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Katherine Imp

Katherine Imp

Partner
Los Angeles (Century City)
About

Katherine M. Imp is a transactional entertainment attorney representing production companies, studios, networks and independent financiers, producers, sales agents and distributors in the financing, development, acquisition, production, distribution and exploitation of motion picture, television, commercial and new media content.

Kate has extensive experience as production counsel for scripted and unscripted audiovisual content, having drafted and negotiated production and post-production agreements for over 150 different productions, including performer, director, writer, producer and other above- and below-the-line agreements, as well as agreements with domestic and foreign distributors and sales agents, ranging from small independent companies to major and mini-major studios.

Kate also has experience representing advertising agencies, brands, social media and app companies, and talent in the licensing, clearance, ownership and protection of intellectual property.

Kate’s interest in entertainment law stems from her experience making a documentary feature (Beauty Beneath the Dirt) of her 2000-mile Appalachian Trail hike from Georgia to Maine in 2010 – a film for which she launched a 45-venue national film tour, obtained digital and foreign distribution, and through which she learned first-hand the challenges of financing, producing and distributing audiovisual content.

Areas of FocusCorporateIntellectual PropertyMedia, Sport and EntertainmentFinance
Bar admissionsCaliforniaIllinois

EXPERIENCE

USC Gould School of Law
  • Guest Lecturer, Entertainment Law in Practice, 2021
  • Guest Lecturer, Entertainment Dealmaking, 2017
USC Marshall School of Business
  • Guest Lecturer, BAEP 475: Entertainment Entrepreneurship, 2015-Present
  • Guest Lecturer, BAEP 423: Management of Small Businesses, 2014-Present
  • Guest Lecturer, BAEP 460: Seminar in Entrepreneurship, 2021
  • Guest Lecturer, BAEP 450: Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, 2020
UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, Professional Programs
  • Guest Lecturer, Contracts and Negotiations for Entertainment, 2020
UCLA Extension, Certificates in Entertainment
  • Guest Lecturer, The Art and Business of Producing, 2020
Loyola Marymount University, Business Pathways
  • Guest Lecturer, Entrepreneurship in Entertainment: Entertainment Law, 2019
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
  • Adjunct Faculty, Business Law, 2014-17
Hussian College, Relativity School
  • Guest Lecturer, Entertainment Law, 2017
University of Illinois College of Law
  • Teaching Assistant, Legal Writing & Analysis, 2008
Outward Bound
  • Wilderness Instructor, Intercept Expeditions for At-Risk Youth, 2007
Other Speaking Engagements
  • Pepperdine University School of Law
  • University of Illinois College of Law
  • UNC Asheville
  • Producers Guild of America
  • The Blackhouse Foundation
  • Roadmap Writers
  • Socialexis
Education
  • J.D., University of Illinois College of Law 2009
    • Associate Editor, Illinois Law Review
    • President, Women’s Law Society

    cum laude

  • B.A., University of Maryland, College Park 2006
    summa cum laude

Awards

  • The Legal 500 United States
    • Recommended, Media and Entertainment: Transactional (2023)
  • Selected, Variety, "Dealmakers Impact Report," 2020
  • Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Southern California Super Lawyers, "Rising Star," 2015-2019
  • Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, "Rising Star," 2014

