Partner Susan Bodine is a founding member of the firm and practices in their motion picture and television group. Ms. Bodine’s clients include prominent and critically acclaimed screenwriters, directors, producers, film production companies, and distributors. Among her services, Ms. Bodine offers expert counsel on corporate matters, film sales, distribution and financing, as well as production legal issues for domestic and international clients and projects. Her expertise has led to the sale of numerous films showcased at major film festivals, such as Sundance, Cannes, and Toronto.
With over twenty years of experience in the entertainment field, Ms. Bodine is well established as a leading member of the arts and entertainment community in New York. Although her first work was concentrated within the music industry as an associate at Weiss, Meichbach, & Bomser, she began her distinguished career in motion pictures after leaving that firm and forming her own law partnership, Cowan & Bodine, with Philip Cowan. One of the first “indie film” lawyers in New York in the Eighties, she established herself through the representation of burgeoning filmmakers in production and finance matters. Ms. Bodine continued her pioneering spirit through her work for the Creative Capital Foundation, a grant-giving organization benefiting filmmakers, and through the Entertainment Law Circle, a not-for-profit service organization for young attorneys in the entertainment field. Continuing her community oriented endeavors, she has also served as an adjunct professor of law at Franklin Pierce’s Intellectual Property Summer Institute, one of the top Intellectual Property schools in the U.S. In addition, Ms. Bodine lectures on motion picture law topics for the M.P.A.A, and at events sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, the Practicing Law Institute, N.Y.U. Tisch School of the Arts, the Independent Feature Project, and various law schools and professional associations throughout the country and abroad.
Ms. Bodine
joined the Epstein, Levinsohn, & Weinstein partnership, with her law partner
Andrew Hurwitz, in 1994. Ms. Bodine was admitted to the New York Bar in 1982
and received her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center.
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Partner Andrew Hurwitz practices in the firm’s motion picture and television group. Clients include both first-time and Academy Award winning filmmakers, independent producers as well as major motion picture studios, and television networks in the United States and abroad. In addition to individual representation, his practice concentrates on financing and distribution matters, both in film and cable television programming. This includes assisting his clients in packaging and securing distribution for their projects and in raising funding. He also renders services in corporate matters, including structuring acquisitions and joint ventures and the representation of senior executives at major studios.
Beginning with a background in international business law, Mr. Hurwitz’ fifteen years of legal and business experience include practice in the media and technology group at Roger & Wells (now called Clifford & Chance) and helmsmanship of Prague’s Central Europe Institute, a non-profit company supporting Czechoslovakia’s first-time entrepreneurs. Within the entertainment community, Mr. Hurwitz is a frequent guest speaker, lecturing on entertainment law topics and negotiations at industry associations and at various law schools and film schools throughout the country. He has also shared his tactical knowledge relating to the negotiation of industry agreements in publications sponsored by the UCLA Entertainment Law Symposium and the Practicing Law Institute. Variety has named him one of the top players in independent film for three years running.
Mr. Hurwitz is
a founding partner of Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP. He
was admitted to the New York Bar in 1989. He received his J.D., cum laude, from
Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as an editor of the Law and
Policy in International Business Law Journal and was awarded the
prestigious Micum Prize for the best legal writing by a second year student.
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Partner Alison Cohen practices in the firm’s motion picture and television group, representing a vast number of award winning independent producers and production companies in the film and television industries, as well as major motion picture studios and cable networks. Ms. Cohen has developed particular expertise in structuring and negotiating agreements for the development, financing, production, and distribution of independent films with budgets ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to forty million dollars. Involved in all aspects of the trade, Ms. Cohen offers her clients day to day tactical business advice in connection with the acquisition of underlying rights, the development of scripts, the packaging of projects, and the various methods of securing financing for motion pictures. She has been production counsel on dozens of critically acclaimed films and completed an unusually high number of both private equity and studio-based financings during her tenure at the firm, in addition to providing day to day development work for some of the firm’s most prestigious clients. She regularly attends the Sundance Film Festival, where she has been involved in the sale of several high profile films.
Prior to Ms. Cohen’s film career, she practiced music law for over five years at Arista Records and at Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein. During this time, Ms. Cohen represented independent music publishers, record companies, artists, producers and songwriters, and was involved in the acquisition and sale of several outstanding music catalogs. Aside from her work for the firm, Ms. Cohen has served as a guest lecturer at Columbia University School of Law, and she has authored several articles published by Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts and Practicing Law Institute.
Ms. Cohen
joined Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz, & Weinstein in 1997. Prior to
joining the firm, she practiced corporate law at Rosenman & Colin, LLP. Ms.
Cohen was admitted to the New York Bar in 1996, and received her J.D. from
Columbia University School of Law as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She lives in
Westfield, New Jersey with her husband and two young children.
