On December 7, 2022, Paul Bernstein, Ronn Davids, Max Wellman, and Kristen Ruisi were recognized in Variety’s 2022 Dealmakers Impact Report. This recognition honors the top financiers, attorneys, executives, and entrepreneurs who forged the entertainment industry’s biggest M&A transactions of the year.
Paul Bernstein, chair of Venable’s Entertainment Transactions practice, advises clients on complex corporate matters. Paul handles joint ventures, endorsement deals, financings, mergers and acquisitions, executive employment deals, and all manner of entrepreneurial activities for actors, writers, directors, producers, musical artists, athletes, and others in the entertainment industry. He also represents several talent management companies and production companies.
Ronn Davids, a co-chair of Venable's West Coast Corporate Group, has a national corporate and transactional practice focused on representing middle-market and emerging growth companies in distressed and non-distressed situations, with a special emphasis on counseling private equity funds and their portfolio companies and family offices in acquisitions, dispositions, and financings. In addition, Ronn has extensive experience representing clients in the media and entertainment industries, including digital media and branded merchandise businesses, industry executives, entrepreneurs, and investors, and assisting clients with the challenges of transacting, raising capital, investing, and operating in the cannabis industry in accordance with applicable state law.
Max Wellman, counsel in Venable’s Commercial Litigation Practice, provides strategic counseling in entertainment, technology, and business matters. Max principally represents production companies, studios, influencers, talent management companies, and merchandising companies, as well as artists, entrepreneurs, consumer product brands, and technology start-ups.
Kristen Ruisi focuses on providing global trademark services, including trademark prosecution, enforcement, clearance, and counseling. Kristen's practice covers a wide range of intellectual property matters, including foreign litigation, trademark policing and enforcement strategies, due diligence for mergers and acquisitions, conflict resolution, preparing cease-and-desist letters, and handling infringement matters. She counsels on social media enforcement, including takedown proceedings on multiple platforms, Internet-related matters, and domain name registration.