Nearly fifteen years ago, while sorting out the kinks of a record distribution contract, Guy Blake and André Des Rochers, two founders at the Granderson Des Rochers, met for the first time. Granderson was an in-house attorney for Koch Entertainment, and Blake had recently left his post as chief of Legal and Business matters at Warner Chappell to become a partner at Davis Shapiro Lewit & Hayes.
Not long after the deal mentioned above was concluded, Granderson became Blake’s workmate at Davis Shapiro. André Des Rochers stated they wanted a collaborative work environment when they decided to start Granderson Des Rochers. According to the entertainment lawyer, the idea was to have a client have access to a team of expert lawyers.
These professional lawyers would pool their knowledge in whatever areas would be most beneficial to the client. Our mission was to build an entertainment law firm with a diverse team of attorneys with extensive legal experience in various fields. André Des Rochers states how clients in music, film, new media/technology, corporate, branding, fashion, and other entertainment industries could bring their transactional needs to these lawyers.
The firm has also invested in training a new generation of lawyers to work alongside the founding partners. Instead of taking calls and advising clients at a fee of several hundred dollars in an hour, Blake and André Des Rochers spend their time answering our off-the-wall questions on their roles in modern dealmaking (Variety).
In Granderson’s view, we are living in exciting times. There are several opportunities within the corporation’s current structure to use its connections to record labels and publishing companies. Conversely, artists are venturing into uncharted waters like the Internet’s “metaverse” as well as the worlds of branding, collaboration, and alliance. For André Des Rochers, it’s a thrilling time since they can lend a hand daily to creatives with big ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit. Because of this, right now is fantastic.