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Partner Andrea Cannistraci practices in the firm’s motion picture and television group, serving renowned writers, award winning producers and cutting-edge feature and documentary filmmakers, as well as major studios, leading cable networks and independent production companies. In addition to providing all aspects of production legal services, Ms. Cannistraci’s practice includes the acquisition and development of underlying rights, as well as the financing, sales and distribution of motion pictures. Her expertise extends to structuring the sale of film libraries, soundtrack album agreements and book-publishing contracts ancillary to motion pictures. Ms. Cannistraci is dedicated to providing business acumen to both domestic and international clients and projects.
Within the entertainment community, she has worked to benefit emerging talent whether through non-profit grant-giving organizations such as the Creative Capital Foundation or as a panelist at industry conferences sponsored by such associations as the Independent Feature Project. Ms. Cannistraci regularly attends other industry events and festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in support of her clients and has been influential in shaping the sale of several acclaimed films at such festivals.
In 1996, Ms.
Cannistraci joined what was to become the partnership of Epstein, Levinsohn,
Bodine, Hurwitz and Weinstein. Prior thereto, Ms. Cannistraci litigated complex
tort cases with the Law Office of Sybil Shainwald and with the Law Firm of David
Worby (presently Worby Groner & Edelman LLP). After receiving her J.D. from St.
John’s University, School of Law, she was admitted to the New York Bar and the
US District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts. She lives in Westchester
with her husband and two young sons.
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Ben Feldman is affiliated with the firm, and focuses his practice in matters concerning theatre and independent film. Mr. Feldman also provides counsel in the areas of art, book publishing, and television. His varied clientele consists of film and theater producers (including film production companies and regional theaters), network sitcom television leads, Manhattan art galleries, publicists, New York stage venue owners, major motion picture distributors, talent agencies, writers, and even the puppet designers and builders of the one of the most popular stage musicals of recent memory. He has secured the film rights for stories appearing in publications ranging from The New York Times to Vanity Fair and the live musical stage rights to numerous novels and popular films. He has completed book deals with major publishing houses and has acted as production counsel on a number of independent films, including two that have received national theatrical release since 2004. Also in his film practice, he represented more documentaries at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival than any other attorney, and as a producer rep he sold one, in an unprecedented deal, to a national broadcast network for prime time exhibition. He subsequently sold two additional films at the Tribeca Festival later that same year, in the Spring of 2004, and will represent four movies as both production counsel and producer rep at that festival in 2006. Ben represents two Oscar nominated director-producers and a third whose work was acknowledged with the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. Mr. Feldman’s work as a theatrical attorney has been acknowledged twice in this century, more than any other attorney. His clients have been recognized in such categories as best Play Revival (producer), Best Actress in a Play, Best Orchestrations, Best Score, and Best Book of a Musical. He has represented either the producers or authors of at least one winner of major New York theatrical Festivals (Fringe, NYMTF or NAMT) during each of the last five years. All of these productions have moved on to Broadway or off.
In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Feldman also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hourglass Group and of the New Festival Inc., sponsor of the New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. As a producer himself, Mr. Feldman has presented The Cutting Room, a short film featuring Kate Hudson, and the commercial run of The Stand In, a play developed by Naked Angels and later optioned by Miramax. Finally, Ben is also a writer whose work has been produced at the LaJolla Playhouse. He was commissioned by major film studios to write the librettos of two musicals to be based on major motion pictures.
Mr. Feldman
became affiliated with Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP, in
2002. Formerly, he was affiliated with the law firms of Parker, Chapin, Flattau
& Klimpl, LLP, and Kaufmann, Feiner, Yamin, Gildin & Robbins, LLP. Mr. Feldman
was admitted to the New York Bar in 1999. He received his J.D. from New York
University School of Law, where he won the ASCAP Copyright Law Prize and the
school’s Moot Court Oral Argument Competition. He is a Summa Cum Laude graduate
of Yale College.
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Natalie Stanford practices in the firm’s film and television group. She provides production, corporate, and individual legal services to clients in the film, television, fashion, art and design fields. Her practice is focused on negotiating and drafting agreements in connection with rights acquisition, film and television production and distribution, licensing, and employment. Ms. Stanford has particular expertise in handling clearance matters for both documentary and fictional works, and has provided such services for several high profile, controversial projects. Her clients include writers, producers, directors, artists, and designers.
Ms. Stanford’s skill in handling issues that arise in connection with the production, sale and distribution of creative works stems from her experience, prior to her legal career, as a Sales and Public Relations Executive for luxury fashion brands such as Prada, an Editor/Market Director for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, and a Business Consultant to corporations and individual artists. Currently, she attends industry events such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, and NewFest in support of the firm’s clients and emerging talents. Ms. Stanford also serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the non-profit arts organization Topaz Arts, and of the New York Lawyers Chapter of the think tank, American Constitution Society.
