DWAENTERTAINMENTLAWYERS
Crew members setting up a camera on location

Entertainment lawyers · Sydney & Melbourne

Lawyers who
also produce.

Specialist entertainment law, production and finance advice, from development and rights acquisition through financing, production, distribution and delivery. From people who have financed, packaged and executive produced projects themselves.

Experience
35+ years
Executive produced
$500m+
Project budgets advised
$500k–$180m

What we do

From option to final delivery

A performer in a green screen suit walking across a green screen studio

Film & Television

Options, co-productions, offsets, distribution, cast and crew, screen body and broadcaster negotiations, music and VFX, sponsorship and advertising, and production legals.

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Executive Producing & Finance

Structuring and negotiating the finance and coordinating the legal requirements for financial close, including cross-border finance, FX and executive producer services.

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Legal Advisory

Copyright, chain of title, defamation and AI, plus Producer Offset, Corporations Act, and industrial advice on MEAA awards and guilds.

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Two people shaking hands across a desk with a contract

Dispute Resolution & Renegotiation

Resolving contract, rights and payment disputes, and renegotiating deals that no longer work.

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Employment

Employment and contractor agreements, and employment advice for productions and entertainment businesses.

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Corporate & Commercial

Setting up production companies and SPVs, private loan and investment structures, and directors’ duties.

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Documentary

Life story rights and releases, defamation review and clearance, archival and music licences, financing and delivery for documentaries and factual series.

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Digital Games

Advice on IP ownership, development, publishing and licensing agreements, and the Digital Games Tax Offset.

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Projects, credits & clients

On screen, behind the scenes

A selection of the projects we have executive produced and advised on, for studios, streamers and independent producers.

  • Better Man
  • Hacksaw Ridge
  • Talk to Me
  • Late Night with the Devil
  • Apex
  • Hotel Mumbai
  • I Am Mother
  • The Dressmaker
  • Ricky Stanicky
  • Love Me
  • Matildas: The World at Our Feet
  • The Bank Job
  • Killer Elite
  • Tomorrow, When the War Began
  • Storm Boy
  • The Gloaming
  • Poker Face
  • Bran Nue Dae
  • Jungle Cruise
  • The Loved Ones
  • It Will Find You
  • The Deep
  • Inside the Sydney Opera House
  • W.

Who we work with and have worked with

  • Warner Bros. ITVP Australia
  • Fox Studios Australia
  • Universal Pictures
  • Disney
  • MRC
  • Fremantle
  • Better Man Productions
  • Kojo
  • Cosmos Filmed Entertainment
  • Image Nation Abu Dhabi
  • Rackaracka
  • DC Tour
  • Playmaker
  • ALT VFX
  • Blackbird VFX
  • Fin Design + Effects
  • Odd Studio
  • Cutting Edge
  • Barking Mad Productions
  • This Film Studio
  • Lightstream Pictures
  • Screen Producers Australia
  • Kennedy Miller Mitchell
  • Servo Productions
  • New Holland Creative
  • Jungle Entertainment
  • Opal Films
  • Aquarius Films
  • Icon Film Distribution
  • Icon Film Finance
  • Ambience Entertainment
  • Let’s Play Productions
  • Oldboy Studios
  • Omnilab Media

All projects, credits & clients

Where is your project at?

Help at every stage.

Find your situation and see how we can help, from the first option to the final delivery.

  1. 01

    Securing rights

    Optioning a book, life story or script, or tidying up the chain of title.

    Rights: how we help
  2. 02

    Developing

    Writer, producer and co-development agreements, and getting the project ready for market.

    Development: how we help
  3. 03

    Financing

    Structuring and negotiating the finance, and coordinating the legal requirements for financial close.

    Financing: how we help
  4. 04

    In production

    Cast, crew, locations, music and VFX, with a Production Precedent Pack from day one.

    Production: how we help
  5. 05

    Delivering & distributing

    Sales agency, distribution and platform deals, and delivery to financiers and broadcasters.

    Distribution: how we help
  6. 06

    Resolving a dispute

    Unpaid fees, broken deals or terms that no longer work.

    Disputes: how we help

Why DWA

We have sat on your side of the table, so we know which deal points actually matter.

01

A producer’s-eye view

We have financed, packaged and executive produced film and television, so our advice is built around getting the deal closed and the project made.

02

Pragmatic and fast

Plain-English advice, flexible fees and a fast turnaround.

03

Backing new voices

From first option to first feature, we support emerging producers and creators.