Strengthening the West Coast presence of its national Entertainment Law Department, Fox Rothschild has welcomed seasoned and savvy entertainment attorney Jody Simon to the firm as partner, resident in the firm’s Los Angeles office.
“Jody has a shining reputation as a passionate negotiator and counselor for those in the entertainment industry as well as impressive experience with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and we are thrilled to welcome him,” said Jeffrey S. Kravitz, managing partner of the firm’s Los Angeles office. “His already extensive practice will create service synergy with the firm’s nationwide entertainment department, complementing practices offered by our veteran attorneys in New York, and fitting in nicely with our thriving operations here in California.”
Simon joins Fox Rothschild at a time of rapid and strategic growth for the firm’s entertainment practice. Over the past few months, the firm welcomed an experienced trio of entertainment lawyers to its New York office. The addition of Tim Mandelbaum, Michael L. Reinert and Monika A. Tashman expanded service offerings to the firm’s diverse range of entertainment industry clients, which include recording and film studios, agents and artists, digital media companies and professional athletes. On the West Coast, Darrell D. Miller, chair of the Entertainment Law Department, was recently recognized for his reputation as a trailblazer among Hollywood entertainment lawyers when he was named 2012 Entertainment Attorney of the Year by the National Bar Association.
With more than 25 years of experience helping clients in the industry produce innovative and sophisticated television and new media, Simon has established himself as one of the entertainment industry’s go-to lawyers. Beginning his career in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency, Simon has enjoyed a long tenure as an advocate for his clients, negotiating the deals that bring to life many of today’s popular entertainment vehicles. He handles nearly every type of legal matter spanning the spectrum of the industry: television (including a special focus on reality television and Canadian and international co-productions), digital media outlets, publishing, live stage, live action and animated programming and comic books.
For his clients who are content creators and owners, such as television networks, production companies and executive producers, Simon assists in all aspects of financing, development, production, distribution and the exploitation of projects across multiple media and platforms. He also facilitates licensing, branding and merchandising deals on behalf of a wide range of clients – including marquee performers, visual artists, animators, comic book creators, video game publishers and universities – to help them monetize their brands.
Simon has worked at leading entertainment boutique law firms spanning the country, in both New York and Los Angeles. He also served as in-house as Director of Business Affairs for NBC Entertainment.
Simon served as editor-in-chief of M/E Insights, the magazine of the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel. He is often sought by the media to speak on issues related the entertainment law, and he is a frequent public speaker on similar topics. He has spoken at the Banff Television Festival and moderated panels on behalf of the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel, as well as at the National Association of Television Program Executives Convention and the Institute on Entertainment Law and Business at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Simon served on former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Entertainment Industry Advisory Council. He served five terms as governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS) and two terms on its Executive Committee. Additionally, he served as chair of the ATAS Bylaws and Industry Credits Committees. He is a member of The Beverly Hills Bar Association.
Simon earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1982, and his B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in 1975.
