Kelly C. Crabb is a partner in the Media & Entertainment Group, resident in the firm’s Los Angeles office.  His practice emphasizes clients with an entertainment, sports and media focus and includes a mix of sophisticated and complex financing, production and content work for substantial U.S., Asian and European companies.  His practice areas include live events (including Olympic Games and other international sporting events, concerts and stage productions); content rights acquisition and licensing; motion picture, television, Internet and other content production, financing, distribution and exhibition; music business contracts; commercial endorsements and advertising; and corporate mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions. 

Mr. Crabb is also the co-head of the firm’s engagement as international counsel to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee for the XXIX Olympiad in 2008 and worked on projects for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee for the Winter Games of 2002.  He is highly experienced and recognized in the arena of international entertainment and media, with high-level clients and cross-border deal experience in Japan, China, Korea, Russia and Australia and elsewhere in Asia and around the globe.  Mr. Crabb is fluent in the Japanese language.

Mr. Crabb has experience working with high profile personalities and cases.  For example, in one of the top sports news stories of 2004, Mr. Crabb successfully represented Olympic gymnastics champion, Paul Hamm, in connection with a dispute before the Court of Arbitration for Sport, located in Lausanne, Switzerland, related to the Gold Medal Mr. Hamm won at the Athens Games.  He has represented Paul McCartney, in connection a World Tour, and Dave Matthews, related to a management agreement.  Mr. Crabb also negotiated the movie rights to the life story of Muhammad Ali and has done international work for basketball superstars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.  Mr. Crabb also handled the media rights for Elizabeth Smart, one of the major news events of 2003.

