Clients utilize William L. Whitacre, Esquire of William L. Whitacre & Associates, PA, for independent film productions and music industry matters in the role of principal entertainment legal counsel for business structure, equity structure, development and production financial offerings, production legal services, distribution delivery compliance, artist development, music publishing and licensing, artist and label agreements, and related services including acting as a Supervising Producer in film.

William L. Whitacre practices exclusively in entertainment law. His firm is William L. Whitacre & Associates, P.A. whose clients include international film and television producers, musical artists, independent music labels, and related companies and individuals. His practice consists of an exclusive base of principal clients with whom he is often a strategic and equity partner, and/or supervising producer.  Mr. Whitacre’s screen credits for produced and distributed feature films  include The Pamplin Film Company’s “Hoover” starring Ernest Borginine (also Executive Producer); PFC’s “Michael Winslow Live” starring Michael Winslow (also Executive Producer); the Haxan Films feature films “The Blair Witch Project;” “Altered;“ and “Seventh Moon” starring Amy Smart; ”The First of May” (also Supervising Producer; “Missing in America” starring Danny Glover (also Associate Producer; “Silver Wings and Civil Rights” (also Supervising Producer; a feature documentary with many of the original Tuskegee Airmen, and winner of the Audience Award at the Miami International Film Festival.  From 1992-1994 Mr. Whitacre’s firm was based at Disney/MGM in Orlando Florida, and from 1994-2008 he was based at Universal Studios Florida.   He currently operates as a sole practitioner based in Central Florida, giving him the flexibility to travel and represent clients throughout the world.

Mr. Whitacre created the business and equity structures for Blair Witch Film Partners, LTD, the entity that sold the “Blair Witch Project” to Artisan Entertainment and earned theatrical box office gross of $140.5M in its record breaking 1999 release.  He was also directly responsible for the final delivery of the film to Artisan that resulted in the first advance payment of $1M being released to the Producers prior to the film’s theatrical debut.    Mr. Whitacre also provided all of the business and equity structures for Probed, LLC and White Ape Pictures, LLC, and the production legal and distribution delivery services for the feature film “Altered” in 2006 to its distributor Rogue Pictures, a division of Focus Features for a multi million dollar negative pick up advance payment greater than the production budget of the film.

Mr. Whitacre studied creative writing with Harry Crews’ mentor, Smith Kirkpatrick at the University of Florida while working on his BA in English Literature. He graduated from the University of Florida Law School with his Juris Doctor degree in December 1971. He entered the United States Army in 1972 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1973 while on active duty. Following service with the U. S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps he moved to Orlando, Florida where he has practiced law full time since 1977.      

He has business partners in various film and music related companies in West Palm Beach, FL; Nashville and Chattanooga, TN; Hazard, KY; Lecce, Italy, and in other locations.
 
Mr. Whitacre was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida from 1977 to 1981. He served as Chief Assistant State Attorney, and Acting State Attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida, with responsibility for liaison with the Office of the Governor of Florida on community law enforcement relations.  During his tour with the State Attorney’s Office, Mr. Whitacre successfully prosecuted many high profile homicide cases, gaining national attention on the Associated Press wire, and in other media for his innovative use of expert witnesses in the fields of forensic pathology, odontology and anthropology and was featured in “True Detective” magazine.

Mr. Whitacre has been a trial attorney for over thirty years. In his private practice he has represented ABC Liquors, the largest independent beer and wine merchant in the United States, and The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority as primary trial counsel in multi-million dollar litigation, together with Revlon, Neve, and many other corporations and organizations in both State and Federal court. In addition to the Florida Bar, he is admitted to the bars of the United States Middle District of Florida, and the United States Supreme Court.
 
Mr. Whitacre has litigated Federal criminal and civil matters in Florida, Virginia, and Illinois. He was one of the founding participants in the U.S. Middle District of Florida’s mediation program, acting as a sole mediator in non-binding summary evidentiary proceedings to assist counsel in reaching settlement without the necessity of trial in complex civil litigation. He has also successfully represented clients in binding arbitration proceedings under the rules and regulations of the American Arbitration Association, and has participated in hundreds of civil mediation proceedings.

