Matthew N. Sugarman is a shareholder in the Firm’s entertainment practice group.
Matthew’s practice focuses on the representation of writers, actors, directors, producers and commercial, management and production companies in motion picture, television and digital media. Matthew has also worked extensively in connection with the development, financing, production, distribution, licensing and acquisition of audio-visual productions in all media. His practice also includes merchandising, endorsements, and print publishing.
Matthew has served as a member of both the Syllabus Committee of the USC Institute for Entertainment Law and Business and the Entertainment Industry Leadership Institute of The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. In addition, he is actively involved with several charities including the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, and is an avid science fiction, fantasy and comic book reader. Prior to attending law school, Matthew helped to found the business and legal affairs department at Walden Media in New York City, worked on the advance team for Bill Bradley’s 2000 U.S. Presidential campaign, participated in the investment banking trainee program at a top Wall Street investment house and served as a Page in the U.S. Senate.
Speaking Engagements
Matthew spoke at Wondercon on the process of shopping a comic book property in Hollywood, in a program entitled, “From Page to Screen.”
Matthew received his J.D. in 2004 from the University of Southern California Law Center, where he was a quarter-finalist in the Hale Moot Court Honors Program, and received his undergraduate degree, with a dual major in political science and sociology, from the Brandeis University in 1999.
USC Institute for Entertainment Law and Business
Syllabus Committee Member
The Entertainment Industry Leadership Institute
of The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles
Member
Awards
Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report 2015
J.D., University of Southern California Law Center, 2004
B.A., Brandeis University, 1999
On September 8, Weintraub Shareholder Matt Sugarman will present as part of the American Bar Association webinar Comic Book Law 101. This panel will explore the comic book industry, its place in greater pop culture, and the key legal issues attorneys practicing in this area should know. Topics covered will include…
In Netflix’s “A Man In Full,” Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane star as Charlie Croker, a crumbling real estate mogul, and his ex-wife Martha. Lucy Liu, Tom Pelphrey, Sarah Jones, William Jackson Harper, Aml Ameen, Jon Michael Hill, and Chanté Adams round out the star-studded cast. Based on Tom Wolfe’s…
Several Weintraub clients had high-profile premieres at the recent SXSW Film Festival in Austin (March 8-16, 2024). Director Doug Liman unveiled his remake of “Road House” starring Jake Gyllenhaal at this year’s festival. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios, the film also stars Jessica Williams, Billy Magnussen, Lukas Gage, and Conor…
Weintraub client Cheech Marin reunites with iconic comedic partner Tommy Chong for “Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie.” The film, premiered at SXSW, showcases their decades-long, up-and-down relationship in the documentary/road-trip comedy. Weintraub shareholders Stan Coleman and Matt Sugarman represent Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong. Read the review by The Hollywood Reporter.
Weintraub Client Jess Varley (Phobias) makes her solo writing and directing debut with the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut, which begins filming in Ireland in October (under an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement). Kate Mara, Gabriel Luna, and Laurence Fishburne lead the cast. The Astronaut is produced by Brad Fuller and Cameron Fuller…
Weintraub client Gregg Simon is set to direct “The Patience of Vultures,” a neo-noir crime thriller presented by Pulsar Content, XYZ Films, and WME Independent. Luis Guzmán (“Narcos,” “Traffic”) and Ed Skrein (“Game of Thrones,” “Deadpool”) are set to lead the ensemble cast, which also includes Josh Brener (“The Last…
Weintraub client ND Stevenson, author of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel “Nimona,” has been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s first-ever 75 Most Powerful People in Kids’ Entertainment, also known as their Kids’ Entertainment Power List. The list is comprised of executives and creators who make and deliver programming…
The Dark Horse comic book series Lady Danger, written by Weintraub client Alex de Campi, is set to be adapted into a new animated series for Amazon Freevee. The series will star Nicki Minaj in the lead role. Minaj will also executive produce the series, along with Curtis “50 Cent”…
Bestselling novel The Honeys, by Weintraub client Ryan La Sala, is set to be adapted for film by Anonymous Content. The social horror story was published in August 2022, and was named a “Best Book of 2022” by several media organizations, including NPR, Barnes & Noble, and the New York…
