Dutch media giant VNU’s Hollywood Reporter has debuted a digital service called “The Hollywood Reporter, Esq.” aimed at the suits in entertainment.
The service, launched June 5, is the first to target entertainment and media law professionals comprehensively.
“There are thousands of different services that law firms subscribe to, but there aren’t any that cater to entertainment and media, so there was a need to do this,” said Tony Uphoff, publisher and president of The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles.
The Hollywood Reporter Esq. offers a daily site at http://www.hollywoodreporteresq.com, a weekly digital magazine and an e-mail news service. A searchable database includes major industry transactions, recent litigation complaint filings and an attorney Rolodex.
“Technology has gone from being analog to digital, and the fastest-growing area of legal practice is intellectual properties,” Mr. Uphoff said. “We wanted to take advantage of the new format.”
The service will be reported, edited and published by The Hollywood Reporter Esq. staff members, most of which are lawyers.
“Every corporate law firm in the world has some sector dedicated to entertainment and media clients,” said Nora Weinstein, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter Esq. “We were shocked that there was nothing that appealed to them.”
According to Mr. Uphoff, the service will contain advertising from three sectors: law firms, services for law firms and luxury goods.
Subscription prices will be based on the number of users in a firm that sign up for the digital service. The annual subscription package includes full access to all three products and will be available for complimentary use until June 18.
The Hollywood Reporter Esq. spent more than a year active in the entertainment and media law community to research its targeted marketplace. The Hollywood Reporter also let the new service find ideal readers through its database.
“It has been our experience that these lawyers are looking to The Hollywood Reporter for their information,” Mr. Uphoff said. “That is where they have been clipping their articles from.”
The main challenge of the service, he said, is wanting to produce something thoughtful in meeting the needs of its audience.
“We have been very careful in our consideration of this service,” he said. “We are so enthused to bring in talent with professional experience in this area: from attorneys for attorneys.”
