The firm further bolsters the practice group with of counsel Corey Hock
Dickinson Wright has bolstered its entertainment, sports, and media offering with new partner Dave Stern, who joins the team in Toronto.
Stern was previously a partner with Blaney McMurtry LLP. His practice focuses on all aspects of film, TV and digital media production, distribution, exploitation, brand licensing, artist and influencer representation, commercial transactions, and corporate structuring.
He has acted for music industry members in recording, management, and publishing negotiations. His clients have included production companies, creators, artists, record labels, brands, athletes, and entrepreneurs.
Early in his legal career, Stern was a counsel in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment’s legal department. In this role, he helped negotiate and draft sponsorship, advertising, and team mobile application licence agreements for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors franchises. He also greenlit partnership and broadcasting agreements involving all MLSE sports teams, Air Canada Centre, BMO Field, and Ricoh Coliseum. He oversaw contests and promotions; moreover, he drafted location and film shoot agreements involving the use of MLSE facilities and related team marks.
Subsequently, the Lexpert-ranked lawyer jumped to Lewis Birnberg Hanet LLP, where he made partner in January 2018. He advised production companies, distributors, and broadcasters; he also tackled chain of title, script clearance, all cast/crew agreements, union negotiations, financing and investor agreements, E&O insurance clearance, copyright and trademark registration and infringement, and exploitation agreements.
Stern helped to progress the corporate and commercial affairs of athletes, artists, investors, and record labels. In 2023. Lexpert named him one of its Rising Stars.
Stern commenced at Dickinson Wright on June 9 with his Blaney McMurtry colleague Corey Hock.
Hock handles entertainment, sports, corporate, and commercial law matters. He has advised on development, production, distribution, and exploitation of film, television, and digital media projects; he also guides clients on intellectual property acquisitions, licensing arrangements, and talent agreements.
He has worked on intellectual property rights acquisition and management, chain of title review, legal clearance, guild compliance, insurance procurement, publishing and merchandising arrangements, corporate governance, entity formation, and the negotiation and drafting of complex commercial agreements. He has a licence to practise in both Ontario and California.
Hock was previously legal and business affairs director at Wattpad in California and held a similar role at SP Media Group/Crystal Sky Pictures. He also handled business and legal affairs at Cinelou Films and at Lionsgate. Moreover, he was an associate counsel with AMC Networks.
