Tara J. Sattler

Shareholder


Los Angeles

310.860.3331

Tara Sattler is a shareholder in the Firm’s Entertainment group and serves as the Firm’s Marketing Shareholder.

Tara represents Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning clients. Her practice is focused on representing production companies, producers, financiers, and content creators across various media, including film, television, audio, and digital spaces. Her expertise encompasses all of the phases of development, financing, production, and distribution of scripted and non-scripted content for all budget levels. Tara emphasizes providing advice to her clients in every stage of their entertainment industry endeavors, which includes comprehensive representation on groundbreaking partnerships, arrangements, experiences, and agreements. Her extensive experience drafting and negotiating agreements includes:

  • Full-service business affairs representation for production companies and studios of all sizes
  • Partnership and organizational structures
  • Equity financing raises, complex lending structures, and financial closings
  • Services agreements for content creators in innovative and traditional circumstances, including producers, executive producers, and production service providers
  • Extensive production legal counsel, including above-the-line and below-the-line personnel agreements, and union negotiation and advice
  • Clearances and fair use analysis
  • Sales agency, distribution agreements, and collection account management agreements
  • Complex and traditional chain of title, content acquisition, shopping, and collaboration agreements, appearance releases, and much more.

Tara served on the Firm’s Managing Board from 2021-2023 in an ex-officio position. She coordinates associate training and professional development for the entertainment group and co-leads firmwide training and professional development meetings for associates across all practice areas. She currently serves as the Firm’s Marketing Shareholder.

Tara graduated cum laude from Southwestern University School of Law. Her note “Plagued by the Paparazzi: How California Should Sharpen the Focus On Its Not So Picture Perfect Paparazzi Laws” was published in the Southwestern Law Review. Tara also participated in the National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition and served as the Entertainment Vice President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society. She worked with both the California Lawyers for the Arts and Westwood One’s Grammy Radio Remote during law school. Tara received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance, with minors in Business Management and Legal Studies, magna cum laude, from Hofstra University Honors College.

Outside of the office, Tara can be found at the zoo and the park with her young son. She enjoys traveling and skiing, in addition to attending dance and theater shows.

Female Executives in Media and Entertainment (FEME)
Member

California Lawyers for the Arts
Member

Assistance League, South Bay & San Pedro Chapter
Volunteer

San Pedro City Ballet
Volunteer

Awards

Variety Magazine’s “Legal Impact Report”, 2023

Variety Magazine’s “Legal Impact Report” Up Next, 2017

Southern California Super Lawyers “Rising Star” 2020 – 2023

J.D., cum laude, Southwestern Law School, 2011

B.A., magna cum laude, Hofstra University, 2007
Phi Betta Kappa

WT Clients: Films Premiere at 2024 SXSW Festival

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…

WT Clients: Management Firm Elevate Entertainment Launches Podcast Division

Talent and literary management firm Elevate Entertainment has created a podcast division, Highwire. The new unit will produce scripted and unscripted podcasts featuring in-house talent and unaffiliated guests. The division will launch with an initial slate of four unscripted podcasts. Details regarding its initial set of shows have not yet…

Weintraub Tobin Audio Team Named to Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2023

Weintraub Tobin is pleased to announce that the Firm’s Audio Team of partners Shaun Gordon, Jessica Marlow, Tara Sattler, and associate Jamie Lincenberg have been named to Variety’s 2023 Legal Impact Report. Variety spotlights the world’s top lawyers in entertainment and media in the annual Report, highlighting their groundbreaking work…

WT Clients: “CODA” Wins Three Academy Awards

On March 27, 2022 CODA won all three Academy Awards for which it was nominated (Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay). It made history as the first film with a predominantly Deaf cast and the first film produced by a streaming service (Apple TV+) to win Best…

Weintraub Tobin Elevates Two Attorneys to Shareholder

Weintraub is pleased to announce that Tara Sattler and Mark E. Ellinghouse have been named as Shareholders in the law corporation. Mark Ellinghouse provides counsel to his clients in commercial real estate transactions, including leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, development, joint ventures, financing, and other matters in every real estate sector.…

Tara Sattler featured in Variety’s 2017 Legal Impact Report: Up Next

Weintraub Tobin’s Entertainment Associate, Tara J. Sattler, has been featured as one of the leading entertainment lawyers in Variety’s 2017 Legal Impact Report: Up Next. The report showcases the most impactful attorneys in the entertainment industry over the past year. 2017 has seen Tara represent client, Ryland Aldrich, a producer on 2017 Sundance…

The Briefing: The Protectability of Short Phrases (Archive)

While iconic catchphrases from TV and film can hold significant equity, protection of them can be spotty. Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler talk about the protectability of short phrases on this archive episode of The Briefing. Watch this episode on the Weintraub YouTube channel here or listen to this podcast episode here:

Year in Review: The Briefing’s Top 3 Podcast Episodes in 2023

Weintraub Tobin’s Intellectual Property podcast, The Briefing, published nearly 50 episodes this year covering a variety of IP issues relating to trademark, copyright, and entertainment law. As we look back, we want to share The Briefing’s most popular episodes in 2023. 3: What Now for Fair Use After Warhol v.…

The Briefing: Jingle Brawl – The Battle for ‘Queen of Christmas’

Mariah Carey has widely been referred to by fans as the ‘Queen of Christmas,’ but when she attempted to trademark the title last year, it was met with pushback from another singer and songwriter who claimed to hold the same title. Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler discuss this dispute on this Holiday edition of The…