Bylines

  • Author, "Top Billing for NFTs," Los Angeles Lawyer, May 2022
  • Author, "Networking with Strangers: 6 Ways to Meet People in a New City," Brazen, March 5, 2015
  • Author, "Balancing the Right of Publicity and the First Amendment: The Impact of the Hurt Locker Case," American Bar, pg. 49, March 5, 2015
  • Author, "IMDb Fights Back on Age Censorship Law," Screen Magazine, January 11, 2017
  • Author, "Jared Leto v. TMZ: The Copyright Battle Continues," Screen Magazine, July 28, 2016
  • Author, "Cirque du Soleil's Steel Dream is a Legal Nightmare for Justin Timberlake," Screen Magazine, April 8, 2016
  • Author, "From Kesha's Legal Battle to Lady Gaga's Oscar Performance: a Prediction about the Battle against Sexual Harassment," Screen Magazine, March 1, 2016
  • Author, "Producer Threatens CHIRAQ: Copyright Violation or Publicity Stunt?," Screen Magazine, December 3, 2015
  • Author, "The Netflix Tax that Broke the Camel's Back," Screen Magazine, September 17, 2015
  • Author, "Nobody Puts Your Old 401(k) in the Corner: Parody or Trademark Infringement?," Screen Magazine, July 6, 2015
  • Author, "Street Legal," Screen Magazine, May 13, 2015
  • Author, "What Every Independent Film Producer Should Know About SAG-AFTRA," Screen Magazine, April 15, 2015
  • Author, "Did EMPIRE steal P. Diddy's life story? P. Diddy Seems to Think So," Screen Magazine, March 5, 2015
  • Author, "The Right of Publicity: Why Marilyn Monroe Still Makes More Money Than You ," Screen Magazine, February 18, 2015
  • Author, "Why Cutting 'Entertainment Attorney' from the Budget is a Bad Idea," Screen Magazine, January 19, 2015
  • Author, "THE INTERVIEW Canceled: FBI Eyes North Korea," Screen Magazine, December 19, 2014
  • Author, "Keep it Simple: What You Need to Establish Chain of Title," Screen Magazine, November 19, 2014
  • Author, "BATMAN VS... EXTRA? Why You Need to Take the NDA Seriously," Screen Magazine, October 29, 2014
  • Author, "Why the Poor Man's Copyright Will Keep You Poor," Screen Magazine, September 24, 2014
  • Author, "Employee v. Independent Contractor: Why It Matters," Screen Magazine, August 20, 2014
  • Author, "I Want to Tell your Story, Now Gimme the Rights!," Screen Magazine, August 6, 2014
  • Author, "The Sole Proprietor Complex: DBA v. Exorbitant Filing Fees ," Screen Magazine, June 27, 2014
  • Author, "Internet Defamation: Goodbye Right of Privacy, Hello Free Speech," Screen Magazine, April 28, 2014
  • Author, "Inside Hollywood: Financing for the Indie Filmmaker," Screen Magazine, April 14, 2014
  • Author, "I'll Take One Tax Credit, Please," Screen Magazine, March 24, 2014
  • Author, "Overcoming False Peaks: Professional Development Tips for the Young Lawyer" October 1, 2013
  • Author, "How to Accomplish Your Big Goals (Even if They're As Crazy As Making a Movie)," Brazen, August 22, 2012
  • Author, "Home is Where the Most Economically Beneficial Laws Are: Finding the Best Location to Incorporate Your Business," Illinois Business Law Journal, April 24, 2008
  • Author, "Lawyer-Turned-Entrepreneur: How the Collision of Diverse Careers Can Blend into Success, Illinois Business Law Journal," Illinois Business Law Journal, April 7, 2008
  • Author, "The Young and the Restless: the Inevitable Trend of New Graduates towards Solo Practice, Illinois Business Law Journal," Illinois Business Law Journal, February 2, 2008

Seminars

Speaking Engagements

News Overview

Media Mentions

Clerk Experience

  • Law Clerk, Hon. Arnold F. Blockman, Champaign County Circuit Court, Sixth Judicial Circuit, 2008

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Member, Beverly Hills Bar Association
  • Member, Women in Film Los Angeles
  • Member, American Bar Association

My latest insights

Publication

SAG-AFTRA strike: The strike rules, and the exceptions

18 July 2023 .6 minute read

Publication

DGA and AMPTP reach tentative three-year collective bargaining agreement: see the details

12 June 2023 .3 minute read

Publication

Writers Guild of America strike: The strike rules, and how the unions are advising their...

3 May 2023 .4 minute read

View All

Connect

Phone

+1 310 595 3177
(Work, Los Angeles (Century City))
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