Tifanie J. Acosta is the Founder and the Managing Partner at Entertainment Law Partners, PC, where she specializes in representing entertainment, corporate, entrepreneur clients as well as individual actors, performers, writers, authors, directors, executive producers, musicians, agents, PR agencies, managers, and producers in all aspects of the corporate, business, and entertainment industry.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder and her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.
Tifanie began her career as head of Business and Corporate Affairs for the prestigious personal management company of Royal and Associates in Beverly Hills, California, representing entertainment talent (mainly for Nancy Cartwright of the SIMPSONS) as well as corporate interests in the industry. From Royal, Tifanie was recruited by TFN, The Football Network, as General Counsel, to manage corporate governance, talent negotiations, development and acquisition of programming including options, live and taped sporting events, documentaries, home video/DVD and digital distribution, news shows, reality, Internet content development and syndication. Then, Tifanie maintained her own practice before she joined MindFusion Law, LLP as partner in the Entertainment and Business Affairs Department. Last, she also served as Senior VP of Business and Legal Affairs for Saddle Ranch Productions where she Executive Produced 3 feature films and conducted production legal on various projects.
Tifanie is a voting member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, a certified mediator, past columnist for InsideFilm. She has lectured at NXTComm, Hollywood Black Film Festival, Film Break, the Slamdance Film Festival, Southern Law School, Film-Com (Nashville) and Louisiana State University and has served on several panels discussing various issues in the entertainment industry. She is a contributing writer for HOLLYWOOD AND VINE magazine under a column entitled "Showbiz, Esq.". She also serves on the board of directors for the Romance in a Can Film Festival. And, in 2011, Tifanie was named a "VivMagnificent Woman" by Viv Magazine.
Michael is a partner in ELP and a 25 year veteran of the motion picture industry with expertise in motion picture and television finance and operations. Prior to re-enterting private practice, Michael spent 4 years at one of the world's leading motion picture distribution companies, IM Global, LLC. During his time there, Michael was the Executive Vice President of Motion Picture Finance and Operations and oversaw production and finance of movies ranging in budgets from $30 million (including Safe starring Jason Statham) to $2 million (including A Haunted House starring Marlon Wayans and grossing over $40 million in the US alone).
While at IM Global, Michael engineered use of EIS Funding to finance several slates of Films including "Locke" (Tom Hardy), "Plush" with Blumhouse Pictures and "A Haunted House 2" among others. Current clients include producer Lucas Foster, AGC Pictures, Elevated Entertainment, Gramercy Park Media, Angel Oak Films, Thunder Road/Asbury Park and Arclight Films. Some of Michael's professional experience includes —Stone Village Pictures as Chief Operating Officer, Participant Media as Chief Operating Officer, and Cold Fusion Media as Founder & CEO. Michael has earned Executive Producer credits on over 20 theatrical motion pictures and is an expert on all aspects of international media distribution, finance and production.
In addition, Michael is a frequent guest lecturer on entertainment law and motion picture finance at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, New York and member of the Board of Advisors of its Entertainment Law Clinic. Michael has handled production financing and business affairs for more than twenty different films. He graduated from Union College with his Bachelor's degree in Political Science then furthered his education at Yeshiva University where he finished earning Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree.
