Testimonials
“When Larry is on a production, a tremendous worry is lifted because nothing legally will fall through the cracks. I would recommend him to any company, big or small.” Stuart Krasnow – President, Krasnow Productions; Executive Vice President, Creative Affairs, Telepictures*
“Larry is the consummate lawyer, and one who also brings with him a practical businessman’s understanding of our business. He has made himself a very valuable part of our team by making the difficulty of deal making in the current environment as painless as possible. His attention to detail, timeliness and quick work (no padding of hours here!) means it’s one bill we are happy to pay as we recognize we get significantly greater value for his expertise and time than we’ve had with larger firms or less experienced individuals.” Mark Koops – Executive Producer & Principal, Trium Entertainment*
“Larry and I were introduced in 2004 by my business manager. Since that time, Larry has served as our outside general counsel. During this period he also has rendered production counsel services on eight movies I produced and on numerous other projects in development. He’s familiar with the network deals and all writer and talent deals, including backdoor pilots with series options. Additionally, he has direct experience with Canadian production and tax credits, as well as various state tax credits. He is my confidant and I rely on his input and advice on a daily basis as he understands not only production, but also the all important aspects of running a business.” Craig Anderson – Executive Producer & Principal, Craig Anderson Productions*
“We had finished shooting and were editing Terry Fator’s show at The Mirage in Las Vegas for distribution. The PSA and distributor deals had not been concluded and other legal issues were on hold. Our Manager recommended Larry, and we’re glad he did. Larry came in and concluded the PSA with the production company, and re-opened negotiations with the distributor (they weren’t too happy as they thought we had finished negotiating). Larry was able to address a number of additional issues in the distribution agreement that are now more beneficial to us. He also cleaned up a mess of a chain of title, where multiple parties and works were involved and he drafted numerous documents clearly delineating transfers and ownership. Larry also completed a detailed clearance review to satisfy the insurer and distributor. He was calm and collected every time the distributor asked for something new. We’re grateful that Larry was able to jump in and get us over the necessary legal hurdles in time for release of the DVD.” Jep Fator – President, Taybebaby Productions* (Producer of “Terry Fator in Concert”)
“Pioneer Productions has been working with Larry since 2010 on productions for major US broadcasters. The programmes we have thrown at him have been as varied as they come, but he has always responded with the same high standards, care and diligence. There has been no problem he cannot assist us with and has always been able to advise whenever we needed him. He is sensitive to our needs, managing the legal requirements alongside the realities of producing for television. We have already hired him again for 2014!” Leonora Chao – Business Affairs Manager, Pioneer Productions* – London
“I recently worked with Larry on a PBS series. He was brought in late to fill in for other counsel and has a reputation of being a fireman…coming in late and getting things done. He quickly concluded the format rights and PBS network agreements and jumped into the production work. With Larry on board it all went smoothly. We are expecting a pickup for a second cycle and I’m looking forward to working with him again as I know we’ll have no legal worries with Larry on board. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending him to anyone!” David Johnson – Executive in Charge of Production, Genealogy Roadshow
“We’ve now worked with Larry as our U.S.counsel for more than five years and I know he’s always there when we need him. He’s an excellent production lawyer who always makes time to be available when urgent matters arise, even during the holidays.”
