Michael Ashjian '14

Professor Michael Ashjian is Senior Counsel in Fifth Season’s Scripted Television Business and Legal Affairs group. Fifth Season is an entertainment studio focusing on production and distribution of premium film and television content. Professor Ashjian works on all stages of television development for the studio and provides business and legal advice for a variety of their productions. He’s worked on multiple television shows, including Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu), SEE (Apple), Truth Be Told (Apple), Limetown (Facebook), Servant (Apple) and The Eddy (Netflix). He is currently lead counsel for Tokyo Vice (HBO Max) and Savant (Apple).

Prior to joining Fifth Season, Professor Ashjian spent over two years at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME), where he was responsible for agency agreements and negotiating commission settlements for the agency’s worldwide client list. He created new agreement templates for the agency, which have been successfully approved by CA and NY labor commissioners in compliance with the respective state’s talent agency laws. Professor Ashjian previously also worked for boutique entertainment firms such as Pierce Law Group and Law Office of Michael Morales.

During his time at Southwestern, he completed externships at companies such as WME, Universal Pictures, Starz Entertainment, and Ramo Law. His coursework included Copyright Law, Advanced Entertainment Law, Motion Picture Marketing and Distribution, Entertainment Business Affairs Negotiation, and TV Production Law. Professor Ashjian was a Student Representative for LACBA’s Entertainment and IP Section and has written several articles about issues and trends in the entertainment industry. He was part of the first group of students involved with the Biederman’s Entertainment Production Practicum and was president of both the Entertainment Law Society and the Armenian Law Society.