Robb J. Klein

Robb Klein is a partner in the firm’s prestigious Entertainment, Technology and Advertising Practice Group which is ranked in the top tier by both Chambers USA and the Legal 500 U.S.. After initially practicing in London at a leading European firm, he joined Sheppard Mullin in 2008 and became the practice group leader for several years in 2018.

Areas of Practice

Robb specializes in all aspects of entertainment and media law, particularly film and television financing, production and distribution, merchandising and the licensing of rights, and digital media and streaming. As well as working with U.S. companies, he services a global client base, in particular companies from the UK, the EU and Asia doing business in the U.S. He provides practical and commercial advice to help clients achieve their business objectives.

Over his legal career, Robb has worked on the development, financing, production and distribution of hundreds of feature films, from small independent movies to studio blockbusters. He has also worked on numerous deals utilizing tax incentives around the world, and specializes in structuring international co-productions. His work for financiers includes acting for banks, institutional investors, high net worth individuals, tax funds and hedge funds, often involving secured lending and complex multi-party financing arrangements.

Robb also represents studios, independent production companies, videogame companies, animation houses and rights owners. He advises on carriage deals, chain of title and copyright issues, development agreements, co-financing agreements, output agreements, first-look agreements, re-make deals, rights acquisition agreements, format rights and television licensing agreements, sales agency and distribution agreements. He has also acted as production counsel on many films and television series.

With regard to digital business, Robb advises companies on their online commercial arrangements, from terms and conditions to commercial supply and advertising agreements, and on digital content production, licensing and the use of AI. He has represented both digital platforms and content owners and creators. He also advises computer games developers in their dealings with publishers and on other types of software licensing.

Alongside Sheppard Mullin’s highly regarded corporate media practice, Robb has worked on many significant corporate deals in the media sector including IPOs, strategic investments and mergers and acquisitions of companies in the film, television, music, computer games, mobile and video on demand sectors.

Robb is a qualified solicitor, licensed to practice in England and Wales.

Experience

Representative Experience

• Represented Toho Co. Ltd, Japan’s largest studio, and the creator of “Godzilla,” in its $225 million acquisition of a 25% stake in producer-distributor Fifth Season (formerly known as Endeavor Content). As a result of the deal, Fifth Season will be valued at $900 million and will continue to expand its slate of premium content, which currently includes the Apple TV+ series “Severance,” HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice,” Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” and Hulu’s “Life & Beth,” among other television and film productions. 
• Represented Ashland Hill Media Finance, a leading financier of independent motion pictures in connection the negotiation of a nine-figure credit facility and advised on the financing of multiple independent motion pictures, including “The Crow,” “Return to Silent Hill,” “Fast Charlie,” Wind River 2,” “Sneaks,” “Tornado,” “Harvest,” “Trap House,” “The Magic Faraway Tree,” “At the Sea” and “The Scurry.”
• Represented CTS Eventim, a leading international provider of ticketing services and live entertainment, in the acquisition of the festival and international ticketing activities of Vivendi, a global leader in culture, entertainment, media and communications. The firm handled all of the U.S. diligence and corporate matters related to the sale, which was valued at approximately €300 million.
• Represented Banc of California in connection with its loan on the motion pictures “The Book of Jobs” and “All My Friends are Dead.” and in the negotiation of an innovative loan facility to finance an international music tour featuring anime characters.
• Represented 828 Productions, in its successful bid to become one of only three official film partners of the State of New Mexico (alongside Netflix and NBC Universal), and in connection with its financing and co-production arrangements with A24 Films on the motion picture “Eddington,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, and with Signature Films and Scott Free Productions on the Dave Bautista-led motion picture “Trap House.”
• Represented iGeneration Studios in connection with its deals with Netflix to produce the “The Kissing Booth” trilogy of films, one of Netflix’s most watched franchises ever, starring Joey King and Jacob Elordi, on the development of multiple film and television projects including “Diva,” Perfect Chemistry,” “Fairfield” and “Wasps” and negotiated a first-look deal with Square Zero Films to develop scripted features based on Square Zero’s socially relevant documentaries.
• Represented Winterbotham Trust Company in connection with its acquisition of tens of million dollars of film, television and advertising receivables from streaming platforms.
• Represented investment fund Sobey Road Entertainment in connection with its investment in several high-profile music-related documentaries, with subjects including Crosby, Stills, Nash (and Young), Def Leppard and Pete Townsend of The Who.

• Represented Media Net Partners, in connection with its investments in US-based film and television production and licensing company, Accelerated Global Content, UK/US-based production company iGeneration Studios, and a Spain-based television production company.
• Represented Televisa, Mexico’s largest broadcaster, in connection with its first English language television series “CDMX” (Mexico City).
• Represented video game creator Supermassive Games in connection with the development and distribution of various games including revolutionary and BAFTA award winning interactive game “Until Dawn,” “Man of Medan,” “House of Ashes” and “The Quarry” one of the first games to be released on Stadia, Google’s cloud-based gaming platform.
• Represented Starlings Entertainment in connection with various investments, including in the highly acclaimed Elton John biopic “Rocketman.”
• Represented PIPE Entertainment, the entertainment arm of Pipe Technologies, Inc, in the acquisition of several slates of film and television receivables from various major studios and digital platforms. The film acquisitions included, “Kidnap,” “They Cloned Tyrone,” “The Estate,” “Deadly Illusions,” “A Private War” and a 12-picture slate deal with another major studio.
• Represented Mogambo Productions in connection with its investment in the Sam Mendes-directed World War 1 drama “1917.”
• Represented Free State Pictures in connection with their investments in several pictures, including “A Walk Among the Tombstones” starring Liam Neeson, “Black Mass” starring Johnny Depp and the Working Title mountaineering drama “Everest”, starring Elizabeth Debicki, Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightle.
• Represented Octopus Investments in connection with an $80 million P&A facility.
• Represented Sonar Entertainment in connection with the development, financing and distribution of several television series including “Taboo,” “White Rhino,” “11th Commandment” and “Biblical.”

Honors

Leading Lawyer, Chambers USA, 2024

Legal Impact Report, Variety, 2019, 2021, 2023

Dealmakers Impact Report, Variety, 2017-2018, 2020, 2023

Recognized as a leading practitioner, Media Law International (A Guide to Global Leaders in Media Law Practice), and The Legal 500 (Media and Entertainment), 2017-2024

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

Articles

• "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

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• Presentation at The Beijing Film Academy (Beijing, China)
• Film Finance Forum (Shanghai International Film Festival and Los Angeles)
• Digital Distribution: Revolutionary Destructive or Both? (Beverly Hills Bar Association)
• BNA/Atlas International Film & TV Finance Summit (New York)
• BNA/Atlas International Film & TV Finance Summit (Los Angeles)
• Annual Global Media Updates (Los Angeles)
• In-house seminars (London) – "The Distribution and Delivery of Digital Entertainment"
• In-house Seminar (Madrid) – "European Film Financing Incentives"
• In-house Seminar (London) – "Where Next for Mobile Content?"
• In-house Seminar (London) – "ICT: Emerging Technologies"

Events