Join your colleagues at the Entertainment Law Conference 2025, an essential event for legal practitioners and entertainment industry professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of the dynamic intersection of law and media. Engage in critical discussion on production contracting, generative AI's role in filmmaking, and the latest updates on employment and contractor compliance in the entertainment industry. Explore pressing topics such as privacy reform, digital economy regulations and the intricacies of the Producer Tax Offset.

Presenters

Sonia Borella, Director, Borella Buchanan Pty Ltd
Sonia Borella is a Media, Entertainment, and Corporate Lawyer with over 20 years of experience in the film and television industry. Since 2016, she has also worked as a Producer and Executive Producer, recently contributing to Gracie Otto’s Seriously Red and serving as principal Consultant on George Miller’s Three Thousand Years of Longing. A former Partner at Holding Redlich, Sonia chaired the firm's national media, entertainment, and technology group and has been actively involved with Ausfilm and Screen Producers Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce from the Australian National University, a Master of Laws from the University of New South Wales, and has studied film at UCLA.


Dr Martyn Taylor, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Dr Martyn Taylor is a corporate and commercial Partner in the Sydney office of global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright. He has some 30 years’ experience in competition law. He sits on the board and also heads the telecommunications and media group, and the Australian competition and trade group. He is described as “smart, efficient, friendly”. Martyn’s practice covers transactional, contentious and advisory. He is a well-known TMT, infrastructure, energy, competition and regulatory lawyer. Martyn is recommended by the key legal directories and has been named as one of the ‘top 10’ TMT legal advisors in Asia. Martyn has won numerous prizes and awards, including recently for the $15 billion merger of Vodafone with TPG Telecom (M&A deal of the year 2021). He has attended Harvard University and Oxford University. He has published well over 100 publications, including the award-nominated book 'International Competition Law'. Qualifications: PhD(Law), CME(Harvard), LLM(Law), MFin(Corporate Finance), LLB(Hons), BA(Economics)(Hons), BSc, GAICD.


Dietrich Marquardt, Special Counsel, Norton Rose Fulbrightx
Dietrich Marquardt is a competition/antitrust and regulatory lawyer based in Sydney. He acts for Australian and international corporate clients on all aspects of competition law, including in relation to transactional, contentious and advisory work. He is highly commercial in his approach and has great rapport with clients. Dietrich regularly advises on the regulatory and competition aspects of highly complex, multi-jurisdictional matters, and consistently delivers outcomes that exceed clients' expectations, resulting in achievement of significant strategic and commercial objectives. Dietrich has been recognised as being one of the "Ones to Watch" in the Competition Law space, in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in Australia.


Rebecca Lindhout, Consultant, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers
Rebecca has experience across a wide range of commercial and corporate advisory matters including in relation to media rights, technology, telecommunications, procurement and outsourcing and the commercialisation of intellectual property. She also provides support in relation to the technology and intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Rebecca has previously worked at firms including Slaughter and May (London) and in-house at FOX SPORTS Australia. Rebecca obtained her Law degree from Oxford University. She is on the Executive Committee of the Communications and Media Law Association (CAMLA).


Rohin Sharma, Senior Legal Counsel, Fox Sports Australia
As Senior Legal Counsel – Content Acquisitions, Rohin is a dedicated legal resource supporting the Content Acquisitions, Sports Partnerships and Production teams at Fox Sports Australia, part of the Foxtel Group. He specialises in media rights, business affairs and strategy in connection with the acquisition of media rights and the production and distribution of content, channels, platforms and services across all media, including for Kayo Sports and all Foxtel Group platforms. In a dual legal and commercial role, Rohin brings an in-depth knowledge of the business’ commercial and operational functions to contract negotiations and matter resolution with major domestic and international federations and sales agencies.


Nicola McMahon, Special Counsel, McCullough Robertson
Nicola McMahon is a specialist employment relations and safety lawyer, having practised in this area for over twelve years. Nicola acts for clients across the full spectrum of employment relations matters. She advises on issues ranging from recruitment to termination of employment, managing employee performance and discipline issues, advising on the interpretation of modern awards and enterprise agreements and assisting with industrial issues, including the negotiation and approval of enterprise agreement. Alongside providing advice to clients, Nicola regularly conducts litigation for clients, defending unfair dismissal, adverse action and discrimination claims, and bringing and defending restraint of trade claims in the High Court.


