
Overview
Erik Hyman is a partner and global chair of the Entertainment and Media practice. Mr. Hyman is well known in the entertainment industry as a cutting-edge dealmaker and a fierce protector of his clients, which include award-winning movie stars, high-level television creators and showrunners, lead cast members of popular programs on scripted and unscripted television, "first-dollar-gross" producers, and preeminent writers and directors. He is a tenacious champion for his diverse clients, whether they are creative individuals, film financiers, or high-net-worth families making entertainment and media industry investments. Mr. Hyman also works closely with multiple publicly traded, non-entertainment companies, steering their television and motion picture industry strategies and branded entertainment projects.
Mr. Hyman negotiates vanguard talent transactions; structures the financing, acquisition, and sale of independent films; and builds major endorsement campaigns and product lines. He also advises companies regarding strategies for the production and exploitation of content for digital platforms.
Mr. Hyman is a frequent public speaker and serves as chairman of the board of the Herb Ritts Foundation, a private charitable foundation focused on HIV/AIDS research and advocacy.
Recognitions
- The Legal 500 USA, Media and Entertainment: Transactional (2022)
- Chambers USA, Media & Entertainment: Transactional: Mainly Talent (2022)
- Named "Southern California Rising Star" in Entertainment & Sports by Thomson Reuters (2006–2007)
Education
- Columbia University School of Law, J.D.
- Managing Editor, Columbia/VLA Journal of Law and the Arts
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- University of Michigan, B.A.
Representations
Mr. Hyman has represented:
- Snoot Entertainment in its recent sale of world-wide rights to the critically acclaimed film One Night in Miami, reportedly one of the biggest independent film sales in history.
- New Slate Ventures in connection with the sale of Lee Daniels’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday to Paramount. While the deal value is confidential, press reports cite an eight-figure sum.
Involvement
- Chairman, Board of Directors, the Herb Ritts Foundation