Marissa Román Griffith

Partner

Areas of Focus

Marissa Román Griffith

Partner

mroman@akingump.com

Areas of Focus

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Biography
  • Recognized as an industry leader in media finance and entertainment transactional matters.
  • Advises in financing, distribution and production of film, television and digital content.
  • Consistently ranked in leading publications as an influential player in the entertainment sector.

Marissa Román Griffith handles all aspects of sophisticated financing and other transactions involving established entertainment companies, as well as recent entrants that are transforming the sector.

Representing clients, including domestic and global financial institutions, borrowers and distributors, Marissa advises on all major aspects of financing, distribution and production of film, television and digital content.

Marissa’s clients value her ability to quickly determine necessary steps to efficiently finalize a transaction to their greatest advantage. Major industry publications, including The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, have consistently recognized her work.

Marissa handles a range of entertainment transactions, including:

  • Negative pickups
  • Credit facilities on behalf of lead agent/lender and also the borrower
  • Slate co-financing agreements
  • Distribution agreements
  • Domestic and ex-U.S. tax incentives
  • Co-financing arrangements in major markets around the world
  • Completion guaranties.

Extremely active in diversity and inclusion efforts, Marissa is a sought-after speaker on a range of related topics. She serves as co-chair of Akin’s LatinX Firmwide Resource Group, a forum for targeted professional development programs, mentorship and relationship building, sits on Akin’s firmwide DEI Council and co-chairs the Los Angeles office’s DEI Council. In 2023, Marissa received Akin’s inaugural DEI Leadership Award.

Representative Work
  • Leading the team representing Media Rights Capital (MRC) and its affiliates in connection with (i) MRC’s JPMorgan credit facility (including in various refinancings of such facility) and (ii) MRC’s financing arrangements in film and TV (including for the films Baby Driver, The Dark Tower, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Knives Out, The Lovebirds, Mortal Engines, Ted and Ted 2 and the episodic series Counterpart, The Dark Tower, The Great, House of Cards, The Outsider and Ozark).
  • Representing MRC in connection with its new “Poker Face” mystery-drama series created by Rian Johnson and starring Natasha Lyonne, including the license of such series to Peacock and the financing arrangements for such series.
  • Lead lawyer for MUFG Union Bank in a senior secured revolving credit facility for an affiliate of 2.0 Entertainment, the proceeds of which are used for investment in theatrical motion pictures, including recent theatrical releases Bad Boys For Life, Charlie’s Angels and Zombieland: Double Tap.
  • Counseling MRC on co-financing arrangements for multiple Sony titles, including 22 Jump Street, Hotel Transylvania 3, Peter Rabbit, Sex Tape and Think Like a Man Too.
  • Leading the team representing Comerica Bank in a multimillion-dollar senior secured revolving credit facility to an affiliate of Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios.
  • Representing Media Guarantors Insurance Solutions, LLC in the establishment of its new completion bond business and its first four completion bond transactions.
  • Member of the team representing East West Bank in connection with a revolving credit facility for Perfect Universe. The transaction is co-led by JPMorgan Chase Bank and East West Bank, and provides financing for a multiyear slate of Universal Studios’ films.
  • Representing Endgame Entertainment in connection with the Netflix film Come Sunday.
  • Leading the team representing SunTrust Bank in its lead role in a senior secured credit facility for Revolution Studios, including with respect to the January 2017 sale of Revolution Studios to Content Partners. The SunTrust facility was initially utilized to purchase Revolution Studios and was subsequently used to acquire additional titles, including the film Black Swan, Morgan Creek International’s film library, the Cold Spring Pictures film library and five films produced by GK Films.
  • Leading the team representing MUFG Union Bank in its lead role in a senior secured revolving debt facility for a Luxembourg-based borrower, including its refinancing of the facility. The proceeds of the facility are being used to invest in film and TV projects that are subject to co-financing agreements with international distribution partners.
  • Leading the team representing Ratpac-Dune Entertainment in its Bank of America-led senior secured revolving credit facility, which has provided financing for as many as 75 titles in connection with its multiyear co-financing agreement with Warner Bros. Pictures. Additionally, served on the team representing RatPac-Dune Entertainment in connection with its Warner Bros. Pictures co-financing agreement.
  • Leading the team representing RatPac Film LLC on its Bank of America-led senior secured revolving credit facility, which has been used to finance its motion pictures (including films co-financed with Warner Bros. and other partners, such as Birdman, Black Mass, Entourage, Horrible Bosses 2, Jersey Boys, the Revenant Pan and Truth.