David Leach – President Mentorn USA and Commercial Director, Tinopolis Group* – London
“I’ve been working with Larry for a number of years now, but I think our most recent interaction sums up the level of service he provides. At the 11th hour, the network decided we couldn’t shoot until a plethora of contracts were signed by every member of the talent involved. I immediately contacted Larry who went into overdrive as always. He reviewed the agreements and provided comments back to the network within a matter of hours (and we are talking about a 40+ page agreement). He was able to cut to the chase with the network because he knew what changes they would approve and didn’t have to go back and forth with them. As a result, we were able to lock everything up and shoot as scheduled thanks to Larry’s responsiveness and diligence. The best part is that it was only after the matter was concluded that I learned Larry had actually been on vacation in Hawaii during the exchange! And one quick, last story…a former law school classmate and study partner of mine is head of legal and business affairs at one of the major networks and when he heard Larry was representing us on a deal with his network he was ecstatic as he knew the process would go smoothly and quickly. Having been a big firm lawyer myself, I know how difficult it is for clients to get immediate turnaround when a document has to go through two or three people. With Larry, he is the hands on person and is truly 24/7.” Clearly he puts his clients first!” Ronak Kordestani – Producer and Head of Development, Trium Entertainment*
“I worked with Larry for about four years while I was Head of Production at Mentorn USA. He is cool, calm and collected when it comes to production problems and is effective at getting everyone on the same page to quickly deal with and resolve issues. We were shooting a non-fiction/reality series in Jamaica and had one contestant who needed to be institutionalized and another hospitalized, with both having first to be taken care of in Jamaica and then sent back to the U.S. for appropriate care. Larry located Jamaican counsel to help comply with local laws and coordinated with production, and numerous network representatives, including the network president, over a long weekend to address these issues and keep production on schedule. He completely understands production and fully represents his client’s interests while dealing frequently with difficult network representatives. He’s my first choice for U.S. counsel!” Ed Nissen– Production Executive; formerly Managing Director, Renegade Pictures, London and Head of Production, Mentorn and Folio, London*
“When I was in Business Affairs at William Morris, we shared a production company client with Larry. We were at a standstill in negotiations among the production company, the cable network and the lead talent represented by one of the major boutique law firms in town. The entire series deal was about to fall apart. But somehow Larry got everyone on the phone and we got the deal done. The series ended up running for three seasons and the talent ended up with a clothing line and another series deal from the network! Larry was instrumental in getting the deal done. Recently, Larry was put between a rock and a hard place having to negotiate terms for a principal talent deal, where the network agreement negotiated by another lawyer was already signed. Again, in this case, the talent was represented by a major entertainment lawyer in town who was not going to agree to terms imposed by the network deal. Larry navigated between the network, the talent’s lawyer and the production company to finally get the deal done. He understands all sides and carefully takes into consideration how each deal on a project affects the other deals and the long term effect they have on each other. He has the patience, perseverance and forethought you want in a lawyer!” David Taghioff – Creative Artists Agency;, formerly COO, Octagon Entertainment and Vice President, Business Affairs, William Morris Agency*
“In 2003 Mentorn relocated me from the UK to head up their program output for the USA and we engaged Larry as our outside legal counsel. He has unfaltering dedication to his clients’ projects and the client’s best interest without losing the editorial flexibility required for the productions on which he works. He has a profound understanding of the production process and works extremely well with production personnel and has a trusted relationship with the Networks. He also was instrumental in helping us navigate an extensive development slate. Larry continuously achieves that fine balance necessary to make great television within the confines of legal requirements. I would not want to go into production battle without Larry by my side.” Alex Tinley – Managing Director, Hot Topic Television; formerly, Executive Producer, Zala Productions, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia and Head/Executive in Charge of Production, Mentorn USA*
“As a production executive and television producer, I have known and worked with Larry Verbit for over 10 years. I rely on his expertise in both domestic and international production law, performed incredibly well, and often under extraordinarily stressful circumstances. Larry is a completely dedicated person whose integrity is beyond question. He has organized and executed numerous complex and sensitive legal agreements for my productions, and has remained focused and dedicated, even under tight budgetary guidelines. Larry garners outstanding relationships with producers and Network executives, and consistently earns the trust of third parties. He’s is one of those rare people whose knowledge, affability, and calming influence inspire people working with him to realize that more often than not, it is possible to pull off the impossible – the most sought-after attribute in the entertainment industry.” David M. Wermus– Director of Production, Twin Cities Public Television;and formerly Line Producer, for first Cycle of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami” and, formerly of FremantleMedia NA and USA Cable Networks*
“Larry Verbit was my law school professor for an upper level course in Television Production Law. Before law school, I was a producer on network reality TV shows, and didn’t know as much about the pitfalls and land-mines of the production landscape as I learned in Professor Verbit’s course. The material I learned from him is not on Westlaw and you can’t Google it. I saved my coursework, used it on the first deal I did on my own, and use it all the time. It’s my Physician’s Desk Reference. He made me smart in school and now he makes me look smart in practice.” Mikey Glazer – Attorney and Columnist for TheWrap.com*
(*Affiliations are for identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement from the respective companies identified above.)