Janine Lapworth, Senior Consultant, Simpsons Solicitors
Janine Lapworth is a Senior Consultant with extensive experience in corporate, commercial, intellectual property, and entertainment law. She has worked at national and international law firms, as well as in senior in-house legal positions at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and ESPN Star Sports. Janine advises a diverse range of clients, including international studios, industry groups, tech start-ups, and creative businesses, focusing on areas such as television production, distribution, publishing, and general IP contracting.


Eli Fisher, Senior Legal Counsel, Paramount
Eli Fisher, Senior Legal Counsel at Paramount, is a commercial lawyer and adviser specialising in the media, entertainment, and tech industries, focusing on production, content, privacy, cybersecurity, and intellectual property law. He edits the Communications Law Bulletin and serves on the board of the Communications and Media Law Association (CAMLA). Eli is also involved with a charity providing crisis accommodation and support services in Sydney. He earned his Master of Laws with excellence from UNSW, dual-specialising in Media & Technology Law and Innovation Law, and was recognised as the best performing postgraduate student. In 2024, he was named one of Australia’s most influential lawyers by Australasian Lawyer.


Janine Pearce, Principal, JP Media Law


Therese Catanzariti, Barrister, 13 Wentworth Chambers
Therese has been listed in the Doyle’s Guide as a Recommended NSW Junior Counsel in the area of Wills & Estates Litigation since 2018 and since 2020 as a Recommended Australia Wills & Estates Litigation Junior Counsel. Holding a Bachelor of Economics (Accounting), University of Sydney Bachelor of Laws (Honours I), University of Sydney; Master of Laws (Merit), University of London; and Graduate, Company Directors Course, Australian Institute of Company Director.


Rebecca Dunn, Partner, Gilbert + Tobin
Rebecca is a partner in Gilbert + Tobin’s Tech & IP group and an experienced litigator in intellectual property and media law. She specialises in copyright, defamation, trade mark litigation, and Australian Consumer Law, with particular expertise in the online space. Her enforcement work spans national and international clients in the film and music industries, and she has litigated in the Supreme and Federal Courts, including at the High Court of Australia. Rebecca serves as President of the Communications and Media Law Alliance and is a member of several professional societies. She holds a Bachelor of Law (First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Newcastle, and a Master of Research focused on social media law and democracy.


Kate Marks, CEO, Ausfilm International
As CEO, Kate leads the Ausfilm team in Australia and the USA and is responsible for developing international market strategies to ensure Australia is a globally competitive production location for international film and television projects. Prior to Kate’s appointment as CEO, she was Ausfilm’s Los Angeles based Executive Vice President of International Production, responsible for connecting Ausfilm members to international filmmakers and working closely with US development, finance, physical and post/vfx executives to help them bring their productions to Australia and Australian companies. Kate held the position of President of the Board of Australians in Film (AiF) for four years in Los Angeles. AiF is a Los Angeles based non-profit film, television and digital content foundation that supports, develops and promotes Australian screen talent and culture in the United States.


Patrick May, Director of Policy and Research, Ausfilm
In conjunction with the CEO, Patrick develops and implements Ausfilm’s proactive advocacy plan to enhance and maintain Ausfilm’s network of influence with government departments and parliamentarians. Patrick’s Research role involves managing Ausfilm’s research and market intelligence program, including monitoring and reporting on trends in international production and its economic impact, particularly in relation to competitor jurisdictions to Australia. Patrick liaises with other agencies involved in industry research and intelligence gathering.


Mark Bamford, Director, Simpsons
Mark is a director at specialist entertainment and media law firm, Simpsons Solicitors, with over 25 years' experience in film and television. His clients are involved in all facets of financing, creating and commercialising content. He acts for producers, production houses and studios, and has advised on hundreds of TV and film productions ranging from large-budget studio features to award-winning, locally-produced TV animations. His clients also include directors, composers and marquee actors. Mark has particular expertise in media finance and represents a number of banks, financiers, government funders and private equity interests. In addition to his core areas of practice, Mark's broad experience enables him to assist a diverse set of clients seeking assistance in general corporate and commercial transactions. His practice areas include: Advertising; Banking & Finance; Brand strategy & protection; Classification; Competition & Consumer Law; Corporate; General Commercial; Industrial Relations; Intellectual Property; Privacy & Data Protection; Regulatory; and Securities Law (PPSA). Mark has been selected for inclusion in the 2018 edition of Best Lawyers Australia for Intellectual Property. He has Arts (Fine Art) and Law degrees from Sydney University and a Master of Laws (Hons) from the University of Technology.