Weintraub client Jess Varley (Phobias) will make her solo writing and directorial debut with the new film The Astronaut, a sci-fi thriller set to star Emma Roberts (Madame Web) and Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix franchise). The film is due to start production later this year, with Brad Fuller (A Quiet…
Universal Pictures is set to adapt to film the bestselling novel “A Deadly Education,” the first title in the Scholomance Trilogy by Weintraub client Naomi Novik. The film will be directed by Meera Menon (Ms. Marvel) with Emily Carmichael (Jurassic World Dominion) and Shantha Susman adapting the screenplay. Todd Lieberman…
On September 29, 2022, WT client Macrocosm Entertainment won a News and Documentary Emmy Award for the HBO Documentary film Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street. The documentary won for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary. Trevor Crafts accepted the award, and Weintraub Tobin was honored to be thanked…
Disney+ is set to develop a new live-action series based on the first book, Eragon, of the popular young adult book series The Inheritance Cycle, written by Weintraub client Christopher Paolini. Paolini will co-write and executive produce the series, alongside Bert Salke via Co-Lab 21. The studio will be 20th…
Weintraub client Diane Lane has been cast in the Netflix limited series “A Man in Full,” based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. Lane will star alongside Jeff Daniels. David E. Kelly will write, executive produce, and serve as showrunner for the series. Weintraub client Tommy Schlamme…
The animated adaptation of ND Stevenson’s bestselling graphic novel Nimona has been picked up by Netflix and Annapurna Pictures. The film was originally under production and set to release this year from Blue Sky Studios, a division of then 20th Century Fox. The film was canceled, however, after Fox was…
Warner Bros. and Studio 8 are set to produce a film adaptation of the comic book “Black.” The comic was first introduced in 2016, created by Weintraub Tobin clients Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, and also published by Weintraub Tobin client Black Mask Studios. Black Mask Studios’ Matteo Pizzolo…
Sony Pictures Television has acquired the superhero horror comic “Faust” for development into an animated series. Creators David Quinn (writer) and Tim Vigil (artist) of Rebel Studios will serve as consulting producers on the adaptation. Brian Giberson of Black Mask Entertainment will executive produce and Matteo Pizzolo (Godkiller) will write…
Strange Planet creator Nathan Pyle is teaming with Dan Harmon to adapt his webcomic and graphic novels for Apple TV+. Pyle and Harmon will executive produce along with Steve Levy and Taylor Alexy Pyle. Amalia Levari is set as showrunner. The series is produced by Apple Studios and ShadowMachine, the…
Weintraub Tobin joins Matt Sugarman in congratulating his clients recently announced as Hugo Award Finalists: Best Young Adult Book: Naomi NovikBest Novel: Tamsyn MuirBest Novel: Mary Robinette KowalBest Novella: P. Djèlí ClarkBest Series: John ScalziBest Series: Mary Robinette KowalBest Dramatic Presentation Short Form: Noelle StevensonBest Dramatic Presentation Short Form: James…
Rebekah Weatherspoon has struck a deal to have her romance book trilogy to be developed for television. The first book, A Cowboy to Remember, is now in development as a pilot and will be written and executive produced by Valerie C. Woods. The trilogy is about a woman who has…
FX Network is adapting the newly released nonfiction book written by cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth. The series is being developed by Tommy Schlamme from The West Wing. The book is about the history of cyberwarfare and how the United States became vulnerable to attack. The drama series is being executive…
HBO Documentary films debuts Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street in 2021. The documentary has been in the works for 5 years and is about the iconic show Sesame Street, which first aired in the 1960s. Street Gang focuses on the first two decades of the groundbreaking show,…
Skydance Television has acquired the rights to P. Djéli Clark’s Ring Shout, a novella about otherworldly evil in the 1920s South that manifests in the form of monsters who thrive on—and in—people filled with hate. Clark will executive produce along with Kasi Lemmons, who is set to serve as showrunner…
Freeform has ordered a pilot for the comedy Single Drunk Female. The series is to star Sofia Black-D’Elia as an alcoholic who is forced to move back with her mother, played by Ally Sheedy, to sober up. The pilot will also star Rebecca Henderson, Lily Mae Harrington, and Garrick Bernard.…
Feature adaptation Black of comic series Black Mask by co-creators Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3 has been acquired by Warner Bros. The script was written by DC’s Titans producer Jeff Robinov, who will also produce along with Guy Danella, and John Graham from Studio 8 with Black Mask Studio’s Matteo Pizzolo and…
Made Up Stories and Snoot Entertainment have partnered up and optioned the rights to the adult sci-fi novel written by Christopher Paolini To Sleep in a Sea of Stars. Paolini will adapt the book along with his sister and collaborator Angela Paolini. The Paolinis are clients of Matt Sugarman. Paolini is author…
