Robert A. Darwell

Robert Darwell is the Head of Global Media and a senior partner in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

2023 proved to be another banner year for Darwell and his team. Despite the WGA and SAG strikes, Darwell’s team worked on the acquisition and development of hundreds of motion picture and television projects. After representing Amazon in connection with its acquisition of MGM, Amazon’s second largest acquisition in history, Darwell and his colleagues worked with their in house counterparts on the integration of the revered MGM library into Amazon MGM Studios. On top of that, Darwell also guided Amazon MGM Studios, Wondery, Twitch, Nickelodeon, Disney, Peacock and Meta in connection with numerous high-profile movie, television, podcast and AI projects.

Over the course of Darwell's legal career, he’s worked on the development, finance, production and distribution of hundreds of motion pictures and television productions (including personal favorites such as “Traffic”, “Brokeback Mountain”, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). In addition, he regularly handles major newsworthy deals such as Disney’s termination of Bob and Harvey Weinstein (which garnered him the prestigious CLAY Award as California Entertainment Lawyer of the Year for Entertainment) and Disney’s subsequent sale of Miramax. Darwell also acted as lead entertainment counsel to Comcast in connection with its acquisition of NBC Universal.

Darwell brought his team to Sheppard Mullin in 2003 and served as Chair of the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising practice for more than a decade as it achieved accolades such as Top Tier ranked by Chambers and US Legal 500, as well as Entertainment Practice Group of the Year by Law 360.

Through the years, Darwell launched several specialty practices in the areas of advertising, fashion, and art law and has handled transactions that reflect the intersection of those verticals as well as those in sports, music, gaming, merchandising and mobile/digital areas. He represents clients in all segments of these businesses around the world.

Darwell studied law at Georgetown in Washington, DC and focused his studies on international trade. While there, he worked for the Attaché de Presse at the French Embassy and for DC powerhouse law firm Wilmer Cutler (where he had the opportunity to assist Lloyd Cutler, who served as counsel to President Carter).

At Georgetown, Darwell took the only entertainment course offered at that time and, following the tragic deaths of Vic Morrow and two child actors on the set of “The Twilight Zone” movie, wrote his seminar paper on the employment of minors in the entertainment industry. Its publication coincided with the birth of the first of his three children. Upon graduation, Darwell moved to Los Angeles and combined his passion for entertainment and media with his interest in international business and finance.

Darwell travels and works regularly from locations around the world. Always reachable, clients praise his availability at all hours and dedication to service and excellence. Darwell is invited regularly to speak at international film festivals, including at the Toronto, Zurich, Havana, Beijing, Shanghai and Rome International Film Festivals, among others.

When not negotiating and drafting, Darwell may be found in the DJ booth (on Sunset Boulevard, in Mexico City, Paris, or Zurich) or taking photos for his popular Instagram feed @TheDailyServer. Recently, Darwell completed directing his first documentary film “The 90s Club”, which strikes a hard blow against ageism. In the wisdom of the ages film, Darwell interviewed a dozen diverse individuals between the ages of 90-99, who speak unflinchingly about love, life, and loss. The film, now available on Amazon Prime, screened in dozens of festivals and garnered numerous awards. His second film, “Black Uniform”, is currently making the rounds.

