Silvia Vannini

Partner

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Silvia advises public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, securities, and general corporate matters, including corporate governance, both in and out of the entertainment industry.

She regularly represents private equity funds, domestic and foreign companies, motion picture studios, television networks as well as entrepreneurial clients on a wide range of corporate transactions, including company formation and structuring, acquisitions, partnerships, joint ventures, strategic alliances, financings, and dispositions.

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Languages

  • English 
  • French 
  • Italian
  • German 
  • Spanish

Honors & Awards

  • Recognized by Chambers USA for Media & Entertainment: Transactional (2023)
  • Selected for inclusion in Variety’s Legal Impact Report (2018-2023)
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 US as “Next Generation Lawyer” in Media, Technology and Telecoms: Media and Entertainment (2018-2023)
  • Recognized by IFLR1000 as a “Notable Practitioner” (2019-2023)
  • Named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “Power Lawyers” List (2022)
  • Named a Variety “Dealmaker” (2018-2021)
  • Selected by the Daily Journal to its “Top Women Lawyers” list (2018)
  • Recognized by Variety magazine in its “Women’s Impact Report” as among the leading women in entertainment (2017)
  • Named to Variety’s “Up Next” Legal Impact Report (2015)
  • Public Counsel Recognition: Outstanding Pro Bono Contributions

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • California

Education

  • University of Michigan Law, J.D.: cum laude; Notes Editor, Michigan Law Review
  • University of Bologna, Ph.D., Philosophy: highest distinction
  • University of Bologna, B.A., Philosophy: summa cum laude

Professional Activities

Co-Author

  • “The Streaming Media Arms Race and Brewing Cold War With Europe,” Bloomberg Law (October 2019)
  • “Critical Issues in Entertainment M&A Due Diligence,” Corporate Counsel (May 2013)

Moderator

  • Entertainment Finance Forum, “Equity Evolved: Approaches to Smarter Film Finance” (March 2015)

Representative Entertainment Industry M&A Transactions

  • CJ ENM in its acquisition of an 80% stake of Endeavor Content from its parent company Endeavor Group Holdings for an enterprise valuation of US$850 million
  • Starz in connection with the sale of a 57% majority stake in Starzplay Arabia to an Abu Dhabi-based consortium led by E-Vision, an affiliate of e& (formerly known as Etisalat Group), and ADQ
  • ViacomCBS Networks International in its acquisition of a majority stake in the acclaimed Spanish language content producer Fox TeleColombia & Estudios TeleMexico from the companies’ founding family and The Walt Disney Company
  • Lionsgate in the sale of its controlling interest in Pantaya, the leading US Hispanic Video-on-Demand service, to Hemisphere Media Group
  • Designer, activist and philanthropist Henry R. Muñoz III in connection with his acquisition of digital content studio Funny Or Die
  • ViacomCBS in its acquisition of a 49% stake in MIRAMAX from beIN MEDIA GROUP
  • Independent distribution, acquisition, co-production and feature film financing entity FilmDistrict in its sale to entertainment finance company Content Partners
  • 20th Century Fox TV in the purchase of Dan Fogelman’s participation in the hit TV show This Is Us in connection with his new five-year deal with Fox
  • Raine Group in its investment in VideoAmp, Inc., a company focused on optimizing cross-platform advertising
  • Shamrock Capital Advisors in several library acquisitions
  • Lionsgate in the sale of its stake in premium pay television network EPIX to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
  • Production company Good Universe in the negotiation of its sale to Lionsgate
  • Warner Bros. in its acquisition of Machinima, a video entertainment network for gamers
  • DMG Entertainment in definitive agreement to purchase Eastern Broadcasting Company
  • Revolution Studios in its acquisition of several pictures from Tango Films
  • Revolution Studios in in its acquisition of the movie library of Cold Spring Pictures from an affiliate of Lone Star Capital
  • Metro Goldwyn Mayer Inc. in the acquisition of a majority interest in Mark Burnett's One Three Media and LightWorkers Media
  • Legendary Entertainment in the $350 million equity investment by SoftBank Corp. and other existing investors, with an option for an additional $750 million investment over the next several years
  • Legendary Entertainment in its acquisition of Asylum Entertainment, an Emmy Award-winning television production company
  • British Sky Broadcasting Group in its acquisition of a majority stake in ZJTV LLC, a non-scripted television production company
  • FilmDistrict in numerous corporate transactions including its strategic transaction with Focus Features
  • Activision in its $18.9 billion business combination with Vivendi Games
  • Private equity investors, venture funds, entertainment and media companies and individual investors in their entertainment and media investments

