If you want to hire an entertainment attorney, you will of course want a professional learned not only in law, but also familiar with the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, many attorneys representing themselves as entertainment lawyers know the entertainment industry in only the most abstract way. Some live thousands of miles from any entertainment centers.
This is not the case with George G. Braunstein. There is no doubt that Braunstein is a highly trained attorney. As a member of the California Trial Lawyers Association and a practicing attorney since 1988, he has specialized in business litigation and entertainment law litigation, representing a variety of clients, including motion picture production companies, distribution companies, actors, directors, recording artists, music publishers, editors and screenwriters.
In addition to legal acumen, however, Braunstein also has direct and in-depth knowledge of the entertainment industry. He has acted as president of a music recording and music publishing company that was distributed by Decca Records. He himself produced 11 albums. He has also been the producer of feature-length films such as Uncle Sam (directed by William Lustig), Don't Tell Her It's Me (directed by Malcolm Mowbray), And God Created Woman (directed by Roger Vadim), Surf II (directed by Randall Badat), Train Ride To Hollywood (directed by Charles Rondeau) and others.
Braunstein currently lives right in the center of the entertainment industry, in Brentwood, California with his wife and four children. He continues to develop his relationships with the film community and film marketplace. Taking part in all the major film festivals and film markets and working with film production and distribution companies allows him to develop relationships in the industry as well as an understanding of the field. While other attorneys may guess at what goes on behind the scenes of Hollywood, Braunstein knows the facts by virtue of his experience. His understanding of film financing, production, and distribution in both the theatrical and ancillary markets allow him to represent his clients from a position of real knowledge and power.
Perhaps the best evidence of his talents is the fact that he is trusted by some of the most respected names in the entertainment industry have trusted him with their most challenging cases. Mel Gibson's motion picture production company, Icon Productions, entrusted Braunstein to litigate a copyright infringement case in 2004, a case that Braunstein was ultimately successful in. In April 2008, Braunstein was chosen as Corporate Counsel and was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the San Miguel Health Plan, Inc. When talks between the WGA and HFPA broke down during the writer’s strike, before the Golden Globes, he was called in as an HFPA attorney and was able to encourage both sides to start negotiating again.
