Players On the Move

Veteran television-industry attorney Suzanne Satterfield has been tapped as general counsel of the recently formed Free TV Networks, which is based in Atlanta, bringing unscripted shows from the Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate portfolios to free over-the-air channels. The Warner Bros. Discovery vice president and legal counsel for global rights management is moving to Free TV Networks, which was formed last year by Jonathan Katz, a former senior vice president of Turner Entertainment Group and a pioneer of programming for unused subchannels on television stations' digital broadcast signals. Katz, whose Katz Networks launched Bounce, Grit, Laff and a renewed Court TV, sold his company to E.W. Scripps Co. in 2017 for more than $300 million. He launched Free TV last year, bringing on big-time content producers Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate as partners, along with Gray Television, which owns some 180 stations in 113 U.S. television markets. Free TV is trying to capitalize on the rise of ad-supported, over-the-air viewing and streaming channels. While many television stations use their subchannels for reruns of classics such as The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD, Free TV will have newer fare, such as Ax Men, American Pickers, Alone, Counting Cars and Storage Wars. Satterfield was previously a senior legal counsel at Warner Media, which she joined in 2018, and a senior legal counsel at Turner. Earlier, she worked in private practice at Gaslowitz Frankel and at Troutman Sanders. There, she represented CNN and Court TV, working to get access to courtroom proceedings. … Benjamin Chew is the latest member of law firm Brown Rudnick's brand and reputation management group to depart for Sheppard, Mullin Richter & Hampton, accepting a role at the latter firm as partner in its Washington, DC, office. Chew arrives at Sheppard Mullin at the same time as former Brown Rudnick associate Honieh Udenka, who joined Sheppard Mullin's Costa Mesa, CA, office to include brand and reputation management for clients. including global companies as well as bankruptcy/restructuring, commercial and business litigation and defamation. Among other attorneys Sheppard Mullin recently poached from Brown Rudnick is Camille Vasquez, who was co-lead counsel alongside Chew in Johnny Depp's defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. Chew's notable clientele includes the entertainer Cher. He previously represented Depp in two successful breach of fiduciary duty cases-firstly against his former business and then against his former attorney Jacob Bloom and his law firm. … Peter Wiley, who departed as one of The Walt Disney Co.'s top lawyers in October 2023 after a 27-year run with the entertainment giant, joins the U.K.-based Directors UK as general counsel as the association gears up for negotiations with major U.S. media companies over royalties. Wiley will work alongside Andy Harrower, who leads London-based Directors UK, which negotiates and manages royalties on behalf of 8,000 members who work as directors in audio-visual industries. Directors UK recently disclosed that it had sent letters to Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Paramount, Apple and Warner Bros. Discovery, seeking royalties for its members. The association suggested that, if these companies don't engage in negotiations, Directors UK may consider withholding its members' copyrights from the streaming platforms in the future. According to Deadline, Directors UK already has an agreement with Sky UK and producer trade body Pact. But the organization had no similar arrangements yet with streaming services. Wiley joined Disney in 1996 as director of legal and business affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and climbed the ranks to become chief regional counsel of EMEA in 2005 and chief international counsel in 2016. In his final seven years at Disney, he played a key role in launching the Disney+ subscription streaming service in more than 100 countries. Additionally, Wiley supported Disney's film and TV operations, overseeing local production, licensing, linear broadcasting and direct-to-consumer distribution. Directors UK originated from the Directors' and Producers' Rights Society, which was founded in 1987 by the Directors Guild of Great Britain to collect payments due to directors under European legislation. It became a separate organization in 1992. … King & Spalding has hired litigator Will Stute from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as he officially moves his practice from D.C. to Miami, FL. During his six years at Orrick, Stute led the firm's sports law practice. Before that, he spent three years at McDermott Will & Emery, where he started representing the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in concussion litigation. Despite his recent job heading a sports practice, Stute will serve as a partner on King & Spalding's product liability and mass torts practice. "I've told people for years that the NCAA cases were products liability cases, and the product was college football," Stute said. "I'll continue to do work in the sports arena. I'm not leaving that behind by any stretch, it just fits into a larger practice for me, which includes mass torts and products liability. Administratively, it made sense for me to sit in this group." Although his new practice will allow him to venture into other sectors outside of sports law, Stute says he's expecting his clients to follow him as he continues working in the world of sports law. His move to Florida also made sense on that end, as the state continues to be a global destination for sports. Miami has been home to a Formula One Grand Prix event since 2022. Earlier this year it hosted the final for the Copa America, which determines the soccer champions of South America. "Miami's always been a city where there was a lot of activity on the business side of sports, not just teams and others who are here, but the private equity folks and the others who are getting involved in the business side, that's grown tremendously as well here in Miami," Stute said. However, now that he's expanding his practice, he's anticipating more cases against video-game publishers and social media companies, holding them liable for being addictive. While he was at Orrick, he represented Roblox in a similar case. … Pierson Ferdinand has added global media, entertainment & sports lawyer Sekou Campbell as a partner in its Philadelphia office from CM Law, formerly Culhane Meadows. Sekou focuses on representing intellectual creatives, especially in the connection between technology and traditional entertainment. According to a statement from Pierson Ferdinand, Sekou's clients have included "gold-certified artists, entrepreneurs, and growth companies. … Notably, he has advised commercial litigants and intellectual creatives in a range of disputes including copyright infringements; record deals; film adaption agreements; multi-million-dollar asset purchases; and other transactions." The law firm's statement also noted: "Sekou held a notable role as a police detective in the 1991 film, New Jack City, appearing opposite Ice-T, while he voiced the character 'Snow' in the videogame remake of the cult classic Warriors, released by Rockstar Games in 2005." … Fox Rothschild has added David E. Ashley as counsel based in New York City in its entertainment & sports law department. Previously, he served as a business and legal affairs executive in the scripted original series division at Netflix.