Bona Law Adds Former Paramount Pictures Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs

Jarod BonaPartner, Bona Law PC

Bona Law is pleased to announce that Steven Madoff, formerly an Executive Vice President of Worldwide Business and Legal Affairs at Paramount Pictures Corporation in Hollywood, California has joined the law firm as Of Counsel.

Steven Madoff joined the firm in November 2019 and will support and expand Bona Law’s expertise in antitrust and competition law, joint venture formation and operation, trade association activities and business affairs in all aspects of entertainment and media law. Steven has broad experience as an in-house business affairs attorney and senior legal executive including:

  • Serving as International Counsel for the Motion Picture Association of America, where he worked on market entry, business development, government regulation and international copyright matters for the seven major Hollywood Studios (Disney, MGM/UA, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros.);
  • Heading up business and legal affairs and business development as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Business and Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Paramount’s Pay Television, Home Entertainment and Digital Media Divisions;
  • Developed, negotiated and drafted billion-dollar television output license agreements with HBO, Showtime, and BSkyB in the United Kingdom; TPS/Canal Plus in France; Premier in Germany; and JSB in Japan;
  • Negotiated and concluded partnership agreements for the formation of pay-TV joint ventures in Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Japan and Southeast Asia;
  • Negotiated and concluded the partnership agreement for the formation of Movielink, the first internet-based movie delivery services owned and operated by major studios: MGM/UA, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros.;
  • Worked on the de-merger of Viacom and CBS Television and Viacom’s subsequent acquisition of Dreamworks Pictures;
  • Provided services as an expert witness in Federal District Court and California Superior Court on behalf of Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Univision Television and other Hollywood studios.
  • Represented Dreams of Dragons Pictures, a Beijing-based Chinese motion picture and television program producer and distributor in transactions with Hollywood studios for the release of Hollywood motion pictures in China.

Steven earned his undergraduate degree from SUNY at Buffalo and an M.S. degree in Television-Radio-Film from the Newhouse School of Syracuse University. He then received his J.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Law and an LL.M. degree in Trade Regulation from the New York University School of Law. He clerked for the Honorable Joe Eaton, Chief Judge of the S.D. of Florida as an intern.

After earning his LL.M degree, which offered advanced training in antitrust and entertainment law, Steven joined the Motion Picture Association of America in New York, and after two years became International Counsel for the MPAA. Steven then joined Paramount Pictures at the Studio’s location in Hollywood as Attorney, eventually rising to Executive Vice President of Worldwide Business and Legal Affairs for Paramount’s Pay Television, Home Entertainment and Digital Media Divisions, with over 30 attorneys, business affairs and business development executives reporting to him.

Jarod Bona, CEO of Bona Law said, “We are specifically targeting the media and entertainment sector because its structural changes will come significant antitrust and competition issues. We are thrilled that Steven agreed to join us because he combines direct experience with antitrust, competition, joint venture, and transaction issues with an insider’s knowledge of the media and entertainment market, which is quite unique.”

After leaving Paramount, Steven provided independent business affairs and legal consulting services to many of the Hollywood studios including Universal, Summit Pictures, Warner Bros., Paramount and Univision Television. He also provided services as an expert witness in high profile entertainment and media industry litigations.

“I am delighted to join Bona Law,” Steven said. The firm is at the cutting edge of law practice offering top-notch legal services by seasoned professionals in an efficient client-centric manner.” Steven’s practice will focus on entertainment and media transactions, antitrust counselling, joint venture formation and operation as well as serving as an expert witness in entertainment industry matters.

Steven is admitted to practice law in California and New York State.