April 20, 2023
New York, NY, April 20, 2023 --- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that entertainment transactions lawyer and former media executive Andrew Kramer has joined the Firm as a partner, based in Willkie’s Los Angeles office. Andrew will serve as Chair of the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Finance practice group. With over 30 years of legal and business experience, Andrew has held a number of high-level positions in major film and television production and distribution companies and has also served as a lawyer in private practice.
“Andrew’s extensive business and legal experience in the entertainment industry will complement our growing platform in Los Angeles which has been built to provide best-in-class representation of corporate entertainment transactions,” said Alan Epstein, Chair of Willkie’s Entertainment Transactions Practice. “Andrew is highly regarded as a leader in the entertainment space. He has several decades of high-profile legal experience as an in-house attorney and senior executive which has helped him gain an intimate understanding of the business of the entertainment industry and develop relationships with key decision makers and companies across the globe. Andrew’s unique skill set and his pragmatic and business-focused approach towards the practice of law will be a tremendous asset to our clients. We are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”
A seasoned business executive and attorney, Andrew served as Chief Operating Officer, International Distribution, at Lionsgate where he was responsible for all aspects of Lionsgate’s international theatrical motion picture distribution operations and expanded Lionsgate’s international distribution, finance and operational structure. He also launched and served as CEO of consulting firm Global Entertainment Strategies, Inc. His broad experience includes international management and exploitation of numerous successful film and television projects, including providing counsel on legal issues, business affairs, project, corporate and library financing, domestic and international productions and distribution in all media and platforms. Andrew formerly served as a member of the Executive Committee as General Vice Chairperson of The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) overseeing the global trade association for the independent motion picture and television industry. Andrew was most recently a partner at Loeb & Loeb LLP.
Andrew commented: “Willkie has already established itself as the go-to corporate law firm for many of the top names in the entertainment industry. I’m very excited to be joining this talented team and look forward to partnering in the firm’s continued growth and success in the entertainment space.”
Andrew’s arrival to Willkie follows the addition of LA-based partners Steven Hurdle and Sid Fohrman, and New York-based partner Jared Bartie to Willkie’s Entertainment, Sports and Media Practice in 2022, together with over 80 other attorneys who have joined the Los Angeles office since its formation in September 2021.
Willkie represents leaders of every kind across the entertainment, sports and media industries. Willkie’s deep bench of talented attorneys provides seamless transactional, intellectual property and litigation services to A-list talent, athletes, industry executives, leagues and teams, management and production companies, established networks and streaming platforms, and virtually any organization operating in the entertainment space. Willkie’s transactional attorneys represent the interests of management companies, production studios, networks and streaming services, music brands, gaming and esports developers, virtual and augmented reality companies, social media and metaverse platforms, and virtually any organization involved with developing, producing and monetizing audio/visual content or digital works, both domestically and internationally.
Established in 2021, Willkie’s Los Angeles office has a broad practice focused on corporate and M&A transactions, private wealth, tax and litigation. The office serves clients across the region, aligned with Willkie’s broad transactional, private client and litigation platforms.
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Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 13 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 40 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.