Other Representative Entertainment Industry Transactions

  • Starz Play in establishing a strategic alliance with E-Vision, a wholly-owned subsidiary of multinational Emirati based telecommunications company Etisalat
  • Imagine Entertainment in the formation of a TV co-financing venture with TVB Venture Investment, LLC, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB)
  • Starz Entertainment in international joint venture for creation of an OTT (over-the-top) entertainment platform launched as "Starz Play" in the Middle East and North Africa
  • David Goldberg in the launch of Banijay Studios North America a Los Angeles-based television production company, in partnership with Banijay Group
  • Several independent production companies in their structuring and capital raising from private equity and other investors

Other Representative Transactions

  • Clarity Partners affiliated entity in sale of assets to Peak Oil Holdings
  • NASDAQ-listed Electronics for Imaging, Inc., an international company based in Silicon Valley that specializes in printing technology, in its acquisition of Italy-based Reggiani Macchine SPA and California-based Corrugated Technologies, Inc.
  • Private equity fund Clarity Partners in the sale of its portfolio company Naylor, LLC, an outsourced business and communications services company, to RLJ Equity Partners
  • H&Q Korea, a Seoul-based private equity firm, in its acquisition of a 49% stake in the South Korean subsidiary of Monster Worldwide
  • United Online, Inc. in its $800 million acquisition of FTD Group, Inc.
  • JAKKS Pacific, Inc., a multi-line and multi-brand toy company, in its defense against a hostile take-over
  • Nationwide Health Properties, Inc., a leading seniors housing and healthcare real estate investment trust, in its merger with Ventas, Inc. in a stock-for-stock transaction valued at $7.6 billion
  • Wild Oats Markets in its approximately $700 million sale to Whole Foods Market, Inc.
  • Underwriters in connection with several multi-million dollar IPOs (initial public offerings) of European and Asian Companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Press Releases

O’Melveny Practices, Lawyers Highly Ranked by The Legal 500 US 2023

June 13, 2023

O’Melveny Earns Top Rankings in Chambers USA 2023

June 1, 2023

Variety Names Nine O’Melveny Partners to its 2023 “Legal Impact Report”

April 21, 2023

Four O’Melveny Partners Named to Variety’s 2022 Dealmakers Impact Report

December 8, 2022

O’Melveny Practices, Lawyers Highly Ranked by The Legal 500 US 2022

June 14, 2022

O’Melveny Partners Taylor, Vannini, Yu Named 2022 “Top Women in Dealmaking” by The Deal

May 13, 2022

Variety Names Eight O’Melveny Partners to its 2022 “Legal Impact Report”

April 20, 2022

The Hollywood Reporter Recognizes Four O’Melveny Partners as 2022 “Power Lawyers”

April 4, 2022

O’Melveny Advises Starz in Starzplay Arabia Acquisition by Abu Dhabi Consortium

March 31, 2022

Variety Names Four O’Melveny Partners to 2021 Dealmakers Impact Report

December 8, 2021

O’Melveny Advises CJ ENM in Acquisition of Endeavor Content Valued at US$850 Million

November 23, 2021

O’Melveny Advises ViacomCBS in Acquisition of Fox TeleColombia & Estudios TeleMexico

November 3, 2021

In the News

Variety: Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2023: Meet Hollywood’s Top Entertainment Dealmakers and Litigators

April 19, 2023

Variety: Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report 2022: Tough Times Take Tough Negotiators

December 7, 2022

The Deal: Netflix Adds Australia’s Animal Logic

July 20, 2022

The Deal: The Deal Honors Top Women in Dealmaking 2022

May 11, 2022

Variety: Variety’s Legal Impact Report 2022: Top Attorneys Winning Cases and Making Deals in Hollywood

April 20, 2022

Global Legal Chronicle: Abu Dhabi Consortium’s Stake Acquisition in Starzplay Arabia

April 8, 2022

The Hollywood Reporter: Power Lawyers 2022: Hollywood’s Top 100 Attorneys

March 30, 2022

Asia Business Law Journal: Latham Assists Korean Purchase of Endeavor

January 28, 2022

Legal Week (UK): Latham, Skadden, Shin & Kim: Who Took On Asia's Biggest Deals In November?

November 30, 2021

Asian Legal Business: OMM, Latham Advise on US$850 Mln Deal for ‘Parasite’ Firm

November 25, 2021