Ariana J. Sarfarazi

Ariana J. Sarfarazi

Ariana is a transactional entertainment attorney who has been named “One to Watch” by the Best Lawyers in America. A highly versatile attorney with a diverse skillset, she handles a wide range of entertainment transactions in the theater, film/television, music, publishing, and digital media industries and advises writers, directors, actors, producers, and production companies at all stages of development and production. With legal experience both in house and in private practice, Ariana also has experience advising clients on general corporate matters, including corporate formation and governance, for both for-profit and non-profit entities, as well as counseling in a broad range of intellectual property matters, including copyright and trademark. 

Ariana is a board member of the NewYorkRep, a New York City based theater company that develops and produces new plays and musicals that inspire and compel social change. She is also a volunteer attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment and Sports Law Group (EASL) and its Theater and Performing Arts Committee. Additionally, Ariana is a proud cohort member of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), a community of commercial theater producers of color, and a graduate of the Unlock Her Potential mentorship program for women of color in the entertainment industry. 

Representative Work

  • Representing producers, investors, performers, bookwriters, composers, lyricists, playwrights, directors, and underlying rights holders in transactions in the theater industry, as well as serving as production counsel for theatrical productions  
  • Counseling producers and production companies and negotiating agreements regarding content acquisition, development, production and distribution of film/TV content, as well as representing writers, actors, and directors in connection with film and scripted and unscripted television projects
  • Advising literary authors in a broad range of transactions, ranging from publication and collaboration agreements to option agreements for film, television, and stage adaptations
  • Advising clients in a wide range of transactions in the music industry, including music recording, publishing, producing, and licensing