Editor’s Note: Keith Berglund, principal and founder of The Berglund Group based in Los Angeles, CA, has been practicing law since 1983. For over 37 years, Mr. Berglund has been a zealous advocate and consultant for corporate and high net worth individuals with a focus on complex commercial, entertainment, litigation, and debt restructuring-related matters – with a special emphasis in Europe (Mr. Berglund was with the Royal Danish Consulate for three years), the Pacific Rim and Latin America. Today, Haute Lawyer Keith Berglund discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the business and entertainment side of the law field.
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After a grueling and emotionally fraught one-year period, things are beginning to slowly open up in Southern California. During the last year, many facets of the entertainment business were brought to a complete halt. Many lives were lost, businesses destroyed, and persons were dislocated. Nevertheless, people have persevered and continued to ply their trade.
Despite the inability to tour and make monies through performance and merchandising during the covid period, artists have been writing and perfecting music even in light of challenging studio conditions. Plans are being made once again for concerts and tours as things “open up.”
In sports, stadiums are planning to open up for the upcoming baseball season with diminished and properly spaced seating. Restaurants are now reopening up with 25% indoor capacity. The see-saw back and forth on opening/closing with costly food and employment costs have destroyed many restaurants – traditionally, one of the largest employers in Southern California. Film productions have ramped up and the studios are once again actively engaged in moving forward with projects. Theatres have been given the go-ahead to open – albeit at diminished and spaced conditions similar to the baseball stadiums.
Of course, the economics will be completely different than pre-covid. Streaming has become of major import and will continue to do so. The old model of making and commercially exploiting entertainment projects will be forever changed. People have learned to work remotely and the necessity for having persons aggregated at one site is no longer necessary. The use of Zoom and related technologies has opened up the ability to meet remotely and have meetings worldwide. Efficiencies of scale were necessarily mandated by the covid period and will be a continuing and evolving part of the future of the entertainment/sports landscape.
Learn more about Keith Berglund by visiting his Haute Lawyer profile here.
