Entertainment Law
Ms. Bell has more than 20 years of legal experience, including significant in-house counsel and law firm experience, and extensive knowledge of entertainment law, industry transactions and the day-to-day challenges of producing and exploiting original film, television and new media productions. As a Los Angeles-based entertainment attorney and producer, Ms. Bell has broad experience in independent film finance, production and distribution.
Ms. Bell is currently providing production legal and Indian law services for the Paramount Network’s television series Yellowstone, written and directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Kevin Costner, Gil Birmingham and Kelsey Asbille. She has previously executive produced, produced and provided finance and production legal services for such films as Rob Reiner’s LBJ and Shock and Awe and Sheridan’s Wind River as well as many other independent feature films, television and new media programs.
Prior to founding Elbe Law eight years ago, Ms. Bell was in-house counsel at the Yari Film Group, an award-winning independent film and television production and distribution company in Los Angeles, California, where she served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In that position, Ms. Bell managed the Business and Legal Affairs department, which included five attorneys, a paralegal, a contracts administrator, four executive assistants and shared production and finance staff. As such, Ms. Bell has developed effective management, communication and problem-solving skills – often under unusually challenging conditions – and excels in this type of fast-paced, multi-tasking environment, while maintaining attention to detail.
Over the years in service of numerous clients, Ms. Bell has developed a broad base of entertainment law, corporate law and finance and general counsel experience that she now puts to work for our clients. Her experience includes negotiating and drafting complex finance, security, production, distribution and international sales agreements, acquisition and licensing of literary, music and ancillary rights, overseeing project development, options, clearances and delivery, negotiating and drafting producer, director, talent, crew and other production agreements, drafting production forms, policies and procedures, preparing and filing copyright, security and corporate documents, advising on employment and labor law, guild compliance and corporate structure and governance and overseeing outside litigation and bankruptcy counsel.
Ms. Bell has been the lead production and finance counsel on more than 10 feature films collectively requiring more than $150 million in production financing including Can’t Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police, The Hoax, The Illusionist, The Maiden Heist, Nothing But The Truth, The Painted Veil, Possession and Resurrecting the Champ. Ms. Bell also has been lead counsel for the negotiation and drafting of distribution rights, international sales and financing agreements for more than 15 feature films including The Accidental Husband, Assassination of a High School President, Even Money, Find Me Guilty, First Snow, Gray Matters, Guns, Girls and Gambling, Haven, The Illusionist, Kickin’ It Old Skool, The Maiden Heist, Nothing But The Truth, The Perfect Holiday, Possession, Resurrecting the Champ, What Doesn’t Kill You and Winter Passing and for the multi-picture, multi-million dollar home entertainment license agreements with Worldwide SPE Acquisitions, Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.
In addition, Mr. Begay is currently the Native American Affairs Advisor for Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone on the Paramount Network, where he serves as creative advisor for tribal elements of the show across all departments, oversees tribal relations, handles public relations for Indian country, and oversees government affairs, specifically with three Indian tribal governments and communities in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Mr. Begay served as Production Secretary on location for Sheridan’s Wind River and Production Consultant on location for Rob Reiner’s Shock and Awe where he provided not only business affairs and legal support in connection with the films, but also served as creative advisor for tribal elements and handled government affairs and tribal relations on Wind River. Mr. Begay also provides general business affairs and legal support on various other filmed entertainment projects.
Ms. Bell is currently providing production legal and Indian law services for the Paramount Network’s television series Yellowstone, written and directed by Taylor Sheridan and starring Kevin Costner, Gil Birmingham and Kelsey Asbille. She has previously executive produced, produced and provided finance and production legal services for such films as Rob Reiner’s LBJ and Shock and Awe and Sheridan’s Wind River as well as many other independent feature films, television and new media programs.
Prior to founding Elbe Law eight years ago, Ms. Bell was in-house counsel at the Yari Film Group, an award-winning independent film and television production and distribution company in Los Angeles, California, where she served as the Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In that position, Ms. Bell managed the Business and Legal Affairs department, which included five attorneys, a paralegal, a contracts administrator, four executive assistants and shared production and finance staff. As such, Ms. Bell has developed effective management, communication and problem-solving skills – often under unusually challenging conditions – and excels in this type of fast-paced, multi-tasking environment, while maintaining attention to detail.
Over the years in service of numerous clients, Ms. Bell has developed a broad base of entertainment law, corporate law and finance and general counsel experience that she now puts to work for our clients. Her experience includes negotiating and drafting complex finance, security, production, distribution and international sales agreements, acquisition and licensing of literary, music and ancillary rights, overseeing project development, options, clearances and delivery, negotiating and drafting producer, director, talent, crew and other production agreements, drafting production forms, policies and procedures, preparing and filing copyright, security and corporate documents, advising on employment and labor law, guild compliance and corporate structure and governance and overseeing outside litigation and bankruptcy counsel.
Ms. Bell has been the lead production and finance counsel on more than 10 feature films collectively requiring more than $150 million in production financing including Can’t Stand Losing You: Surviving the Police, The Hoax, The Illusionist, The Maiden Heist, Nothing But The Truth, The Painted Veil, Possession and Resurrecting the Champ. Ms. Bell also has been lead counsel for the negotiation and drafting of distribution rights, international sales and financing agreements for more than 15 feature films including The Accidental Husband, Assassination of a High School President, Even Money, Find Me Guilty, First Snow, Gray Matters, Guns, Girls and Gambling, Haven, The Illusionist, Kickin’ It Old Skool, The Maiden Heist, Nothing But The Truth, The Perfect Holiday, Possession, Resurrecting the Champ, What Doesn’t Kill You and Winter Passing and for the multi-picture, multi-million dollar home entertainment license agreements with Worldwide SPE Acquisitions, Inc. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC.
In addition, Mr. Begay is currently the Native American Affairs Advisor for Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone on the Paramount Network, where he serves as creative advisor for tribal elements of the show across all departments, oversees tribal relations, handles public relations for Indian country, and oversees government affairs, specifically with three Indian tribal governments and communities in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Mr. Begay served as Production Secretary on location for Sheridan’s Wind River and Production Consultant on location for Rob Reiner’s Shock and Awe where he provided not only business affairs and legal support in connection with the films, but also served as creative advisor for tribal elements and handled government affairs and tribal relations on Wind River. Mr. Begay also provides general business affairs and legal support on various other filmed entertainment projects.