Entertainment and media lawyer Bryan Thompson has joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP’s Los Angeles office as a special counsel — Corporate and Entertainment. Most recently, Thompson was senior vice president and head of business affairs at The Jackal Group, a studio subsidiary of the Fox Networks Group.
Thompson’s practice covers a wide array of matters, including traditional corporate transactions and governance, entertainment and media matters, and finance matters. Thompson advises clients in various industries, with an emphasis on clients in the media, entertainment, and technology realms.
Prior to joining the firm, Thompson had a variety of roles, including senior legal counsel at Yahoo!, where he was the primary legal representative for the sports, entertainment, video game, and marketing divisions of the company.
Notably, the firm (www.btlaw.com) said his skillset in the sports industry includes:
“Acquiring distribution rights from established content providers, including major media outlets and various sports leagues;
“Providing legal counsel in connection with fantasy sports sites, including the establishment of such sites, ongoing issues related to state gaming laws and other compliance matters, and rights issues regarding sports leagues and players unions (including specifically litigation against the NFL Players Union);
“Providing legal review of investigative journalism, including a series of articles concerning compliance issues at various collegiate athletic programs;
“Representing a digital media company in connection with the acquisition of live streaming rights for Major League Baseball games.”
“Bryan brings diverse legal experience in managing deals and transactions in television, film, digital and commercial theater, as well as working with clients on development, production and licensing matters,” said Jason Karlov, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Entertainment, Media and Sports Practice Group.
Thompson earned his bachelor’s degree, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin and his J.D., from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was a Chancellor’s Scholar and a Moot Court award winner.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm has 13 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.
