Stephen Astor has been an attorney for 18 years. Prior to that, he spent several years as a journalist before joining the entertainment field where he became a senior executive, and was the head of marketing for Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Satellite Services. During his legal career he has practiced in labor and employment and intellectual property law, and has served as a contract negotiator and production attorney for a multitude of entertainment and marketing clients. He has managed large corporate staffs and substantial media budgets, and has incorporated new companies and counseled them in their day-to-day business, employment and intellectual property issues. He has also participated in stock and asset sales, negotiated numerous employment agreements and settlements, and has represented clients as a litigator in a wide variety of legal disputes, including complex IP and contract claims. He received his training in entertainment law while working at the Gersh talent agency in Beverly Hills. As a former senior marketing executive, Mr. Astor brings to his legal practice a unique understanding of how major media and entertainment companies operate, and thus has been able to offer his clients a rare all-encompassing perspective. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara, a Master’s Degree in Journalism from UCLA, and his JD from Southwestern University, where he was a published member of the school’s law review on the subject of converging entertainment technologies.

Education

BA – UC Santa Barbara
Master In Journalism – UCLA
J.D. – Southwestern University