In Conversation with Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis is an attorney qualified in both Italy and California, with over 20 years of experience in business and legal affairs for the entertainment industry. She works across the full life cycle of audiovisual projects, with a focus on international and independent productions. Her recent work includes projects with Guadagnino, Sorrentino and Oliver Stone. She teaches International Entertainment Law at Loyola and De Paul Universities.
Italy Meets Hollywood sat down with Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis to discuss international productions, global markets, and the role of the lawyer in the audiovisual industry.
IMH: You have built your career between Italy and the United States, two very different legal and industrial systems. What are the main differences in how audiovisual projects are structured and negotiated in the two countries?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: I’ve spent over 20 years working across both systems, and the difference is striking not just legally, but culturally. In the U.S., by the time a project is greenlit, the infrastructure is already in place: guild compliance, rights ownership, financing structure, distribution model. Everyone speaks the same language from day one.
In Italy, and more broadly in Europe, the process is almost the opposite. Financing is layered, negotiations evolve alongside the creative process, and the rules shift depending on which funds, regions, or co-production partners are involved. That’s not necessarily a weakness because it creates real flexibility, but it means that if you want a European independent project to travel globally, you have to build that structure deliberately, from the very beginning.
That’s where early legal involvement makes a real difference.
IMH: How has the role of the lawyer evolved in recent years within the entertainment industry, also in light of the growing importance of rights and new platforms?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Lawyers’ role has undergone a significant transformation. The lawyer is no longer just someone who steps in at the end to finalize contracts or is called to put remedy when problems arise. Today, especially on international and independent projects, the lawyer is deeply involved in development and production strategy. A good example of this trend is that Production Companies’ Business Affairs executives are often attorneys, combining both legal and business knowledge and skills.
Personally, I really enjoy being a part of each project team from the very beginning. Working alongside producers, writers, directors, and financiers allows me to provide valuable legal input that can truly make a project successful. Early involvement enables me to shape intellectual property, anticipate potential financing and co-production challenges, understand the potential exposure to guilds, and ensure that the project remains flexible enough to collaborate with sales agents, distributors, or platforms.
I think that in all audiovisual projects, a robust rights strategy is paramount and dealing with rights means necessarily having a good legal background and experience. Platforms expect clean chain of title, guild‑compliant structures, and predictable delivery. If those elements are not built into the project early, they can become major obstacles later. A lawyer involved early helps spot issues, find solutions, and keep development and production moving efficiently. My primary responsibility is to proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate. To achieve this, I prioritize transparency with my clients, clearly outlining my role and objectives from the outset. By consistently taking a proactive approach, I aim to minimize conflicts and avoid overwhelming situations.
IMH: You have worked on high-profile international productions, including with directors such as Luca Guadagnino. From your perspective, what makes a project truly global today?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: What makes a project truly global today is not scale, but structure. Many of the projects that travel best internationally start as independent productions with a strong creative identity, and succeed because the legal and production framework was built to support that ambition from the start.
Projects like Blame It on Rome and White Lies, both currently underway, are good examples, very different in tone and scope, but both designed with a global mindset from day one. [Editor’s note: Blame It on Rome is directed by Francesco Carrozzini and stars Gabrielle Union; White Lies is directed by Oliver Stone.]
The model has also shifted. Independent theatrical projects used to depend heavily on festivals, sales agents, and territory-by-territory distribution. Platforms have changed that entirely, they prioritize global rights, exclusivity, and long-term IP value. A project becomes truly global when it can move between these models. That requires clean rights, strong IP, and a framework that allows the project to grow without friction.
IMH: More and more international productions are choosing Italy. The management of different regulatory and production systems is a central element. What are the main critical issues today, and what can make these processes more fluid and efficient?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Italy is extremely attractive for international and independent productions, creatively, visually, and economically, but complexity remains the main challenge. Incentive structures, public funding, production timelines, and potential SAG-AFTRA, WGA, or DGA coverage don’t automatically align, and navigating all of that simultaneously requires careful planning from the outset.
What really makes the difference, as I have seen on several productions, is early coordination between creative, production, legal, and institutional stakeholders. When those elements are aligned from the start, the process becomes significantly more efficient. When they’re not, the gaps become expensive.
IMH: Alongside your professional practice, you are also involved in teaching, including at Loyola, where you teach International Entertainment Law. How does your academic work inform your perspective on the industry, and what do you aim to pass on to the next generation of professionals?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Teaching at Loyola and DePaul University keeps me very connected to how the industry is evolving. Students today naturally think in global terms—they understand independent production, platforms, IP, and cross‑border collaboration as part of the same ecosystem.
What I try to pass on is that entertainment law is not just about contracts or risk management. It’s about enabling development, supporting production, and helping projects function globally. When lawyers are involved early and work collaboratively, they can play a meaningful role in shaping projects and supporting creative ambition, especially in an independent, international context.
Italy Meets Hollywood thanks Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis for her time and insights.
© Italy Meets Hollywood. All rights reserved.
