Leader of Manatt Entertainment Lindsay Conner and partner Sophia Yen were named in Variety’s 2020 Dealmakers Impact Report. This year’s report honors the lawyers, financiers, executives and entrepreneurs that “forged ahead amid a pandemic and an economic near-collapse.”
Conner and Yen were recognized for their work advising clients such as Sony Entertainment, East West Bank and Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures. In their shared profile, Conner noted that COVID-19 has resulted in a faster dealmaking environment in the entertainment industry, saying “companies with cash looked for assets to acquire.” Yen also discussed a shift towards embracing diversity among film financiers, saying “it’s great to see that people with the money are buying into [diversity], and challenging the way things used to be done.”
Conner was also recognized for his work advising CoComelon in its sale to U.K.-based Moonbug Entertainment, as well as his work on behalf of AT&T, Content Partners, ITV Studios America and New Republic Pictures. This is his seventh consecutive appearance on the Dealmakers Impact Report, and his ninth appearance overall.
Yen was highlighted for representing David Chang’s Majordomo Media Spotify podcasts and a first-look Hulu deal, along with her work advising Entertainment One, FilmRise, O2 Filmes and Wavelength Productions. She has been included on the Dealmakers Impact Report four times, and this is her second consecutive year being recognized by Variety.
To see Variety’s full 2020 Dealmakers Impact Report, please click here.
Click here to read Conner and Yen’s profile.