Bill recording for Apple’s Garage Band Manual; With “Sugarfoot;” Playing Bluegrass; In concert with Johan Stengard formerly of ABBA.

Music clients have included JACO PASTORIUS Grammy nominee with WEATHER REPORT; D.J. MAGIC MIKE “Father of Bass”; CHEETAH RECORDS Four RIAA certified Gold Sales Awards, and one RIAA certified Platinum sales award; MUSCLE MIXES MUSIC Reebok’s Step Aerobic music provider; TOM WASHINGTON International Producer of Phenix Horns, the horn section for Earth Wind and Fire;  BILL RICE,  member  Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame,  and Grammy nominated for the Mickey Gilley cut “Here Comes the Hurt Again” in the film “Urban Cowboy;” CINEXPRESSIONS, a film production and scoring partnership with Terry Harkleroad and Milan Bogdan based in Nashville;   DALE OLIVER,  Nashville producer of the Platinum Award winning Christian group   Casting Crowns;   BERNIE FAULKNER, partner with Mr. Whitacre in  78RPM RECORDS, “Retro Progressive Music”  a division of   RASIN  KAIN ENTERTAINMENT, LLC; WESLEY CRIDER, the only single year dual winner of the International Thumbpicking Championship taking first place in traditional style of Chet & Merle and first place in contemporary style; HANK “SUGARFOOT” GARLAND Legendary Country and Jazz Guitarist who recorded extensively for and with Owen and Harold Bradley at the Hut in Nashville; FLATFOOT RECORDS an independent  record label operation of  Valencia  Community  College in  Orlando,  FL;    FUEL RECORDS, which recently recorded with Grammy winning producer ROCKWILDER and HILARY WILLIAMS, granddaughter of country music legend Hank Williams, and many others.

Bill with Hilary Williams; Bill in Black; Bill, Tom Reich, founder of Cheetah Records, and Angie Bowie; the B-12 Bluegrass Band

Bill was approved by USA Studios as principal production counsel
for “Freakylinks” and was featured on “A Current Affair.”

Television clients have included LAUREN CHAPIN (“Father Knows Best”); DANNY GURA (“Hi Honey, I’m Home,” Nickelodeon/ABC); DETECTIVE KATHY A.  (Steven J. Cannell/Gross-Weston Productions and Hearst Entertainment);  TOM SMITH  (“Roller Jam,” TNT);  VNN (Villages News Network);  and “The Boat Show”

Animated cast of Victoria Lauren’s episodic TV series “Planet Blue Savers.”

(Speedvision). Mr. Whitacre was approved by Universal/USA Studios as principal production counsel for the remake of the television series “In Search Of” for his client ISO PRODUCTIONS, LLC (the principals of Haxan Films) and for the television series  “Freaky Links”  for his client  FREAKYLINKS, INC.  Mr. Whitacre has been featured on NBC’s “A Current Affair”in the episode entitled “Assault and BATtery.”Current projects in development include Victoria Lauren’s “Planet Blue” an episodic children’s worldwide environmental franchise.  Television representation has included negotiation of option contracts on books and life stories for television Movies of the Week as well as talent agreements and general production company services with principal broadcast networks and companies.

 “Hoover” Oscar campaign LA screening poster; Bill at Toronto Film Fest; on location of “Florida City” at Fantasy of Flight.

Film clients have included the following production companies and their feature films: PJK GROUP (“Miami Connection” starring Master Y. K. Kim); A JOINT FILM VENTURE COMPANY (“Miami Beach Cops”); SHO ENTERTAINMENT (“The First of May,” starring Julie Harris, Mickey Rooney, and Joe DiMaggio); HAXAN FILMS, INC. (“The Blair Witch Project,” highest grossing independent film ever with $140.5M in theatrical box office revenue and a 1999 Sundance and Cannes Film Festival Selection.  Additional film clients include WHITE APE PICTURES, LLC (“Altered,” released by Focus Features/Rouge Pictures through Universal in 2006); THE PAMPLIN FILM COMPANY (“Michael Winslow Live” starring Michael Winslow and Hoover, starring Ernest Borgnine both of which Mr. Whitacre Executive Produced); TREAT YOURSELF FILMS, INC. (“Florida City”); BACK HOME PRODUCTIONS (“The Way Back Home”with Julie Harris and  Ruby Dee); HARVEST OF EMPIRE, LLC (feature documentary entitled “Harvest of Empire”); ANGEL DEVIL PRODUCTIONS  (“Missing in America”with Danny Glover, Ron Perlman, and Linda Hamilton), shot in Vancouver, B.C.; the HAXAN FILMS feature shot in Hong Kong in Fall 2007, “Seventh Moon” starring Amy Smart) and the feature film produced by ENDURE PICTURES, LLC entitled “Endure” starring Judd Nelson, with Tom Arnold and Joey Lauren Adams.   Mr. Whitacre is a current  pension vested member of the Director’s Guild of America (DGA) as a Production Manager.

