Thomas Glen Leo

Thomas Leo is a partner in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

Thomas focuses on entertainment finance, secured transactions and commercial law.

Thomas has extensive experience representing motion picture studios, production companies, distributors, lenders and cofinanciers in all types of motion picture and television financing transactions, including multipicture production, financing and distribution arrangements; revolving credit production finance facilities; rights acquisition financings; complex secured distribution arrangements; television license financing and securitization facilities; entertainment-related merger and acquisition financings and working capital lines of credit; complex intercreditor and interparty arrangements; and entertainment finance generally.

Thomas also represents corporate clients outside the entertainment industry in their borrowings under syndicated secured and unsecured credit facilities. 

Experience

Transactional Experience

Syndicated secured and unsecured credit facilities regarding clients both within the entertainment industry and in other industries as borrowers, ranging from $100 million to $500 million.

Film fund transactions representing U.S. major studios, senior lenders, mezzanine financiers and film funds

Multipicture production, financing and distribution arrangements between production companies and distributors (including major U.S. studios), with production funded through bank funding, distributor funding and various combinations of the two, including related financing, secured transactions and intercreditor arrangements

Financings of mergers and acquisitions of entertainment companies through senior bank debt, issuances of senior notes and other financings  

Production financing revolving lines of credit for film production companies

Rights analyses for acquisitions of major motion picture rights

Commercial law aspects of strategic entertainment transactions

Honors

Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers, 2007-2021

Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2006-2018

Top Leading Media and Entertainment Lawyers, Chambers & Partners, 2006-2015

The U.S. Best of the Best: Technology, Media and Communications, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011

Articles

Corporate & Securities Law Blog Posts

• "Sheppard Submits Comments to Main Street Loan Program," April 17, 2020

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Panel Presentation: Entertainment and Intellectual Property Issues in Bankruptcy Beverly Hills Bar Association, June 25, 2015 (Speaker)
• "An Overview of Motion Picture Co-Production Deals: China-Korea Co-Production Treaty," Busan International Film Festival, October 5, 2014
• 2014 Bloomberg International Film & TV Finance Summit Los Angeles, CA, March 19-20, 2014 (Conference Co-Chair, Panel Moderator, Presenter)
• 2013 Bloomberg International Film & TV Finance Summit New York, NY, December 2-3, 2013 (Conference Co-Chair, Panel Moderator, Presenter)
• 2013 Bloomberg International Film & TV Finance Summit Los Angeles, CA, March 21-22, 2013 (Conference Co-Chair, Panel Moderator, Presenter)
• 2012 Bloomberg International Film & TV Finance Summit Los Angeles, CA, March 22-23, 2012 (Conference Co-Chair, Panel Moderator, Presenter)

Events