As a partner in Reed Smith’s Entertainment and Media Industry Group, Jess is known for his creative deal-making skills and is a trusted advisor in many cutting-edge deals in the entertainment and media space, including those involving artificial intelligence.
Jess represents entertainment, media and tech 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 funds and strategic joint ventures for leading entertainment executives and private equity groups that acquire intellectual property rights in the entertainment space, as well as leading the rights acquisition transactions these vehicles engage in.
Jess developed the first “360 deals” for superstar artists with international live event companies, restructured one of the world’s largest live performance companies, and regularly structures the finance side of complex music rights acquisition and finance 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.