Mr. Crabb joined Morrison & Foerster in 1999.  Mr. Crabb received his law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1984, where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review from 1982-1984. He received his Master’s in Public Administration in 1973 and his undergraduate degree in 1971 from Brigham Young University. Mr. Crabb is a frequent lecturer on entertainment and sports law and the author of several published articles and a major book, The Movie Business, on the filmed entertainment industry published in May of 2005 by Simon & Schuster.  Mr. Crabb was selected by the Los Angeles Chapter of the J. Reuben Clark Law Society as “Outstanding Lawyer of 2005.” In 2006, 2007, and 2008, Super Lawyers Magazine named Mr. Crabb as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” in the arts and entertainment practice.   He is a member of both the California and New York state bars. Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, “Road to the Beijing Olympic Games: Legal and Business Issues in Staging Major Sports Events,” Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference, San Francisco, California (May 16, 2008).
• Speaker, “Dispute Resolution in the Arena of International Sports Competition: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS),” Singapore Law Society, Singapore, Singapore (April 30, 2008).
• Speaker, “Sports Law Overview,” International Lexmundi Conference, Beijing, China (April 24, 2008).
• Speaker, “Broadcast of the Olympic Games: Issues and Perspective from the Beijing 2008 Games,” Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, Istanbul, Turkey (April 17, 2008).
• Speaker, “Lessons Learned from Representing the Beijing Olympics,” London Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, London, England (April 15, 2008).
• Speaker, “Legal Aspects of Preparing for World Class Sporting Events,” Glasgow 2014 Organising Company, London, England (April 14, 2008).
• Speaker, “The Business of the Olympics: How Lawyers Help,” UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, California (April 8, 2008).
• Speaker, “Business and Legal Issues Learned from Representing the Beijing Olympics: Profiting from a Worldwide Event,” Digital Coast Roundtable, Los Angeles, California (April 3, 2008).
• Speaker, “The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: A Springboard to a New Era of Entertainment Deal-Making in China? The BOCOG Perspective,” USC IP Institute, Beverly Hills, California (March 18, 2008).
• Speaker, “Perspectives Along the Path of Development: Influences of the Beijing Games,” Harvard Asia Business Conference, Cambridge, Massachusetts (March 8, 2008).
• Speaker, “The Business of the Olympics: How Lawyers Help,” USC Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, California (February 13, 2008).
• Speaker, “Hollywood-Style Film Financing in Japan?” Citibank Principal Investments, Tokyo, Japan (January 22, 2008).
• Speaker, “The Business of the Olympics: How the Olympic Games Make Money,” Morrison & Foerster Financial Services Seminar, Los Angeles, California (January 10, 2008).
• Speaker, “The Movie Business,” University of Utah School of Law, Salt Lake City, Utah (November 27, 2007).
• Speaker, “Online Piracy of TV Programs,” CCTV, Los Angeles, California (November 17, 2007).
• Panelist, “Olympic Entertainment Programs & Properties,” Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing, China (October 23, 2007).
• Speaker, “The Obligations of a Host City,” IBA International Conference, Singapore, Singapore (October 15, 2007).
• Speaker, “The Movie Business,” Chapman Law School, Anaheim, California (August 30, 2007).
• Speaker, “Moral and Ethical Leadership,” BYU Management Society, Ontario, California (May 19, 2007).
• Speaker, “Ambush Marketing in World Sporting Events,” Sport/Law Accord, Beijing, China (April 26, 2007).
• Speaker, “The Three Risks of Movie Finance,” Pepperdine School of Law Symposium, Malibu, California (January 10, 2007).
• Speaker, “Preparing for the Olympic Games: The BOCOG Experience,” London, England (June 6, 2006).
• Speaker, “Experiences in the Law,” J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Los Angeles Chapter, Los Angeles, California (February 15, 2006).
• Speaker, “Rights Clearance Procedures,” Franklin Covey, Salt Lake City, Utah (January 25, 2006).
• Speaker, “The Role of Lawyers in the Entertainment Industry,” Japan Trade Seminar, Fukuoka, Japan (August 20, 2005).
• Speaker, “The Legal Aspects of Preparing for the Olympic Games,” ASPE Conference: The Business of Sport and the Law in Asia, Singapore, Singapore (July 5, 2005).
• Speaker, “Protecting the Olympic Athlete: The Paul Hamm Experience and the Case for the Olympic Athletes Bill of Rights,” Sports Lawyers Association, Phoenix, Arizona (May 20, 2005).
• Speaker, “Japan Media Seminar,” Tokyo International Film Festival, etc., Fukuoka and Tokyo, Japan (October 24 & 27, 2004).
• Panelist, “Preparing for the Olympic Games,” Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, Vancouver, Canada (May 12, 2004).
• Speaker, “Media and the Law Seminar,” Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency, Los Angeles, California (December 2, 2003).
• Speaker, “The Impact of the Beijing Olympic Games on Doing Business in China,” Northern Virginia Technology Council, Tyson’s Corner, Virginia (November 14, 2003).
• Speaker, “Media and the Law Seminar,” Fuji Television Network, Los Angeles, California (November 3, 2003).
• Speaker, “Media and the Law: An Overview,” Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah (September 23, 2003).
• Speaker, “The Global Search for Content: Importing Rights from Japan into the United States for Film, Television and Video Game Exploitation,” JETRO, Los Angeles, California (May 27, 2003).
• Speaker, “Ambush Marketing in World Sporting Events,” Kodak (China) Co., Ltd., Beijing, China (May 21, 2003).
• Speaker, “The Global Search for Content: Importing Foreign Rights into the United States for Film, Television and Video Game Exploitation,” Beverly Hills, California (March 27, 2003).
• Speaker, “Protection of Olympic Intellectual Properties in China,” Mitsubishi Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan (February 24, 2003).
• Speaker (in Japanese), “Entertainment Issues Between Japan and the United Stated,” Nikkei BP Entertainment Seminar, Tokyo, Japan (April 12, 2002).
• Speaker, “Selection of an Entertainment Production Entity,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Beverly Hills, California (March 20, 2002).
• Speaker (in Japanese), “Five Topics on Entertainment Law in the United States,” Kyoto University Entertainment Law Conference, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan (December 2 & 4, 1998).
• Panelist, “Securitization of Entertainment-related Assets,” Beverly Hills Bar Association, Beverly Hills, California (March 15, 1998).
• Speaker, “Experiences in International Practice,” Stanford University, Palo Alto, California (December 2, 1996).
• Speaker, “Asian Investment in the Film Industry,” Beverly Hills Bar Association (March 10, 1994).

Teaching

• Instructor, Three-Credit Course, “Legal Aspects of the Movie Business,” U.C.L.A. Extension, Los Angeles, CA (2001-2002).
• Adjunct, Two-Credit Course, “International Business Transactions (with emphasis on joint ventures and doing business in Japan),” Columbia University School of Law, New York, New York (1989).