Brian T Goldstein

Biographical Information

Brian Taylor Goldstein is a partner in FTM Arts Law, the entertainment division of the law firm of Fettmann, Tolchin and Majors, P.C., with offices in New York City and Fairfax, Virginia. His practice concentrates on representing and counseling clients in the fields of entertainment and the arts--including television, music, motion pictures, the fine arts, the performing arts, publishing, artist and arts management, and non-profit arts related organizations--with regard to such matters as intellectual property, licensing, corporate matters, contracts, and obtaining visas for foreign artists and performers. His clients include renowned artists, performers, and authors; nationally and internationally distinguished companies in the fields of opera, dance, and theatre; regional and off-Broadway theater companies; award-winning producers and directors; top-selling recording artists; award-winning documentary and feature-length film makers; regional and national presenters and venues; and critically acclaimed fine-artists and designers. He also serves as general counsel for a number of leading artist management companies and agencies, as well as Legal Affairs Advisor to NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents), U.S. Legal Advisor to IAMA (International Artist Managers Association), and a legal advisor to the National Performing Arts Visa Task Force and the American Arts Alliance.

Mr. Goldstein is a frequent speaker on a variety of subjects of importance to the arts and entertainment community, including entertainment law, intellectual property, artist and arts management, arts-based business and non-profit organization and management, new media and technology, and immigration issues for foreign artists. His speaking engagements have included teaching workshops and seminars for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, New York University, Marlboro College, Brooklyn College, the International Dublin Theater Festival, Midwest Arts Conference, Western Arts Alliance, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Performing Arts Exchange, the American Symphony Orchestra League, Opera America, The North Carolina Presenters Consortium, The League of Historic American Theaters, Theatre Communications Group, the International Artist Managers Association, the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts, The Entertainment Law Committee of the District of Columbia Bar, the Brooklyn Arts Council, the American Choral Directors' Association, the American Association of Theater Educators, and the United States Institute of Theater Technology. He is also a member of the Adjunct Faculty in the Masters in Arts Management program at George Mason University and the Kennedy Center Arts Management Fellowship Program. He has been interviewed for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Opera Now, and Inside Arts Magazine. He is the author of A License To Manage: State Licensing Requirements for Artist Managers, the Model Artist Management Contract and Model Performance Agreement, published and distributed by NAPAMA, and a contributor to Building and Managing Your Network, published by Opera America, and the DanceUSA Member Toolkit.

In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Goldstein is President and Artistic Director of Lord Foppington & Company, a theatrical production company dedicated to the performance of period and period-themed comedies. The company has performed to critical acclaim throughout the United States, as well as in Europe, and wrote the scripts for and performed on Colonial Fair, a sound recording featuring music and stories inspired by the 1 8th Century which was awarded the Best Children's Album of the Year by the National Association of Libraries. Mr. Goldstein is the author of numerous plays which have been produced and performed by the company.

Mr. Goldstein received a B .A. (With Distinction and Recognition) in English and Theatre from George Mason University in 1988 and his J.D. from American University in 1991. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the New York State Bar, The Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association, and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He serves as President of the Northern Virginia Board of Governors of Virginia Opera as well as a member of the Virginia Opera Statewide Executive Committee. He is a Board Member of the Arts Council of Fairfax County, Virginia for which he also serves as Co-Chair of the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. He is also a member of the Arts at Mason Board of George Mason University, the Advisory Board of the Baroque Band of Chicago, the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), Americans for the Arts, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and the British & Commonwealth Society of North America.

Mr. Goldstein and FTM Arts Law received the 2010 Yates Award for Outstanding Arts Advocacy from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters. Mr. Goldstein is also the recipient of the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts 2000 Educational Programs Award and was nominated for a 2003 Outstanding Entertainment Executive of the Year Award by WAMA.