Pryor Cashman Welcomes Three New Partners to Expand Its Media + Entertainment Practice

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pryor Cashman is pleased to announce that Briana Hill, Simon Pulman, and Amy Stein Simonds have joined the firm as partners in the Media + Entertainment Group. Briana and Simon will be co-heads of the practice group with James Janowitz, bringing their significant expertise and client base to the firm. All three were formerly partners at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard.

• Briana’s practice focuses on the business of entertainment and media law, and legal affairs in television, motion picture, and digital media, with extensive experience in high-level, sophisticated rights acquisitions, development, talent, co-production, and licensing deals. One of the top company-side entertainment attorneys in Los Angeles, Briana serves as outside business and legal affairs counsel for leading studios, networks, production companies, publishers, and creators and has supported the creation of numerous premium streaming series and motion pictures. She also works with videogame publishers, toy brands, and other nontraditional entertainment clients to help them structure and navigate entertainment industry deals.
• Simon’s practice focuses on entertainment and media law, with significant experience in company-side business affairs and sophisticated rights transactions for television, film, podcasting, and interactive clients. As outside business affairs counsel for studios, networks, production companies, and rightsholders, he helps clients negotiate complex development, production, financing, and licensing deals and is an industry leader in franchise building and complex “transmedia” deals. Simon has also rendered financing and distribution services on many independent films and documentaries.
• Amy’s practice focuses on transactions for films, television, podcasts, and digital media, including rights acquisition and licensing, development, production loans and equity financing, production, and sales and distribution agreements. Her clients include studios, networks, financiers, production companies, executives, producers, actors, writers, department heads, and directors. A production legal specialist with over 100 motion picture credits to her name, Amy has provided legal counsel for many major studio, streaming platform, and independently financed films and documentaries.

“These three talented lawyers invigorate our already important media and film practice,” said Ronald Shechtman, Managing Partner of Pryor Cashman. “The prominence of this accomplished group of lawyers will add strength to strength in this important area of our firm.”

Briana is based in Pryor Cashman’s Los Angeles office, and Simon and Amy are based in New York.

“We can’t think of a better place to build and expand our practice than Pryor Cashman,” said Briana. “Moving to a midsize firm puts us right where we want to be for our clients. We’re joining an already-great team, and we can offer enhanced service to our existing clients, while also helping to build on the prospects for Pryor Cashman’s M+E client base.”

“Working with the exceptional lawyers at Pryor Cashman will allow us to expand our capacity to service sophisticated clients across traditional and emerging forms of interactive entertainment, and create new opportunities for our clients and their projects,” said Simon. “We can’t wait to get to work.”

“The future of the entertainment space is moving and evolving so rapidly, and Pryor Cashman’s M+E Group is helping set the pace,” said Amy. “We’re all looking forward to helping clients navigate what’s next and maximize their opportunities.”

About Pryor Cashman

Pryor Cashman is a premier, midsized law firm headquartered at 7 Times Square in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Miami. With broad and sophisticated transactional and litigation practices, Pryor Cashman provides a full range of services to meet the complex legal needs of institutions, mid-market businesses, bold emerging entities, entrepreneurs, and individuals.