Matt Sugarman’s client Noelle Stevenson will write and executive produce Lumberjanes, an animated series. The special is currently in development for HBO Max. Lumberjanes is a comic book originally created by Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooklyn A. Allen in 2014. The book has won many awards for its strong LGBTQ…
Matt Sugarman is quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about the on-going tensions and labor dispute between the Writers Guild of America West and the Association of Talent Agents. Entertainment attorneys haven’t been able to go far from their phones this summer as clients reach out to them with…
Matt Sugarman client Mary Robinette Kowal received the 2019 Nebula Award for her novel The Calculating Stars. The novel is the second installment in the Hugo-award-winning author’s Lady Astronaut series, which re-envisions the history of the space race. The prestigious award is presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers…
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman congratulates his clients F.J. DeSanto, Damian Wassel, and Vault Comics on the SyFy series order for a live-action adaptation of Vagrant Queen. DeSanto and Wassel will serve as Executive Producers on the 10-episode, one-hour science fiction adventure series, which will air in 2020. For more…
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman is excited to announce that Will Smith and Marc Forster’s Telepool backs Defiant Studios Horror Film slate. ‘Phobias,’ a horror anthology, will be the first project produced under the agreement with Eric B. Fleischan’s Defiant Studios, with Kodiak Pictures and Telepool as co-producers and co-financiers.…
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman is excited to announce that Jon Shestack Productions and Madhouse Entertainment’s have negotiated the rights to produce John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War to develop as an original film. The novel is part of a six-book series and will be distributed by Netflix. Congratulations to Jon Shestack Productions and Madhouse Entertainment. To…
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman is excited to announce the latest deal struck between Black creators, Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, Black Mask Studios, and production company, Studio 8. The comic series Black, which depicts a nation where only African-Americans possess superpowers, has been optioned to Studio 8 for the small…
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder, Matthew Sugarman, would like to congratulate clients, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, on having their graphic novel “Joyride” named one of The Best Comics & Graphic Novels of 2016 by Barnes & Noble. Joyride was published in late-September by BOOM! Studios and has been described as a “rebellious love letter to…
Weintraub Tobin proudly congratulates Shareholder, Matt Sugarman, on his well deserved honor of being named to Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report 2015. Click here to view the full article.
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman was recently mentioned in an article by The Hollywood Reporter which discusses the deal Lionsgate closed on The Kingkiller Chronicle, the best-selling fantasy book series by Patrick Rothfuss. To read the full article, click here.
Shareholder, Matt Sugarman, was recognized in a Hollywood Reporter article for his representation of comics writer and artist Noelle Stevenson. Click here to read the full article.
Weintraub Tobin Shareholder Matt Sugarman was recently mentioned in an article by The Hollywood Reporter which discusses HBO’s new limited series, ‘Big Little Lies’. Read more here.
Weintraub Tobin client, Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox of Smosh fame were featured in a Variety article announcing the premier of, “Smosh: The Movie.” Shareholder Scott Hervey represented Ian and Anthony and executive producer Barry Blumberg in their deals. The movie is now set to have its world premiere on…
For a third year in a row, Weintraub Tobin is working to raise funds for cardiovascular diseases and stroke by partaking in the American Heart Association Heart Walk on Saturday, September 21 at William Land Park. Our attorneys and staff work hard during the summer months to gear up for…
Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation is proud to announce that our client Tracy Letts has won a 2013 Tony Award for his role in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” Letts took home the award Sunday for best performance by an actor in a play for his portrayal of…
Weintraub clients John and Drew Dowdle will co-write the upcoming microbudget thriller: “As Above, So Below” for Legendary Pictures. According to Variety, the film will be set in the catacombs beneath Paris where two archeologists look for hidden treasure. Sources say the film would be set in the $5-$10 million…
SACRAMENTO / SAN FRANCISCO / LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2012 – Weintraub Genshlea Chediak Tobin & Tobin Law Corporation and Weissmann Wolff Bergman Coleman Grodin LLP have jointly announced the merger of their respective business and entertainment law firms. The combined firm, named Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation,…
