Anne B. Easton

Anne B. Easton is an associate in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

Anne’s practice involves all areas of entertainment law, with a primary focus on film, television and digital media. including rights acquisitions, development and production matters for both live action and animated TV, film and digital projects. She advises studios and distributors (such as Amazon Studios, Disney, and Spotify), networks (such as TelevisaUnivision), media companies and talent, including independent producers, production companies, influencers, writers, directors and actors, and has served as production counsel for numerous scripted and non-scripted productions. Anne also acts as an outside counsel business affairs advisor, counseling on fair use, infringement, and copyright law.

Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Anne worked in business and legal affairs at Entertainment One as in-house counsel in the film department.

Anne earned her law degree from New York Law School where she competed in the International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Vienna, Austria and specialized in Entertainment, Media and Intellectual Property law. A native Californian, she received her bachelor’s degree from USC with distinctions.

Experience

Representative Matters:

• Negotiated talent agreements on behalf of Sister Pictures in conjunction with a co-production with Amazon Studios on the television project The Power.
• Seconded to Amazon Studios legal department in 2021, overseeing all aspects of studio television development in-house.
• Seconded to TelevisaUnivision in Miami, Florida just after Univision’s acquisition of Televisa and oversaw development and production legal related matters in the linear television, podcast and radio divisions.
• Counsel to TelevisaUnivision in connection with various entertainment and podcast projects in development and production.
• Represented Amazon Studios in negotiations relating to the rights deal to the Parker crime novels by Richard Stark, which included analysis of the late Donald E. Westlake’s Estate documents, as well as the corresponding above-the-line talent deals on the Play Dirty project, including those for Robert Downey, Jr. and his producing partner, Susan Downey, Shane Black and Joel Silver.
• Counsel to Big Teeth Productions, a woman-owned production company producing documentaries out of Chicago, IL.
• Outside production counsel to Amazon Studios on the television series LOL: Mexico; negotiated Eugenio Derbez’ host agreement, among others.
• Negotiated Overall Agreements on behalf of Disney Television Animation with high-level talent, including Leo Lawrence, Tom Rogers, Calvin Brown and Jack Ferraiolo.
• Represented Disney Television Animation in negotiations relating to the development and production of Fabiola!, Hamster & Gretel, Marvel’s Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur, and several other animated television projects.
• Negotiated above-the-line talent, production and heads of department deals for the first and second seasons of Amazon Studios’ television series Rings of Power.
• Contributed to the chain-of-title review of MGM documents in Amazon Studios’ recent $8.5B acquisition of MGM Studios.
• Represented Spotify in its negotiations of various podcast productions and shows.
• Represented the Los Angeles Opera in various productions.
• Represented a foster mother who adopted two young boys.
• Representing an Afghan Refugee as she seeks permanent asylum in the United States.
• Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, provided legal representation to the Mark Gordon Company in its sale to eOne.

Articles

Entertianment Law Blog Posts

• "Game On: SAG-AFTRA’s Video Game Performer Members Strike Over AI Concerns," August 9, 2024