As a partner in the Entertainment and Media Industry Group, Jess represents major entertainment and media companies in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing, distribution, venture capital and private equity transactions. Through this work, Jess has developed a significant practice representing leading artists in the music business, film and television talent and producers, as well as fashion designers, celebrities and athletes, in licensing, endorsement, production and content deals.
A skilled corporate finance lawyer, Jess regularly represents private equity funds, companies, investment banks and investors in private and public financing transactions and fund formation. He specializes in putting together private equity and strategic joint ventures with leading music executives for the acquisition of music rights and other intellectual property rights, as well as leading the mergers and acquisitions transactions these joint ventures engage in.
Jess is a trusted advisor in many cutting-edge deals in the entertainment and media space, known for his creative deal-making skills, including developing the first “360 deals” for superstar artists with international live event companies, restructuring of one of the world’s largest live performance companies, and structuring the finance side of complex music rights acquisition transactions. He is well versed in intellectual property transactions, including technology licensing, strategic partnerships and services agreements.
Through his work in entertainment and media, Jess has also developed a significant executive compensation practice, focused on representing leading executives of public and private companies with respect to their employment and equity arrangements. He regularly represents leading talent agents, managers and promoters in their employment deals, as well as the sale of their businesses.