Experience

Representative Experience

• Represented Amazon Studios in connection with its recent acquisition of MGM.
• Counsel to Hemisphere Media Group in connection with its acquisition of Lionsgate’s interest in Spanish language SVOD platform Pantaya and distribution company Pantelion.
• Lead entertainment counsel to Comcast in connection with its multi-billion dollar acquisition of NBC Universal.
• Represented Disney on the sale of Miramax.
• Represented Los Angeles Clippers in connection with multi-year telecast rights agreement.
• Represent television powerhouse Banijay Entertainment in expanding its reality television empire by acquiring Stephen David Entertainment and Bunim/Murray Productions.
• Counsel to City National Bank in connection with a series of off balance sheet financing transactions for video game titles.
• Represented IAC in connection with its deal with Ben Silverman to form Electus.
• Representation of Focus Features with respect to its co-development/co-financing venture with Random House to form Random House Films.
• Lead outside counsel representing Walt Disney Company in connection with the separation of Bob and Harvey Weinstein from Miramax.
• Legal counsel to producer in the production, distribution, financing and/or acquisition of 100s of high profile motion pictures, including “Judy”, “A Hero”, "The Beguiled", "The Revenant", "Selma", "American Hustle", "Her", "Zero Dark Thirty", "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Traffic", and "Brokeback Mountain".
• Entertainment counsel to USA Networks in connection with its sale of its entertainment assets to Vivendi Universal.
• Represented ABS as promoter of Manny Pacquiao boxing event in Manila, Philippines.
• Represented South Korean developer in connection with MGM theme park.
• Represented France Animation/Moonscoop in its acquisition of a majority interest in animation company Mike Young Productions.
• Counsel to private equity investor involved in Legendary slate financing arrangement at Warner.
• Structure and negotiate key Telemundo strategic alliances with Globo, Argos, and TV Azteca.
• Entertainment Counsel to USA Networks in connection with its acquisition of Polygram domestic library and merger with October Films to form USA Films.

Honors

Entertainment Lawyer of the Year, Beverly Hills Bar Association, 2024

Entertainment Business Visionary, Los Angeles Times, 2024

Top 10 Influential Transactional Attorney in California's Media & Entertainment, Business Today, 2023

Top 100 Music Lawyers, Billboard

USA Thought Leader, Who’s Who Legal, 2023-2024

Power Lawyer, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 out of 18 years (2006-2024)

Top Entertainment Attorney, Variety's Legal Impact Report, 2022-2024

Who's Who Legal: Telecoms, Media & Entertainment, 2023-2024

Who's Who Legal: Sports & Gaming 2022-2024

Dealmakers Impact Report, Variety

Marketing and Advertising, Legal 500

Media and Entertainment, Legal 500

Leading Lawyer in Media & Entertainment (California), Chambers USA

Daily Journal: Top Entertainment Lawyers

Top Thirty Media Practitioners in the U.S., Expert Guides

CLAY Award, Attorney of the Year, Entertainment, California Lawyer

California's Top Entertainment Lawyer, Daily Journal

AlwaysOn Power Player in Digital Media

Top Rated Lawyer in Technology, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell

20 Most Important People to Meet at AFM, The Hollywood Reporter

Which Lawyer?, Practical Law Company, Media

One of Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal

Best Lawyer in America, Advertising and Entertainment categories, Best Lawyers

One of 40 Who's Who in Law?, LA Business Journal

Southern California Super Lawyer

Best of the Bar, Media and Entertainment, Los Angeles Business Journal

Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers In America, Lawdragon Magazine

500 New Worlds, New Stars, Lawdragon

3000 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon

Articles

Art Law Blog: www.artlawgallery.com

Daily Journal: www.dailyjournal.com - Sheppard Mullin Partner Documentary About Nonagenarians

Books

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Beverly Hill Bar Association - 2023 Transactional Entertainment Law Year in Review
• Film Finance Forum East - Making the Sale: Securing Domestic and Intl. Distribution
• Beijing International Film Festival - Sino-European Co-Productions
• Cannes Film Festival - Slate Film Financing
• Havana Film Festival - Co-Production and Distribution Arrangements
• Miami International Film Festival - Bank, Bonding and Insurance Panel
• Milan Fashion Week - Celebrity Endorsement Deals
• Rio Film Festival - North American Production Incentives
• Shanghai International Film Festival - Doing Deals with A List Talent
• UCLA Entertainment Law Symposium - Celebrity Endorsements and Licenses
• Ventana Sur (Buenos Aires) - Remake Deals
• Zurich Film Festival - Making Movies and Generating Revenue in Today's Environment

Memberships

Harvard Law School FiLM Society Board of Advisors

Advisory Board, Media Law International

Nashville Fashion Forward Advisory Counsel

Law360's Media and Entertainment Editorial Advisory Board

Former Co-Chair, Beverly Hills Bar Association Entertainment Law Section

Past President, Premier Patrons of the American Cinematheque

Emeritis, Planning Committee for the UCLA Entertainment Law Symposium