Kendall Johnson

Kendall’s experience includes representing:

Sports

Media Rights and Event Hosting

• The NCAA in the eight-year extension of its multimedia rights agreement with CBS and Turner for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship
• The International Olympic Committee in connection with its multi-billion dollar media rights arrangements in the United States, including its most recent extension with Comcast NBCUniversal for the 2034 and 2036 Olympic Games
• FIFA and US Soccer in connection with the city selection process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• Nexstar / CW Network in their:
  • Media rights agreement with Raycom for ACC football and basketball games
  • Media rights agreements for collegiate bowl games
• Pac-12 Conference in its addition of seven new member institutions as well as its new primary long-term media rights deals with CBS Sports, Versant/USA Sports, and CW Network and its overall sponsorship development arrangement with Playfly Sports
• Meta in its acquisition of sports distribution rights across the globe, including its historic bid for Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket rights in the summer of 2017
• US Figure Skating, the national governing body for the sport, in a television and digital rights agreement with NBC covering domestic and international events through 2026
• The Arizona Diamondbacks in connection with their multi-year broadcast and media rights agreement and ownership interest in Fox Sports Arizona
• The Stronach Group on multi-year broadcast agreements with NBC for the Preakness Triple Crown and other premier horse racing events
• Two NHL teams, the Dallas Stars and the Anaheim Ducks, in their multi-year broadcast and media agreements with Fox Sports*

Acquisitions and Investments

• Houston Rockets owner, Fertitta Entertainment, in the purchase of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun
• Sixth Street Partners in its investment in Bay FC, the Bay Area NWSL expansion franchise, and a new men’s and women’s professional flag football league in partnership with the NFL and TMRW Sports
• Goldman Sachs in its investment in Excel Sports Management
• RedBird Capital Partners in the formation of EverPass Media and licensing of exclusive commercial establishment rights for NFL Sunday Ticket
• Sinclair Broadcast Group in its:
  • US$10.6 billion acquisition of the former Fox regional sports networks from Disney
  • Formation of a joint venture with the Chicago Cubs to create Marquee Sports Network
  • Investment in YES Network with the New York Yankees and other investment partners
• A group of US sports and media investors in a strategic partnership with FIBA to invest in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) and other global basketball competitions
• Endeavor in its acquisition of a majority stake in the premium hospitality company On Location Experiences and related negotiation of On Location’s long-term commercial partnership with the NFL
• Certain limited partners in their equity investment in Josh Harris’ consortium to acquire the Washington Commanders for US$6.05 billion
• The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in connection with equity and ownership matters

IP and New Technology

• The NCAA on a long-term agreement with Genius Sports to modernize the collection and distribution of its intercollegiate sports data
• Buzzer, a micropayments-based sports content app, in its rights deals to distribute NBA and NHL content
• NextVR in a multi-year partnership with the NBA to produce and distribute games in virtual reality

Entertainment

Acquisitions and Investments

• MGM in a variety of strategic transactions, including its:
  • US$8.45 billion merger with Amazon
  • MGM+ subscriber migration and content licensing arrangements with Lionsgate+ in Latin America, the UK, and Europe
  • Multi-faceted arrangement with The Wonder Project, a faith-and-family based independent studio
  • Multi-year joint venture with Annapurna Pictures for the domestic distribution of MGM films
  • Acquisition of Big Fish Entertainment
• Blumhouse in its:
  • Acquisition of the go-forward rights to the Saw franchise, as well as a new overall partnership arrangement for the franchise with Lionsgate
  • Acquisition of Atomic Monster, the production company founded by filmmaker James Wan
  • Buyout of ITV’s equity interest in Blumhouse TV
• Amazon MGM Studios in its joint venture transaction to assume control of the James Bond franchise
• Sony Pictures Entertainment in its:
  • Approximately US$1.2 billion acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T
  • Sale of GSN Games to Scopely
• Mediawan in its acquisition of a significant stake in Plan B Entertainment, the production company co-founded and led by Brad Pitt
• AGBO Films in connection with various corporate, employment, and investment matters
• Wonder Group in its acquisition of Tastemade, the content studio that produces original content focused on food, travel, home and design
• Searchlight Capital Partners in the take private of Hemisphere Media Group, and the related sale of Pantaya, a Spanish-language streaming platform, to TelevisaUnivision
• Silver Lake on its US$500 million investment in Shadowbox Studios, an Atlanta-based builder and operator of soundstages for TV and film productions
• Mountain (MNTN), a leading self-serve performance TV platform, in its acquisition of Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Marketing
• Starz Entertainment in its acquisition by Lionsgate for a combination of cash and stock totaling US$4.4 billion
• Netflix on its acquisition of Millarworld, the comic book publisher behind Kick-Ass, Kingsman, and Wanted
• AMC Networks in its investment in Funny Or Die

Talent-Driven Joint Ventures

• Mast-Jägermeister in its investment in Teremana, the tequila brand founded by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
• Lead investor in an investment round for Dos Hombres, the mezcal brand co-founded by actors Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston
• A-Frame Brands in the launch of talent-driven brands with Naomi Osaka, John Legend, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union
• Equity investors in the re-launch of Castle Rock Entertainment’s film division in partnership with Rob Reiner
• D’Amelio Brands, the namesake company of social media phenoms Dixie and Charli D’Amelio, in its formation and capitalization
• Directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America, Avengers: Infinity War) in the formation and ongoing operation of their film and content company, AGBO
• MGM in the formation and acquisition of United Artists Media Group and the purchase of certain reality television and other media assets of Mark Burnett (including Survivor, The Voice, Shark Tank, and The Apprentice)
• Participant Media in its joint venture with DreamWorks Studios, Steven Spielberg, Reliance Entertainment, and Entertainment One to form Amblin Partners
• Univision in the formation and capitalization of Robert Rodriguez’s El Rey Network, including the financing and distribution of From Dusk Till Dawn and other original series
• Producer Brian Oliver in the launch and capitalization of New Republic Pictures and various motion picture financing and distribution arrangements, including a multi-picture co-financing agreement with Paramount and financing arrangements for 1917 and Rocketman
• Brad Weston in the creation of MAKEREADY, a global content production company with backing from Entertainment One and worldwide distribution by Universal Pictures
• Techstyle in a brand endorsement venture with Rihanna
• A major restaurant enterprise in a brand ambassador and consulting agreement with Oprah Winfrey

Strategic Commercial Transactions

• The Hollywood Foreign Press Association in its broadcast and other entertainment industry transactions, including its media rights agreement with NBC and Dick Clark Productions for the broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards
• MGM in a variety of strategic transactions, including its:
  • Multi-picture development, production, financing and distribution arrangement with the Russo Brothers
  • International distribution arrangements with Sony, Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures for the rights to the James Bond franchise and the rest of its film slate
  • Co-financing arrangements with BRON Studios
• Spotify in various audio content licensing and production matters, including its exclusive multi-year pact with Emma Chamberlain for the Anything Goes podcast and the rollout of Greenroom, its live audio app
• Hammerstone Studios in the formation and capitalization of a gaming investment fund and the co-financing of a prototype for a “Black 5” video game with Rogue Games, Columbia Pictures, and others
• Verizon in various content financing and distribution arrangements, as well as a joint venture with Hearst Communications and the acquisition of Complex Media
• International Game Technology in the licensing of film and television-related intellectual property for use on various gaming devices and online gaming platforms
• Starz Entertainment in the creation of “Starz Play” in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America*

*Matters handled prior to joining Latham