I have more than 24 years experience in the legal and commercial aspects of the film industry including film financing, production and distribution.
My previous roles included running my own specialist media law practice; I was also the Director of Legal & Business Affairs at Icon Entertainment International; and I have held the position of senior lawyer and investment executive at the UK Film Council (now the British Film Institute). These positions I have held have given me a combination of legal expertise and an in-depth knowledge of the practical aspects of film finance and distribution.
I have been involved with many films during my career including 'The Mummy', 'Billy Elliott', 'Paddington Bear' and most recently 'Swallows & Amazons'.
I specialise in legal and commercial advice to clients engaged in collateralized debt lending and equity investment into feature film projects, television programmes and online content.
I also advise content creators in the film, television and online areas of audio visual creation on rights ownership, funding alternatives and exploitation of the products of their endeavours as well as talent agencies, authors and artists.
I also work with both financing and production clients through the complex area of “financial closing” in independent film and television financing; the commercial expertise that I have gained through my work in-house with major film companies combined with my legal representation of financiers, producers, sales agents and distributors has given me a unique insight to assist my clients to understand the legal and commercial imperatives for producers, financiers and distributors of all types of audio-visual content.Awards & Recognition
- Chambers 2022 (Media & Entertainment) - 'Philip's strengths are his in-depth industry knowledge and ability to keep things moving'
- Chambers 2022 (Media & Entertainment) - 'He is great with clients'
- Chambers 2019 Ranked: Media & Entertainment: Film & Television (UK wide)