Share:
In Conversation with Fabrizio MancinelliRelated Posts
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis is an attorney qualified in both Italy and California, with over 20 years of experience in business and legal affairs for the entertainment industry. She works across the full life cycle of audiovisual projects, with a focus on international and independent productions. Her recent work includes projects with Guadagnino, Sorrentino and Oliver Stone. She teaches International Entertainment Law at Loyola and De Paul Universities.
Italy Meets Hollywood sat down with Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis to discuss international productions, global markets, and the role of the lawyer in the audiovisual industry.
IMH: You have built your career between Italy and the United States, two very different legal and industrial systems. What are the main differences in how audiovisual projects are structured and negotiated in the two countries?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: I’ve spent over 20 years working across both systems, and the difference is striking not just legally, but culturally. In the U.S., by the time a project is greenlit, the infrastructure is already in place: guild compliance, rights ownership, financing structure, distribution model. Everyone speaks the same language from day one.
In Italy, and more broadly in Europe, the process is almost the opposite. Financing is layered, negotiations evolve alongside the creative process, and the rules shift depending on which funds, regions, or co-production partners are involved. That’s not necessarily a weakness because it creates real flexibility, but it means that if you want a European independent project to travel globally, you have to build that structure deliberately, from the very beginning.
That’s where early legal involvement makes a real difference.
IMH: How has the role of the lawyer evolved in recent years within the entertainment industry, also in light of the growing importance of rights and new platforms?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Lawyers’ role has undergone a significant transformation. The lawyer is no longer just someone who steps in at the end to finalize contracts or is called to put remedy when problems arise. Today, especially on international and independent projects, the lawyer is deeply involved in development and production strategy. A good example of this trend is that Production Companies’ Business Affairs executives are often attorneys, combining both legal and business knowledge and skills.
Personally, I really enjoy being a part of each project team from the very beginning. Working alongside producers, writers, directors, and financiers allows me to provide valuable legal input that can truly make a project successful. Early involvement enables me to shape intellectual property, anticipate potential financing and co-production challenges, understand the potential exposure to guilds, and ensure that the project remains flexible enough to collaborate with sales agents, distributors, or platforms.
I think that in all audiovisual projects, a robust rights strategy is paramount and dealing with rights means necessarily having a good legal background and experience. Platforms expect clean chain of title, guild‑compliant structures, and predictable delivery. If those elements are not built into the project early, they can become major obstacles later. A lawyer involved early helps spot issues, find solutions, and keep development and production moving efficiently. My primary responsibility is to proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate. To achieve this, I prioritize transparency with my clients, clearly outlining my role and objectives from the outset. By consistently taking a proactive approach, I aim to minimize conflicts and avoid overwhelming situations.
IMH: You have worked on high-profile international productions, including with directors such as Luca Guadagnino. From your perspective, what makes a project truly global today?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: What makes a project truly global today is not scale, but structure. Many of the projects that travel best internationally start as independent productions with a strong creative identity, and succeed because the legal and production framework was built to support that ambition from the start.
Projects like Blame It on Rome and White Lies, both currently underway, are good examples, very different in tone and scope, but both designed with a global mindset from day one. [Editor’s note: Blame It on Rome is directed by Francesco Carrozzini and stars Gabrielle Union; White Lies is directed by Oliver Stone.]
The model has also shifted. Independent theatrical projects used to depend heavily on festivals, sales agents, and territory-by-territory distribution. Platforms have changed that entirely, they prioritize global rights, exclusivity, and long-term IP value. A project becomes truly global when it can move between these models. That requires clean rights, strong IP, and a framework that allows the project to grow without friction.
IMH: More and more international productions are choosing Italy. The management of different regulatory and production systems is a central element. What are the main critical issues today, and what can make these processes more fluid and efficient?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Italy is extremely attractive for international and independent productions, creatively, visually, and economically, but complexity remains the main challenge. Incentive structures, public funding, production timelines, and potential SAG-AFTRA, WGA, or DGA coverage don’t automatically align, and navigating all of that simultaneously requires careful planning from the outset.
What really makes the difference, as I have seen on several productions, is early coordination between creative, production, legal, and institutional stakeholders. When those elements are aligned from the start, the process becomes significantly more efficient. When they’re not, the gaps become expensive.
IMH: Alongside your professional practice, you are also involved in teaching, including at Loyola, where you teach International Entertainment Law. How does your academic work inform your perspective on the industry, and what do you aim to pass on to the next generation of professionals?
Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis: Teaching at Loyola and DePaul University keeps me very connected to how the industry is evolving. Students today naturally think in global terms—they understand independent production, platforms, IP, and cross‑border collaboration as part of the same ecosystem.
What I try to pass on is that entertainment law is not just about contracts or risk management. It’s about enabling development, supporting production, and helping projects function globally. When lawyers are involved early and work collaboratively, they can play a meaningful role in shaping projects and supporting creative ambition, especially in an independent, international context.
Italy Meets Hollywood thanks Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis for her time and insights.
© Italy Meets Hollywood. All rights reserved.
Share:
In Conversation with Fabrizio Mancinelli
