Ever wonder what negotiation tactics are behind Hollywood’s most successful stars and projects?

Well, it’s your lucky day! In this Mediation Playbook episode, you’ll learn tips and insights from one of Hollywood’s most effective negotiators.

David Shraga is the Senior Vice President of Global Television Business & Legal Affairs at Miramax. Prior to this role, David worked for Universal Studios, NBCUniversal, Universal Pictures, and founded his own boutique law firm.

If you want to know what it takes to be an effective negotiator in Hollywood, this is your chance! Tune in!

In this episode of Mediation Playbook, David Coher and David Shraga discuss:

• David’s career journey in entertainment law.

• The levels of negotiations in securing rights to books, films, and highly sought-after projects and ideas.

• Issues that arise in the project development process & How attorneys are involved.

• Why you need to prioritize relationships as a negotiator in Hollywood, especially if you can’t come to a deal.

• Why TV, film, and publishing are precedent-driven businesses.

• When to try a “soft negotiation”.

• Commonly held beliefs in entertainment negotiation that David strongly disagrees with.

Key Actionable Takeaways for Effective Negotiation:

• Prepare yourself for highly competitive negotiations when vying for the rights to high-value, sought-after projects.

• There are multiple levels of negotiations in the entertainment industry. You’ll be dealing with several different types of agents, managers, lawyers, executives, and creatives on both sides. Know what each of them want.

• Do the best with the resources you have and communicate to reps the value you bring to the discussion.

• As a negotiator, you must leverage your relationships to build trust so you can obtain key information and understand what matters to each person involved.

• Tailor your offer to the decision-maker and their desires. Listen to their needs and concerns. Note: These will vary from project to project.

• You don’t have to be a shark. Don’t back people into a corner. Respect and active listening goes a long way.

• If you can’t come to an agreement and make a deal, get out as fast as you can and preserve the relationships you have with the other side.

But that's not all: we have a super engaging outro with resources linked here!

If you’re interested in submitting a topic or guest that should be on the show, send us an email via podcast@mediationplaybook.com

Connect with David Shraga on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-shraga-13b40179

Tune in to hear from more the Mediation Playbook podcast Hosted by David Coher on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, Radio Public and more!