Robb J. Klein

Robb Klein is special counsel in the Entertainment, Media & Communications Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Klein specializes in all aspects of entertainment, media and communications law, particularly film and television financing, production and distribution, merchandising and the licensing of rights and new media.

Mr. Klein has worked on the financing and production of numerous feature films, from small independent movies to studio blockbusters.  He has also worked on numerous tax-driven deals, and specializes in structuring international co-productions.  His work for financiers includes acting for banks, entrepreneurs, tax funds and hedge funds, often involving secured lending and complex multi-party financing arrangements.

Mr. Klein represents studios, independent production companies and individual producers and advises on chain of title and copyright issues, joint development agreements, co-financing agreements, output agreements, first-look agreements, re-make deals, rights acquisition agreements and options, negative pick-up agreements and related financing documents, format rights and television licensing agreements, sales agency and distribution agreements.  He has also acted as production counsel on many films.

With regard to online and mobile business, Mr. Klein advises companies on their online commercial arrangements, from terms and conditions to commercial supply and advertising agreements, and on mobile content licensing.  He has represented both content owners and mobile platform operators.  He also advises computer games developers in their dealings with publishers and on other types of software licensing.

Mr. Klein has worked on the commercial side of many significant corporate deals in the media sector including IPOs and acquisitions of companies in the film, television, music, computer games, mobile and video on demand sectors.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Klein was a partner in the Media Communications Department of SJ Berwin LLP, a leading European law firm, based in their London office.

Education

• LL.B (Hons), Manchester University
• Chester College of Law (Law Society Final Examinations), with honors

Admissions

• England and Wales

Languages

• Spanish

Representative Experience

• Represented Spanish animation house Ilion Studios on the financing and production of "Planet 51"
• Represented Lola Films in connection with the financing and production of  "Manolete"
• Represented Alcon Entertainment in connection with the Irish co-production arrangements on "P.S. I Love You"
• Represented a number of tax funds on numerous films utilizing incentives under section 42, section 48 and GAAP accounting treatment
• Advised a Spanish producer in connection with the English language remake by a US studio of the film "Torrente"
• Represented a hedge fund in relation to its cash flowing of the UK tax credit
• Development, production and financing work on numerous films including "Flawless", "Love in the Time of Cholera", "Basic Instinct 2", "P.S. I Love You", "Mrs. Henderson Presents", "Feast of the Goat" and "Travels With My Aunt".
• Advised a European telecoms operator on their content deals for cell phones, a music mobile download service and a "life caching" product
• Negotiating a license deal with a telecoms operator to supply a children's channel owned by a major US studio on their mobile network
• Coordinating the due diligence exercise in relation to the acquisition by Universal Music of the Sanctuary Music Group
• Worked on the acquisition by Universal Music by BMG Music Publishing for €1.6 Billion in particular on the complex due diligence exercise and the EU merger clearance
• Represented a well known computer games developer on its arrangements with publishers in connection with the development of computer games
• Advising various rights owners licensing rights for use in computer games

Honors

• Recognized as an expert in film financing in Chambers Guide to the UK Legal Profession, Legal Experts and the Legal 500.

Articles

• Sheppard Mullin Gains Two Veteran Entertainment Lawyers, Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 7, 2008

• "The Future of Broadcasting:  Rights and Regulation in the Digital Age," In-house Lawyer, July 2007
• "A Guide to Film Financing in Spain," Media Focus, June 2007
• "Sale and Leaseback is Dead.  Long Live the UK Tax Credit," Encore Magazine, June 2007
• "Film Hedge Funds:  A New Money Tree?" Media Annual 2007, January 2007
• "Coming Up For Air – The New UK Film Incentives," Media Annual 2006, January 2006

Speeches

• Series of three in-house seminars (London) – "The Distribution and Delivery of Digital Entertainment", June/July 2007
• In-house Seminar (Madrid) – "European Film Financing Incentives", June 2007
• In-house Seminar (London) – "Where Next for Mobile Content?", February 2007
• In-house Seminar (London) – "ICT: Emerging Technologies", January 2007
• Peacefulfish Conference (Berlin) – European Film Financing Incentives, February 2006
• Screen International European Film Financing Summit (London), November 2005