The Business of Fame: How Midsize Firms Are Redefining Entertainment Law

NEW YORK, NY – November 11, 2026 — In an era where a single viral moment can either mint a millionaire or destroy a legacy, the concept of fame has fundamentally changed. It is no longer merely a byproduct of talent; it is a highly volatile, highly lucrative corporate enterprise. Managing that enterprise requires a legal apparatus that is as agile as a boutique firm but armed with the resources of a national powerhouse. This pragmatic reality was underscored this week when national law firm Leech Tishman announced a significant expansion of its Entertainment & Sports Industry Group, bringing on heavy-hitting partners Bryan M. Sullivan and Zachary C. Hansen.

The hiring of Sullivan and Hansen is not simply a routine reshuffling of legal resumes. It represents a calculated bicoastal strategy designed to capture a growing market of high-net-worth creators, athletes, and executives who require simultaneous defense in the court of law and the court of public opinion. As the lines between technology, media, and personal branding continue to blur, the legal frameworks required to protect these modern icons are undergoing a massive evolution.

The Bicoastal Strategy: Competing with Big Law

Historically, the entertainment law landscape was sharply divided. On one side were the specialized Hollywood boutiques, offering intimate industry connections but often lacking the infrastructural muscle for complex, multi-jurisdictional corporate litigation. On the other side was Big Law—massive, bureaucratic, and frequently bogged down by conflicts of interest across their vast institutional client bases.

Midsize firms like Leech Tishman are aggressively threading the needle between these two extremes. By positioning Sullivan as Co-Leader of the practice alongside Los Angeles-based litigator Allen B. Grodsky, the firm is bridging the critical geographic divides of the modern media landscape. Sullivan will operate out of New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., effectively covering the financial, creative, and regulatory capitals of the country. Hansen, joining the litigation and intellectual property groups, will split his time between New York and Los Angeles.

"We are thrilled to welcome Bryan and Zachary to Leech Tishman," stated Pete A. Fuscaldo, the firm's Managing Partner. "Their complementary experience brings tremendous depth to our Entertainment & Sports Industry Group, particularly in navigating high-stakes disputes, managing complex business relationships, and addressing sensitive legal and business challenges. Together, they strengthen our ability to deliver sophisticated, strategic counsel that helps clients manage risk, navigate an increasingly complex industry landscape, and pursue new opportunities, backed by the resources and reach of our national platform."

Protecting the Modern Creator: Crisis in the Digital Age

To understand the significance of these hires, one must look at the modern crises they are brought in to manage. Sullivan, who previously co-founded Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP, brings a roster that strips away the illusion that entertainment law is just about negotiating royalty percentages and syndication rights. His work highlights the dark, complex underbelly of modern fame.

Sullivan represented actor Terry Crews in his high-profile sexual assault case against William Morris Endeavor Entertainment, a landmark moment in the industry's reckoning with power dynamics. He is currently advocating for actress Olivia Munn in the rapidly escalating battle against deepfake AI-generated content—a technological frontier that is actively redefining the boundaries of personal intellectual property and digital consent. Furthermore, both Sullivan and Hansen have been instrumental in the complex, highly scrutinized legal battles surrounding Hunter Biden. Just this past July, Hansen was part of a trial team that secured a historic $1.7 million defamation judgment for Biden in federal court, a verdict noted by legal analysts for its unprecedented punitive-to-nominal damages ratio.

Hansen’s background as a trial lawyer is particularly telling of where the industry is headed. Representing professional athletes, influencers, and record labels, his practice covers the grueling, unglamorous trenches of First Amendment rights, defamation, and corporate disputes. His success in opposing a petition for writ of certiorari before the United States Supreme Court highlights the high-level appellate chess game that modern entertainment litigation frequently becomes. When a client's reputation is under attack, the response must be swift, aggressive, and constitutionally sound.

The Intersection of Reputation and the Bottom Line

As one legal industry strategist recently noted, the modern celebrity is effectively a walking Fortune 500 company, complete with subsidiaries, brand partnerships, and a highly sensitive stock price—their public reputation. When a crisis hits, it rarely stays confined to a single jurisdiction or a single legal discipline. A defamatory statement made in New York can impact a film financing deal in Los Angeles and trigger a regulatory inquiry in Washington.

This is where the multidisciplinary approach of a firm like Leech Tishman becomes a distinct competitive advantage. The Entertainment & Sports Industry Group does not operate in a vacuum; it draws on the firm's broader capabilities in corporate structuring, intellectual property protection, and regulatory compliance. Whether it is advising Enderby Entertainment on the distribution of feature films as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) or representing a major streaming service like Pongalo in a corporate control dispute, the work requires a holistic understanding of how media is financed, distributed, and consumed today.

"The entertainment and sports industries are increasingly complex, with legal challenges that often intersect with broader business, financial, and reputational considerations," stated Sullivan. "Leech Tishman's national platform and multidisciplinary capabilities create tremendous opportunities to provide our clients with comprehensive, strategic counsel. I'm excited to work alongside Allen and our colleagues across the firm to continue building a dynamic Entertainment & Sports practice that meets the evolving needs of our clients."

A Shifting Legal Landscape

The influencer economy, the rise of decentralized digital assets, and the weaponization of artificial intelligence mean that protecting a client is no longer just about copyrighting a script or trademarking a catchphrase. It is about protecting a digital persona in the metaverse, securing distribution rights on decentralized platforms, and fighting algorithmic defamation at scale.

Leech Tishman’s expansion is a clear indicator of how the legal market is adapting to these realities. By recruiting battle-tested litigators who understand the intimate connection between a client's public image and their financial viability, the firm is positioning itself at the bleeding edge of media law. As the mechanics of fame continue to grow more complicated, the lawyers operating behind the scenes will increasingly dictate who survives the digital age and who becomes a cautionary tale.