Four members of Reed Smith’s Entertainment and Media Industry Group have been recognized in the 2022 Variety Dealmaker Impact Report, which names the individuals behind the biggest deals in the world of showbiz.
Typewriter, film camera, and film cutter

Co-chair Stephen Sessa along with partners Stacy Marcus, Edward Shapiro and Christian Simonds make up the team that was featured in the Variety report. “Together, they have the sector knowledge and relationships of a boutique firm with the power of a full-service international platform,” Variety said.

Variety's report is based on information gathered by its editorial team and recommendations from the legal community.

Marcus has led talks for multibillion-dollar commercials bargaining agreements with SAG-AFTRA and the American Federation of Musicians, Variety noted. Her clients include both global and regional advertisers, luxury retailers, media companies and digital platforms.

Sessa practices in the music industry, specifically catalog acquisitions and copyright law. He achieves superior results for major recording artists, record and publishing companies, world-class producers, songwriters and composers, and others.

Shapiro handles media, music and sports; he is a transactional entertainment lawyer with more than 25 years of experience and is a recognized figure in the business. His clients include startups, ventures, and executives and brands in the new media industry.

Simonds works on transactions in the film, television, new media, podcast, video game, e-sports, and sports industries. He represents institutional lenders and financiers, Fortune 500 companies and high net-worth individuals in connection with complex debt facilities, production financing loans, and more.