"There is no financing deal she can't do."
Chambers USA, 2022

Education
  • J.D., Stanford Law School, 1993

  • A.B., Princeton University, 1990

Bar Admissions
  • California

Recognitions
  • Los Angeles Times, Banking and Finance Visionary, 2022 and 2024. 
  • Euromoney, Expert Guide: Women in Business Law 2022, Technology, Media and Telecommunications.
  • The Hollywood Reporter, “Top 20 Dealmakers,” 2020 and 2022.
  • The Hollywood Reporter, “Top 100 Power Lawyers,” 2017 to 2022.
  • Variety, “Dealmakers Impact Report,” recognized among lawyers playing a role in significant showbiz deals of the past year, 2012 to 2013, 2015 to 2017, 2019 to 2020, 2022.
  • Variety, “Legal Impact Report,” recognized since 2013 among lawyers who represent “the hottest names, the biggest properties, the funniest web series and probably the next big thing.”
  • Outfest, Jonathan Howard Legacy Award, 2021.
  • The Best Lawyers in America, “Lawyer of the Year” for Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television in Los Angeles, 2020.
  • Beverly Hills Bar Association, “Entertainment Lawyer of the Year,” 2019.
  • Chambers USA, leading California transactional lawyer in media and entertainment, 2005 to 2023.
  • The Legal 500 US, leading lawyer in media and entertainment, 2017 to 2020; Media and entertainment: transactional, 2022-2023.
  • Who's Who Legal, Thought Leaders: Entertainment - USA, 2023.
  • Los Angeles Business Journal, recognized on the list of “Most Influential Women Attorneys” in Los Angeles, 2018 and 2020.
  • Los Angeles Business Journal, recognized on the list of “Most Influential Minority Attorneys” in Los Angeles, 2018 and 2020.
  • Euromoney’s Expert Guides: Women in Business Law, leading United States female lawyer in technology and media transactions, 2019 to 2022.
  • Euromoney’s Best of the Best USA Expert Guides, “Top 30 Media Lawyers in the USA,” 2019 and 2021.
  • Best Lawyers in America, Entertainment Law–Motion Pictures and Television, 2007 to 2023.
  • Daily Journal, recognized on the list of “Top 100 Women Lawyers” in 2014.
Affiliations and Public Service
  • Advisory Board member, Female Executives In Media & Entertainment, a nonprofit that supports female advancement in the entertainment industry.
  • Trustee, Mexican-American Bar Foundation, a nonprofit that enhances diversity in the legal profession through education.
  • Co-chair of the Los Angeles Inclusion Council, which promotes diversity in the firm’s ranks.
Speeches and Publications
  • Panelist, “Does Your Corporate Culture Match Your Customers?” RBC Capital Markets Media Forum 2021, March 2021.
  • Speaker, “Dealmaking and Production Delays: How Long Will They Last and What Can You Do in the Meantime?,” Winston Baker, April 2020.
  • Panelist, “Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession in Media and Entertainment,” Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, November 2017.
  • Panelist, “Film Financing for Independents,” 2017 Film in California Conference, May 2017.
  • Panelist, “Global Film, Television and Digital Marketplace,” 2017 Association of Film Commissioners International Global Production & Finance Conference, April 2017.

Insights and Achievements

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              Distinguished by our areas of focus, as a cohesive and integrated firm, we are defined by the caliber of our work, the responsiveness of our service and a culture that is rooted in collaboration and forward-thinking.

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