Joel Katz
Chairman of the media, entertainment and media group
Greenberg Traurig
POWER MOVE: Inked another major TV awards deal, this time for Latin Grammys on Univision over six years.
THE RUNDOWN: For Joel Katz, power is all about “the relationships you have and the business you can create from them.”
Those relationships include representing many of the field’s highest-ranking execs, such as Epic’s Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Columbia’s Rob Stringer, Universal Nashville’s Mike Dungan and Justin Bieber manager Scooter Braun, to name just a few on the Power 100 list. He also works with fellow attorney John Branca (No. 51) as co-counsel to the Michael Jackson estate, and advises numerous artists including Pitbull for his new global Sony Music pact and Justin Timberlake on non-music deals like his minority stake in the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
Katz also leads on groundbreaking TV contracts, recently inking a six-year TV deal for the Latin Grammy Awards telecast with Univision worth $75 million-$100 million. During 2012, Katz also closed two larger, 10-year deals for the Grammys with CBS, including an option for the network to produce tie-in specials separate from the awards telecasts. The first program, “The Grammys Will Go On: A Death in the Family,” detailed behind-the-scenes reactions to Whitney Houston’s death last year on the eve of the awards. Katz’s work with the Recording Academy also includes extending the major labels’ deal for another six years on the Grammy nominations compilation.
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