon Peabody’s Entertainment Transactions Team represents the full spectrum of the industry across the creator economy, digital media, fashion and beauty, gaming, visual arts, sports, and emerging platforms. Our guidance in high-profile, talent- and celebrity-backed brand launches and growth-stage companies aligns talent, co-founders, and investors in structuring and scaling some of the market’s most recognizable brands. With decades of deal experience, we understand how value is created in a rights- and contract-driven ecosystem.

As a collaborative practice within a full-service firm, we are a one-stop shop for transactional needs from entity formation, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships to investments and acquisitions. Our work frequently involves founding talent services and shareholder agreements, joint ventures between talent and manufacturing partners, multimillion-dollar venture capital financing rounds, and complex capitalization and governance structures unique to talent-backed enterprises. Count on our team to design transactions around shared objectives and turn complex deals into clear opportunities for growth and innovation.

/Select representative experience

• Bally’s Corporation: represented a global casino-entertainment and interactive gaming company in its acquisition by Standard General L.P. in a take private transaction valued at $4.6 billion 
• Eleven Sports: a multinational sports and entertainment group, in the sale of its global sports media businesses to DAZN, a streaming and entertainment platform 
• Jogo Studios, Inc: video game development company founded by leading content creator Andre “Typical Gamer” Rebelo on strategic growth initiatives, including formation and financing, commercial transactions, licensing, and intellectual property protection. Our work includes advising on strategic acquisitions, and original IP development and protection. 
• Night Media: advise leading digital talent management company Night Media across a wide range of matters and consumer product incubations, including advising Feastables, MrBeast’s creator led consumer snack brand and its founding team, on corporate and financing matters, from formation through its market-setting Series A funding 
• Tegna Inc.: represented an American publicly traded broadcast, digital media, and marketing services company in its private placement offering of $1 billion aggregate principal amount of its 4.625% Senior Notes due 2029 under Rules 144A and Regulation S
• Tone: a modern personal care brand backed by Kai Cenat and digital streaming group AMP, with its formation, founder, and talent partnerships, and seed financing, supporting the company from launch through early growth
• UST Global: a provider of digital technology and transformation, information technology and services, in the divestment of UST Global Media Services, Inc. to Gracenote, Inc., a subsidiary of The Nielsen Group (US), LLC 
• Omorpho, a sports apparel brand that specializes in innovative weighted training gear and gravity sportswear, in its Seed-4 Preferred Stock financing 
• Consumer brands: advise consumer brands on brand protection and brand-building initiatives, including entity formation and structuring for new ventures and talent-led brands with celebrity partners, athletes, and social media influencers
• Social media personalities: advise social media personalities, including leading YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram creators, on monetizing and protecting their intellectual property through joint ventures and related commercial arrangements, including structuring and negotiating equity incentive compensation
• Celebrities: Advise actors, models, and professional athletes in negotiating brand partnerships, joint ventures, and manufacturing and distribution arrangements for new product launches, including negotiating equity participation in the related ventures