Sidley partners Stephen M. Fronk, Richard S. Petretti, Matthew C. Thompson, and Rusty G. Weiss have been named to Variety's “Dealmakers Impact Report.” The annual report honors the top negotiators, including lawyers, financiers, executives, and entrepreneurs, who have forged ahead amid difficult circumstances to “keep Hollywood humming.” All four have been featured in prior editions of the list.
One of the industry’s most influential lawyers, Matt has built Sidley’s Media and Entertainment practice into a powerhouse, closing on several of the most complex and innovative deals of the last year. Matt’s multiple eight-, nine-, and ten-figure transactions resonate across the entertainment, financing, and investment banking sectors, reflecting his prominence on both the buy and sell sides.
Stephen has deep experience advising clients on digital media-related transactions and for many years has negotiated digital entertainment content distribution deals with leaders in the movie, television, music, publishing, and consumer electronics industries.
Richard is regarded as one of the top lawyers for media and entertainment finance. He has advised on significant market-impacting deals that have introduced innovative financing structures to the industry.
And Rusty helps some of Hollywood’s most influential media companies navigate the complexities of the digital world in landscape-changing transactions. His deals encompass next-generation ventures poised at the nexus of entertainment and technology, including virtual and augmented reality, eSports, digital distribution, and cross-media exploitation projects.