Roger Armstrong Biography

Mr. Armstrong has been active in the entertainment industry for nearly 30 years first as a studio marketing executive and most recently as a prominent transactional entertainment attorney. Mr. Armstrong has been providing sophisticated legal representation to clients in the entertainment industry for the past fifteen years and currently operates his own private law practice.

Mr. Armstrong practices transactional law with an emphasis on intellectual property in the motion picture, television, emerging media, publishing and advertising and marketing industries. He has represented clients in substantial transactions with Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Company, 20th Century Fox, Fox Broadcasting Company, PBS, Discovery Channel, NBC Studios, HBO, Showtime, AMC and Bravo.

Mr. Armstrong represents theatrical motion picture and television producers, animation companies and motion picture production companies, television production companies along with major motion picture actors, television actors and on-camera hosts, screenwriters, directors and book authors. Mr. Armstrong also provides legal advice to certain television news and magazine programs concerning defamation, rights of publicity and privacy issues.

Mr. Armstrong has substantial experience in film finance and has provided legal representation concerning diverse film finance structures. Mr. Armstrong also negotiates employment agreements for motion picture and television executives.

Mr. Armstrong also represents major corporations in negotiating sponsorship and endorsement agreements and agreements concerning product integration in motion picture and television productions. Mr. Armstrong also assists major companies with intellectual property assets that have been licensed for use as the basis of reality television series.

Mr. Armstrong began his legal career as a litigator with the national law firm of Baker & Hostetler but soon moved to the national law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and its substantial entertainment law practice. Mr. Armstrong was elected to partner at Manatt remarkably only five years after law school and, from 2002 to 2004, served as the co-chair of the law firm’s Entertainment Practice Group.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Armstrong was a respected motion picture marketing executive. He served as Vice President of National Publicity for Universal Pictures and in the same capacity for TriStar Pictures.

Mr. Armstrong formulated and implemented publicity campaigns for well over a hundred motion pictures such as JFK, Field of Dreams, Back to the Future Parts II and III, Do the Right Thing, Tremors, Hook, Basic Instinct, Sea of Love, Gorillas in the Mist, Bugsy, Parenthood, Backdraft and Blue Velvet.

Mr. Armstrong lives in Park City, Utah, home of the Sundance Film Festival. He serves on the Motion Picture Advisory Committee for the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for the State of Utah, which advises GOED concerning tax incentives for motion picture production in Utah. He also serves on the board of directors for the SLC Film Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Mr. Armstrong is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is admitted to practice in California and Utah.