An entertainment industry veteran, Neil Sacker serves as both counsel and strategic business advisor to financiers, distributors and producers in all areas of film and television. Neil also represents entertainment companies in emerging growth areas including location-based entertainment, music apps and digital media.
Apart from his role as counsel, Neil provides strategic consulting services in connection with business plans and funding sources for some of the most prominent emerging companies in the entertainment sector.
Neil’s clients include a mix of larger established companies and innovative new companies throughout the world.
After beginning his legal career as senior theatrical counsel at Warner Bros, Neil served as executive vice president and head of business and legal affairs for Miramax Films and Dimension Films. At Miramax, he worked on more than 75 films, including Scream, Good Will Hunting and The English Patient and was also responsible for acquiring the rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Neil then served as chief operating officer at the Yari Film Group, which produced and financed films such as the Academy Award-winning Crash, The Illusionist, The Matador, The Painted Veil and Prime. He then became president of the independent movie production, finance and international sales company, The Film Department, where he had responsibility for overseeing development, production, business and legal affairs, finance, and international sales.
Before joining Manatt, Neil held positions at two other prominent law firms.