Professionals

Mark A. Vega

Mark Vega acts as a trusted legal and strategic business advisor to a diverse client base. His practice includes entertainment, marketing & advertising, new media, intellectual property and action sports transactions. He is often responsible for forging innovative deal structures between brand owners, content creators and distribution platforms which ultimately form the basis for new business models. Mark is also a co-founder of Los Angeles based Omelet, a version 2.0 advertising and marketing agency servicing the entertainment and new media sectors.

Entertainment.

Mark helps clients navigate the full range of legal and business issues associated with creative projects and new ventures. Clients include traditional entertainment production and marketing financiers, producers, narrative and documentary filmmakers and distribution companies. Projects range from creation and maintenance of entertainment production and distribution funds, to negotiation of agreements for the acquisition of literary properties, to the provision of film production services, to deals involving music, book and periodical publishing, talent, games, toys and other merchandise. Mark also counsels entertainment clients on generating revenue by viewing themselves as brands and assists non-entertainment clients with their specialized entertainment needs.

New Media.

Mark counsels clients about business opportunities, strategic partnerships and collaboration agreements, as well as online content distribution across new entertainment technology platforms, including video games. Mark was at the center of the dot-com-motion between 1996 and 2000 representing a variety of technology consumers and vendors. Among his conquests was the creation of the contractual infrastructure for the first and often copied online film contest -- Hypnotic's famed Million Dollar Film Festival as well as a 26-item "menu" of online software services available to realtor members of Homestore.com.

Marketing and Advertising.

Mark introduced engagement agreements containing entertainment concepts such as revenue-sharing and license-back provisions that had not existed previously. In the process, Mark joined with three clients and created Omelet, a full-service advertising and marketing agency with a business model relying one-half on work-for-hire engagements and one-half on intellectual property creation, development and exploitation. At Libertas, Mark now applies his insight in servicing advertising and marketing agencies, as well as commercial production companies, who are all working to determine the proper balance between work-for-hire and ownership of the intellectual property embodied within the advertising campaigns and marketing ideas they provide to clients. Mark also negotiates deals for advertising and media buys; clearance and compliance for advertising content; merchandising, branding, sponsorship, and product placement deals; and navigating the world of Internet advertising. Mark remains an active strategic contributor to the Association of Commercial Independent Producers, the country's largest commercial production trade organization.

Action Sports.

Mark has represented management companies, as well as individual surfers and riders, filmmakers, and production and distribution companies thriving in the surf, skate, moto, X Games universe.

Litigation.

Mark also has experience with complex commercial litigation with matters including business tort, First Amendment, intellectual property, copyright, insurance, unfair competition and construction defect law. He has litigated matters in both trial and appellate courts of various federal and state jurisdictions, and as well as in diverse arbitration tribunals.

Prior to law, Mark worked the talk radio circuit and cut his teeth as a broadcaster for the US Military at the "American Forces Korea Network."

Memberships

Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP):

• AICP Next Committee (2008-Present).
• AICP Digital Committee (2009-Present).

After-School All-Stars Marketing Advisory Board (2006-Present).

International Documentary Association, Board of Directors (2007-2008).

Larchmont Charter School, Board of Directors (2006-2008).

American Civil Liberties Union (1992-Present).

California State Bar, Intellectual Property Law Section (1992-Present).