Manatt Expands Industry‑Leading Creator Economy Platform with Strategic Additions in Los Angeles

Ellie Heisler, Jessica Boardman, Mike Lawhead and April Hua bring market‑leading dealmaking, production, M&A and emerging‑talent experience to support vertically integrated talent enterprises

LOS ANGELES, March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, today announced the arrival of Partner Ellie Heisler and other entertainment visionaries as part of a coordinated expansion that builds on the Firm’s industry-leading and award-winning creator economy capabilities. Ellie and the team’s arrival further strengthens Manatt as one of the industry’s most comprehensive legal and business advisory platforms dedicated to creator-led enterprises. For decades, Manatt has been the go-to firm across the country for creators, talent and media companies as entertainment business models have evolved across content, distribution and commercialization.

Heisler—one of the architects behind some of the most commercially sophisticated content creators and digital first media companies—has joined the Firm as a partner in its Entertainment group. She represents a cross section of talent including Matty Matheson, Jordan and Salish Matter, Quen Blackwell, Alan Chikin Chow, and industry leading media companies including Doing Things and Friday Beers. Collectively, her clients command hundreds of millions of subscribers and billions of views, and they operate businesses spanning streaming, publishing, touring, licensing, global brand partnerships and mass retail distribution.

Also joining the Firm’s Los Angeles office are production legal standout Partner Jessica Boardman, who focuses on non-scripted entertainment and serves as trusted counsel to on-camera talent, production companies, podcasters, documentaries and rights holders across all stages of development, production and distribution; corporate and transactional Partner Mike Lawhead, who handles M&A, corporate finance, joint venture arrangements and all things in-between for on-camera talent, musicians, digital content creators and athletes, and the agents, managers and investors who support them; and Associate April Hua, who drives day-to-day brand deals, production, licensing and other commercial agreements for content creators. Together, the team’s addition reflects a deliberate, strategic expansion that deepens Manatt’s longstanding work with clients across the full lifecycle of content creation, brand building, fundraising and exiting in today’s creator-centric entertainment landscape.

“Entertainment has been completely transformed by the creator economy with talent taking more ownership of their brands and distribution of content, and our clients need trusted advisers who understand not just where the industry has been, but where it is going,” said Manatt CEO and Managing Partner Donna L. Wilson. “Ellie, Jessica, Mike and April bring a unique combination of institutional knowledge, corporate dealmaking and forward‑looking insight, and their arrival reinforces our ability to deliver integrated legal and consulting counsel for clients ranging from emerging creators to global icons in a way no other firm can. This is another important step in the continued expansion of our industry-leading entertainment platform across the creator-centric hotbed of Los Angeles and in key markets nationwide.”

“Power in entertainment has moved decisively toward creators, who are redefining the industry and accelerating its evolution. That shift demands advisers who both understand creative vision and are fluent in the commercial stakes,” said Manatt Entertainment Leader Jordan Bromley. “Our creator-centric and hybrid legal and consulting offerings in this space are unlike anything else found in the market. This group’s arrival deepens our creator and talent representation alongside complex transactions, brand strategy and unscripted content.”

“This move is about alignment—of values, ambition and long-term vision—and to expand and accelerate Manatt’s presence in the creator economy,” said Heisler.

About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is a leading professional services firm, providing integrated legal and consulting services to a global client base. With offices strategically located in California (Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Silicon Valley), New York (New York City and Albany), Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston, the Firm represents sophisticated clients—including Fortune 500, middle-market and emerging companies—across a range of industry sectors such as health care; financial services; entertainment; digital and technology; and energy, environmental and real estate. For more information, visit www.manatt.com.

CONTACT:
Samuel Eisele 212.704.1998
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

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