NEW YORK – Reed Smith is pleased to announce that Entertainment and Media Group partner Michael Isselin has been named to Ad Age’s 2023 40 Under 40 list. Isselin is recognized for his work on groundbreaking projects within the advertising industry, including negotiating some of the largest celebrity endorsement deals and counseling on the most buzzworthy Super Bowl commercials.
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Isselin’s practice covers the full spectrum of talent work for both emerging and global brands. From large-scale influencer campaigns to A-List celebrity deals, high-profile clients regularly rely on him to negotiate $10+ million endorsements. Advertising agencies also seek Isselin’s counsel on all aspects of advertising compliance. By providing invaluable insights to these creative agencies, he has played an integral role in shaping some of the most popular commercials to air recently.

Isselin also holds a key position as legal counsel for The Joint Policy Committee LLC, which is the collective bargaining unit representing the ad industry led by Reed Smith partner Stacy Marcus. Isselin played a critical role in negotiating the industry-changing $3+ billion 2022 commercials contract with SAG-AFTRA. The new contract revolutionized the way union commercials are produced and resulted in the most comprehensive updates to the collective bargaining agreement in decades.

Isselin’s practice also covers web3 and AI, where he provides advice to brands and agencies on how new tools and technologies will impact content creation and related legal considerations. Some of his work in this space includes helping brands release NFT product offerings, counseling on metaverse events and activations (e.g., a metaverse fashion show), and advising on AI-generated influencer marketing campaigns.

Isselin is profiled in Ad Age’s ’40 under 40’ special report (login required).