HBS Expands Entertainment Practice Group as Georgia Film Lawyers and Dealmakers Don Mandrik and Michael Price Join Firm

Hall Booth Smith, P.C. is excited to announce the expansion of its Entertainment Practice Group with the addition of two highly accomplished individuals based in Atlanta’s thriving entertainment community with extensive knowledge of the entire ecosystem of legal, financial, and content production matters across film, television and digital media. Don Mandrik joins as a Partner and Co-Chair of the group, bringing two decades of legal experience and deal-making to the Entertainment Practice Group, along with Michael J. Price as an associate who brings first-hand experience in production roles and as outside General Counsel for a Georgia-based production company.

“We are thrilled to add Don’s authoritative knowledge, experience, and relationships across the entertainment industry in Georgia and beyond. His involvement in dozens of studio-based and independent film projects has had a positive multiplier effect for numerous sound stage facilities, production companies, independent producers, startups, and entrepreneurs,” said Justin Kerenyi, a Partner who will Co-Chair the firm’s Entertainment Practice Group. “Don and Michael have tremendous first-hand experience on the investment advisory side, as well as monetization opportunities for content creators, writers, producers, and others across the entertainment ecosystem — now with the full-service capabilities and support of Hall Booth Smith.”

Both Don and Michael have extensive experience with the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which provides a highly competitive tax incentive to content creators producing all forms of content here in the state. The Act, initially passed in 2005, has played a major role in establishing Georgia as a leading production hub for feature film and television productions.

“At this time of rapid change in the entertainment industry, we bring together decision-makers behind content development, capital, world-class production facilities, technology, distribution, and marketing to collaborate and bring impactful projects to fruition,” Mandrik said. “Each successful endeavor creates value that strengthens Georgia as a location of choice, while also opening doors for the next generation of creators and entrepreneurs to rise up and pursue their own winning strategies.”

“I’m excited to join HBS alongside Don as his contributions have helped establish Georgia as one of the most attractive places to film in the country.  We, in Georgia, have the infrastructure, creators, artists, and workforce all incentivized by the state. My goal isn’t just to help support Georgia’s creators – it’s to establish Georgia as the permanent standard, an everlasting hub for production. We have the IP and the resources to make it happen,” said Price.

About Don Mandrik

Don Mandrik is a Partner based in HBS’s Atlanta office and Co-Chairs the firm’s Entertainment Practice Group. For more than 25 years, Don has been working at the intersection of entertainment law, content production and finance. At HBS, Don focuses his practice on representing content creators and financiers and works with clients including major studios and streaming services, leading production soundstage facilities and independent production companies.

In 2008, Don founded Georgia Production Finance, LLC, a boutique entertainment production and financing advisory firm that went on to support hundreds of millions of dollars worth of content production. Soon after, Don then co-founded the Georgia Film Tax Credit Fund, which specialized in entertainment tax credit monetization and lending. He was also a founding member of two Georgia-based organizations that served as a unifying voice for improving and expanding the state’s film tax incentives. In 2018, Don partnered with the ownership and leadership team of Atlanta-based Trilith Studios to launch three separate venture funds to support startup and established entertainment companies.  He also led the financing behind Brand New Story, LLC, a joint venture between Rough House Pictures and Cinetic Media that focuses on long-form storytelling with brand integration. Prior to joining HBS, Don most recently served as the Managing Director of the media division of a large Atlanta-based private equity firm.

On the production front, Don has acted as a producer or executive producer on numerous Georgia-based feature films.

About Michael J. Price

Michael J. Price joins HBS as an Associate in the Atlanta office, specializing in transactions, litigation, tax credits, and a wide range of other legal matters for production companies, major studios, investors, and other clients in the entertainment sector.

Like Don, Michael has firsthand experience in the entertainment industry. He previously worked in production roles in film, television, and reality formats, and was formerly a producer and Director of Production Tax Incentives at Georgia Production Finance, LLC, where he facilitated tens of millions of dollars in transactions alongside Don.

Michael also served as outside General Counsel for a Georgia production company, where he facilitated a strategic investment partnership for a specialty entertainment insurance broker and helped secure a multimillion-dollar credit facility for a performance marketing firm. He serves as Treasurer of the Georgia Production Partnership, a non-profit that advocates for film tax incentives that help foster connections, support local talent, and bring more productions to the state of Georgia.

About HBS Entertainment Practice Group

Hall Booth Smith’s Entertainment Practice Group offers clients a full suite of services, including intellectual property, contracts, business transactions, joint ventures and operating agreements, and other day-to-day entertainment legal matters. The firm’s full-service practice groups also handle employment agreements, workers’ compensation, general liability, premises liability, litigation, and a wide range of other legal services. To learn more about Hall Booth Smith’s Entertainment Practice Group, please visit: https://hallboothsmith.com/services/entertainment/.

About Hall Booth Smith

Established in 1989, Hall Booth Smith, P.C. is a full-service law firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Experienced across a wide range of legal disciplines, HBS attorneys pride themselves on providing knowledgeable, proactive, client-specific counsel to individuals, domestic and international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm’s promise: “Serving to Achieve Excellence.” To learn more, please visit: www.hallboothsmith.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.