Robert A. Darwell

Robert Darwell is a partner in the Entertainment and Digital Media Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

Over the course of Bob Darwell's legal career, Bob has worked on the development, finance, production and distribution of hundreds of motion pictures and television productions (including personal favorites such as “Traffic”, “Brokeback Mountain”, and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). In addition, he’s handled major newsworthy deals such as Disney’s termination of Bob and Harvey Weinstein (which garnered him the prestigious CLAY Award as California Entertainment Lawyer of the Year for Entertainment) and Disney’s subsequent sale of Miramax. Bob later served as lead entertainment counsel to Comcast in connection with its acquisition of NBC Universal.

Bob brought his team to Sheppard Mullin in 2003 and served as Chair of the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising practice for more than a decade as it achieved accolades such as Top Tier ranked by Chambers and US Legal 500, as well as Entertainment Practice Group of the Year by Law 360.

Through the years, Bob launched several specialty practices in the areas of advertising, fashion, and art law and has handled transactions that reflect the intersection of those verticals as well as those in sports, music, gaming, merchandising and mobile/digital areas. He represents clients in all segments of these businesses around the world. He currently serves as legal counsel to Amazon Studios for its film and television content and has handled some of the most significant new media deals for clients such as AwesomenessTV, Machinima, and Endemol Beyond.

Bob studied law at Georgetown in Washington, DC and focused his studies on international trade. While there, he worked for the Attache de Presse at the French Embassy and for DC powerhouse law firm Wilmer Cutler (including assisting Lloyd Cutler, who served as counsel to President Carter, with the Robert Bork Supreme Court confirmation hearings).

At Georgetown, Bob took the only offered entertainment course and, following the tragic deaths of Vic Morrow and two child actors on the set of “The Twilight Zone” movie, wrote his seminar paper on the employment of minors in the entertainment industry. Its publication coincided with the birth of his first child. Upon graduation, Bob moved to Los Angeles and combined his passion for entertainment and media with his interest in international business.

Bob travels and works regularly from his homes in Los Angeles, NYC, Nashville, Paris and Buenos Aires. Always reachable, clients praise his availability at all hours and dedication to service and excellence. Recently, Bob spoke at the Toronto, Zurich, and Rome International Film Festivals after stopping in DC for the launch party of a global art law compendium to which he contributed.

When not negotiating and drafting, Bob may be found in the DJ booth or taking photos for his popular Instagram feed @TheDailyServer, which will be the subject of a month long gallery exhibition in Paris.

Honors

Top Entertainment Attorney, Variety's Legal Impact Report, 2017, 2019

Thought Leader, Who's Who Legal, 2018

Dealmakers Impact Report, Variety, 2017-2018

The Hollywood Reporter Power Lawyer 12 out of 12 years

Marketing and Advertising, Legal 500, 2017

Media and Entertainment, Legal 500, 2017, 2019

Leading Lawyer in Media & Entertainment (California), Chambers and Partners, 2017-2019

Daily Journal: Top Entertainment Lawyers

Who's Who Legal: Sports & Entertainment

Top Thirty Media Practitioners in the U.S., Expert Guides

CLAY Award, Attorney of the Year, Entertainment, California Lawyer

California's Top Entertainment Lawyer, Daily Journal

AlwaysOn Power Player in Digital Media

Top Rated Lawyer in Technology, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell

20 Most Important People to Meet at AFM, The Hollywood Reporter

Which Lawyer?, Practical Law Company, Media

One of Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal

Best Lawyer in America, Advertising and Entertainment categories, Best Lawyers

One of 40 Who's Who in Law?, LA Business Journal

Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers

Best of the Bar, Media and Entertainment, Los Angeles Business Journal

Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers In America, Lawdragon Magazine

Tier 1, Transactional Entertainment, Chambers and Partners

500 New Worlds, New Stars, Lawdragon

3000 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon

Insights

Articles

• Don't Quote ME - The Fall of the precedent System
Media Law International, 04.2018

Media Mentions

•Dealmakers Impact Report
Variety, 12.04.2018
•The Best Job To Prepare You For Biglaw Life
Above The Law, 05.02.2017
•Say Cheese! Big-Law Partner's Instagram Feed Captures Life in the Tasty Lane
American Lawyer, 05.01.2017
•Power Lawyers 2017: Hollywood's Top 100 Attorneys
The Hollywood Reporter, 04.26.2017

Speaking Engagements

•Film Finance Forum East - Making the Sale: Securing Domestic and Intl. Distribution
•Beijing International Film Festival - Sino-European Co-Productions
•Cannes Film Festival - Slate Film Financing
•Havana Film Festival - Co-Production and Distribution Arrangements
•Miami International Film Festival - Bank, Bonding and Insurance Panel
•Milan Fashion Week - Celebrity Endorsement Deals
•Rio Film Festival - North American Production Incentives
•Shanghai International Film Festival - Doing Deals with A List Talent
•UCLA Entertainment Law Symposium - Celebrity Endorsements and Licenses
•Ventana Sur (Buenos Aires) - Remake Deals
•Zurich Film Festival - Making Movies and Generating Revenue in Today's Environment