Ms. Stanford joined Epstein,
Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein in August. Prior to that, she
worked with entertainment law firm Robert Gaulin and Associates, and with the
corporate legal department of Bristol-Myer Squibb. She received her law
degree in 2003 from Brooklyn Law School where she won the PRLDEF Corporate
Internship Placement Award for 2001, and was a member of the Entertainment Law
Society. Ms. Stanford was admitted to the New York Bar in 2004. She
received her undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Political Science from New
York University.
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Joshua Sandler practices in the firm’s motion picture and television group. Joshua primarily counsels entertainment industry clients in the development, production, financing and distribution of motion picture, television and new media content. He has negotiated a variety of writer, director, actor and producer agreements on numerous film and television productions, both on the studio and production company side and on the artist side. He also regularly negotiates distribution agreements for films represented by the firm’s film sales division.
Joshua earned his J.D. in 2001 from UCLA School of Law, and he graduated
magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in both
philosophy and psychology from Boston University in 1997. Joshua was admitted
to the California Bar in 2001. Prior to joining Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine,
Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP in 2005, he was a member of the Entertainment and Media
practice group of O’Melveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles.
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Alan Sacks practices in the firm’s motion picture and television group. Alan’s practice focuses on film and television finance and distribution for clients that participate in both the studio system and independent film arena. Alan is also actively involved in representing individual producers, screenwriters and directors in securing attachment to, or creating projects for, development, production and/or distribution.
Prior to joining the firm, Alan practiced corporate law with the New York law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, LLP, concentrating primarily on private equity and venture capital activities, and mergers & acquisitions, and was subsequently a principal in a boutique private equity firm, Centric Capital Ventures, LLC, pursuing corporate and content related investment opportunities in the motion picture, television and general entertainment industry, both in the U.S. and abroad.
Alan graduated
with a J.D. (cum laude) from Duke University, School of Law in 1997 and
is admitted to the bar to practice in the State of New York.
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Michael P. Overn practices in the firm’s film group. Mr. Overn’s expertise is primarily concentrated in the areas of transactional corporate, entertainment & art law. He provides production, financing, corporate, and individual legal services to a variety of clients in the film, television, music, internet, publishing and visual arts fields. He has negotiated and drafted agreements in all areas of entertainment including producer, director, writer and talent agreements, literary and screenplay rights purchases, domestic and foreign distribution deals, television production agreements, recording contracts and private equity film financing documents. Mr. Overn’s clients include film and television production companies, writer/directors, visual artists and non-profit organizations.
Mr. Overn has experience in the area of corporate law, as well as in the area of arts management, where for 10 years prior to becoming an attorney, he managed the career of visual and performance artist Karen Finley. He is an experienced mediator, mediating art-related disputes for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. He is also familiar with non-profit law, having worked for Lawyers Alliance of New York, providing legal services to non-profit groups.
Mr. Overn
joined Epstein, Levinsohn Bodine, Hurwitz, and Weinstein in 2001. Prior to
that, he worked for 3 years as an associate in the New York corporate department
of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP. He received his JD, magna cum laude,
in 1998 from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and was admitted to the NY bar in
1999.
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Brian R. Godshall is a paralegal in both the firm’s film and music groups. Mr. Godshall provides a variety of legal services, focusing primarily on reviewing and issuing synchronization and master use licenses for music used in clients’ independent films. Most recently, he has also cleared the music for the Bill Condon film, “Kinsey”, and has assisted in clearance issues for the upcoming OutKast movie currently entitled “Idlewild”. In addition to his other responsibilities, Mr. Godshall has issued licenses for Subliminal Records, and handled the artist contracts for the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Celebration as well as the video of “What’s Goin’ On” for the African AIDS Charity Project.
Prior to
joining Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz, and Weinstein as a paralegal in
1999, Mr. Godshall was an agent in the Film Synchronization Department at the
Harry Fox Agency. He spent eight years there handling both theatrical and
non-theatrical licensing on behalf of many of Harry Fox’s publishing clients.
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As the film group’s Contracts Manager and Paralegal, Gabriella Ludlow provides a variety of services to producers, production companies and the firm’s individual clients. Her responsibilities include negotiating various below the line agreements, reviewing film production guild applications, and consulting with producers and their production staff in the areas of rights clearances, product placement and set location agreements.
Ms. Ludlow came to the film and media industry after many years in the music industry where she held such positions as Associate Director of the business affairs department at Sony Music Special Products (now SonyBMG Custom Marketing Group) and as Manager of the copyright departments at Arista Records and BMG Music Group.
Prior to joining Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP full time in 2005, Ms. Ludlow served as a consultant to the firm as well as several other entertainment industry clients such as EMI Music, Sony Music Group and Turner Networks Group. She has also served as a guest lecturer on music copyright and licensing issues at Columbia College in Chicago.
Ms. Ludlow received her BA from New York University and lives in Manhattan with her husband.