Sonya W. Guardo

Sonya’s practice at the firm covers a wide range of transactional matters in entertainment and media law, where she has extensive experience representing and advising superstar and developing recording artists, record companies and other corporate clients, songwriters, producers, managers and industry executives in all aspects of their business activities in the entertainment and media industries, including record deals, publishing agreements, touring and live performance activities, sponsorship and endorsement deals, branding and other licensing transactions, video and online gaming agreements, digital media initiatives and consultant and executive employment arrangements.

Before joining the firm in January 2001, Sonya was an associate in the business and finance department of the New York office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP from 1997 through 2000.

Representative Transactions

• Recording agreements, including major renegotiations for multi-platinum recording artists;
• Worldwide touring deals and other live performance/appearance agreements;
• Publishing agreements;
• Label deals and exclusive production deals;
• Production, licensing and distribution agreements for various audio-visual productions in all media, including television specials, internet/digital programming and home video productions;
• Representation of celebrity talent in endorsement and/or sponsorship deals with a variety of brands, including H&M, Shiseido, The Gap, Google Chrome, Skype, Verizon, AT&T, Virgin Mobile, General Motors, Pernod Ricard (Absolut), Jenny Craig, Unilever, Pepsi, OPI and Carol’s Daughter;
• Branding and licensing transactions across many industries, including apparel, fragrance, cosmetics, hair care, eyewear, merchandise (tour, digital and otherwise) and home goods;
• Video, mobile and online gaming transactions;
• Online/digital/new media initiatives, including website development, fan club deals and mobile applications;
• Management agreements, senior executive employment agreements, consulting agreements and joint venture agreements.

Education

• B.A., Cum Laude, Columbia College, 1993
• J.D., New York University School of Law, 1997
  Journal of International Law and Politics: 1995 – 1997