Susan Z. Williams

As co-chair of Paul Hastings’ entertainment and media finance group, Williams represents financial institutions, production companies and individuals in a variety of capital transactions, including distribution and co-financing agreements with major studios and with international distribution companies. She has significant experience handling private equity, M&A, joint ventures, as well as restructuring and bankruptcy matters within the film and television industry.

One of the founding members of the firm’s Century City office, opened in 2018, Williams said the move gave the firm a larger global platform to recognize the convergence of entertainment, media and technology.

In the last several years, the entertainment industry has been shifting to digital and streaming platforms. The pandemic has only served to accelerate the pace of disruption, as consumers’ appetite for content increases while they continue to consume the majority of content at home, she said.

That means Williams remained busy during and after the shutdown.

“One thing that’s different about the pandemic than the last crisis we all faced as a country, which was the financial crisis, is that liquidity has not been impacted like it was then,” she said. “There still is active capital finding its way to our market, so you don’t have the same liquidity constraints that existed in 2008-‘09.”

Williams recently represented Vine Alternative Investments in the French safeguard proceedings of EuropaCorp SA, a European independent film studio. She guided the client through complicated corporate and financial restructuring issues – and learned a lot about French law along the way, she said.

“What I am is a cradle-to-grave attorney,” she said. “We’re there at the beginning, and we’re there to help solve all the problems along the way. Europa started out as a financing transaction, and turned into our client becoming majority owners of the company.”

Europa’s bankruptcy plan was approved, and Williams remains involved in representing Vine in connection with the company’s ongoing business operations. Vine now owns a 60.15 percent stake in Europa.

As the #MeToo movement continues to shake up the entertainment industry, Williams stresses the importance of women partners to be mentors and role models for the next generation of lawyers.

“I’ve always taken that role very seriously,” said Williams, who has a daughter in law school. “It’s more important than ever, as we’re coming to some very significant truths about our society and where we’ve been, and where we want to be.”

— Jennifer Chung Klam