LEGAL
Daniel J Coplan Attorney at Law
Entertainment IP Attorney - Filmmaker
A veteran litigator Daniel J. Coplan brings more than 20 years' experience litigating intellectual property and related matters in both state and federal courts. He has particular expertise in entertainment and copyright related issues, having represented a range of industry clients, as well as managing hisown career on both sides of the camera.
Mr. Coplan has negotiated, drafted and enforced a range of entertainment agreements including those pertaining to film distribution, licensing, music publishing, and recording. He has drafted and negotiated production contracts for film and television shows, including contracts for directors, writers, talent, copyright clearance, locations and composers. He has also provided general corporate services to companies in the entertainment business.
Mr. Coplan understands the entertainment industry from the creative side as well as from a legal perspective. A member of the Screen Actors Guild, he began making award-winning movies at age 14. He has written, directed, produced and starred in a number of films, including "Echos Of Enlightenment" his critically-acclaimed, award-winning, directorial debut. In addition, he has been an "on-camera" commentator for CNBC regarding developments in the entertainment industry, and written about the creative, marketing and legal issues in the movie industry.
Born and raised in New York City, New York, Mr. Coplan is a graduate of the prestigious New York University FilmSchool, the COBRAY Counter-terrorist Training Facility in Marietta. Georgia, and Southwestern University School of Law and is a practicing attorney in the Stale of California.
From 1974 to 1975. Mr. Coplan worked as a camera department assistant on the motion picture and television productions of "King Kong”, “Kojak" and“Sybil”. He also worked on the motion picture “Taxi Driver” by providing location security.
In 1975 he produced the half-hour documentary "The Dream Factory" which featured appearances by Sean Connery, Gloria Swanson, Marlo Thomas, Roy Scheider and was narrated by Eli Wallach. This film is now part of the permanent cinema collection of the Museum of Modern Art, NYC, NY.
After graduating from NYU, with a BFA degree in Film and Business, Mr. Coplan was employed by The Walter Reade Organization, the foremost chain of movie theatres in Manhattan, as a Theatre Manager. Mr. Coplan spent three years with this company. during which time is was given greater and greater operating responsibilities and it was during this period that he developed a very keen sense for predicting the commercial success of individual motion pictures. Because of this talent he was given the additional responsibilities of assisting the head film buyer at The Walter Reade Organization.
While still employed by the Reade Organization he established his own literary agency and was responsible for setting up the motion picture "Just Before Dawn" a horror film starring George Kennedy.
In 1981 Mr. Coplan left The Walter Reade Organization to attend law school in Los Angeles, California. In 1982, while a full time law student, Mr. Coplan was hired by Paramount Pictures Corporation as a Business Affairs Intern. During his two year tenure with Paramount, Mr. Coplan worked on the TV Show "Entertainment Tonight" and an exciting interactive videodisc called "The Entertainment Game." Mr. Coplan was responsible for negotiating agreements for the appearances of over two hundred actors including Warren Beatty, Robert Redford, James Caan, Jane Fonda, and Diane Keaton. Mr. Coplan earned his Juris Doctor degree in May 1984.
Mr. Coplan was also engaged on a freelance basis to provide consulting services to CBS Entertainment in New York City regarding the analysis of prospective literary material for the possible TV Movies. Mini-series, and/or Series.
Specialties:
Copyright, Entertainment, Trademarks
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ACCOUNTING
Robert Korpas is a founding Partner of ERK Financial Consultants serving for profit, not for profit, and individual financial needs and requirements. Prior to starting the firm, he was with a number of CPA firms serving both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
His professional experience extends across a broad spectrum of industries and individual clients, ranging from business service firms and entertainment firms, to high net worth individuals requiring complex estate and trust planning. He specializes in preparing and reviewing proposed incorporations, preparing amended individual and corporate tax returns, and preparing multi state returns and private foundation returns. In addition, Robert is an expert in court, fiduciary and conservatorship accounting.
He has taught workshops on the benefits and challenges of the different types of business entities, on methods of entity formation and incorporation, on ways to maximize tax benefits from real estate investments, and on ways to increase opportunities related to passive activity limitations.
Robert graduated with a Bachelors of Science and a double major in Accounting and Marketing from the College of Notre Dame and is a member of the California Society of Certified Public
Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Robert has been involved in the taxation and accounting of the entertainment industry since he moved from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, and the general public since his graduation in 1996. He has been with the largest and most exclusive business management firm in LA as well as the small boutique firms and has done tax returns and business management and dealt with the finances for talent such as Gary Marshall, Robert Zemeckis, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Neil Dimaond, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ron Livingston, Richard Speight Jr., Leigh Whannell, James Wan, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Geoffrey Rush, Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson (casting directors), and band members of Kelly Clarkson.
Specialties
Taxation, business management and organizing the finances, payroll retirement planning of the talent, loan out corporation formation, production payroll.
His professional experience extends across a broad spectrum of industries and individual clients, ranging from business service firms and entertainment firms, to high net worth individuals requiring complex estate and trust planning. He specializes in preparing and reviewing proposed incorporations, preparing amended individual and corporate tax returns, and preparing multi state returns and private foundation returns. In addition, Robert is an expert in court, fiduciary and conservatorship accounting.
He has taught workshops on the benefits and challenges of the different types of business entities, on methods of entity formation and incorporation, on ways to maximize tax benefits from real estate investments, and on ways to increase opportunities related to passive activity limitations.
Robert graduated with a Bachelors of Science and a double major in Accounting and Marketing from the College of Notre Dame and is a member of the California Society of Certified Public
Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Robert has been involved in the taxation and accounting of the entertainment industry since he moved from the San Francisco Bay Area in 2001, and the general public since his graduation in 1996. He has been with the largest and most exclusive business management firm in LA as well as the small boutique firms and has done tax returns and business management and dealt with the finances for talent such as Gary Marshall, Robert Zemeckis, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Neil Dimaond, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Ron Livingston, Richard Speight Jr., Leigh Whannell, James Wan, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Geoffrey Rush, Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson (casting directors), and band members of Kelly Clarkson.
Specialties
Taxation, business management and organizing the finances, payroll retirement planning of the talent, loan out corporation formation, production payroll.
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