Bill’s screen credits include “The Blair Witch Project” which broke out at Sundance in 1999; “Missing in America” shot in Vancouver, B.C., and “Endure” which screened at the Sarasota and Nashville Film Festivals and in New York and Los Angeles in 2010.

Current projects in development in addition to the multi film slate of Haxan Films include “Arigo” being produced by James Guyer for his production company THE CALLING PRODUCTION, LLC which is being produced with Academy Award winner Alan Arkin’s screenplay; a three picture slate written by Nashville Producer Terry Harkleroad for CINEXPRESSION ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, which includes “The Mockingbird Sings” about the birth of country music in Bristol, TN, and other documentary features, live action features, and animation features in various stages from development through distribution, with budgets ranging from under $1M to $35M.

Mr. Whitacre’s current Judeo/Christian faith based film projects in development include being a partner in 33 Hope, LLC, which has published the book “Thirty Three The Story of Hope” and is producing the feature film “33 Hope” a compelling story about the Resurrection and the early foundations of Christianity, budgeted at $25M to be shot on location in the Holy Land. 33 Hope, LLC has a literary publishing and marketing agreement with Jim Caviezel’s company SEI; “The Narrow Road” a feature film based upon John Bunyan’s classic work “Pilgrim’s Progress” being produced by Erik Yeager; and David Allen’s “Insurgent” a story of two brothers coping with anarchy in America in different ways, one with a Bible and one with a gun.

Bill’s faith based films in development include “Thirty Three” (partners shown at the book launch)
“Insurgent, and The Narrow Road.”

Mr. Whitacre’s representation in film includes business and equity structuring, production contracts for talent, music, cast and crew, permitting, licensing, copyright, private placement film financing investment packages, distribution coordination with primary emphasis upon legal delivery requirements and acting as a Producer and Supervising Producer.

Awards & Distinctions

At the Planet Hollywood Oscar Party Bill won the Best Scene Award for
Brando’s “I coulda been a contender” speech from “On the Waterfront.”

Mr. Whitacre has received the Orange County Bar’s Award of Excellence for his work as a Guardian ad Litem on behalf of abused and neglected children.  As a stage actor his awards include Best Actor in the All Army Festival of the Performing Arts for his portrayal of Lennie in “Mice and Men.” He has appeared as the lead actor in many stage productions, and recently appeared in the action film “VS” being produced by Bryce DiCristofalo.

Mr. Whitacre’s awards also include recognition from Valencia Community College, Women in Film, and the Florida Motion Picture and Television Association for his contributions to educational programs. He has written for the Florida Bar’s Entertainment, Sports and Arts Law newsletter, EASL.   He has lectured and participated at major universities and colleges and as a panelist at many entertainment industry festivals and conferences, including the following:  ShowBizExpo LA; ShowBizExpo NYC; IFP Midwest; The Hollywood Film Festival; Yale Film Society; The University of Florida Music Law Conference;  The Jacksonville Film Festival (for the Florida Bar;) The Florida Film Festival; and The Sarasota Film Festival. In addition to “True Detective” Mr. Whitacre has also appeared in numerous print publications including Florida Today, and the Forbes Magazine 2000 Annual Investment Guide re investing in independent film.

Mr. Whitacre has been married for 40 years to his High School sweetheart Gaynell. He has two grown children and two grandchildren. Mr. Whitacre enjoys cowboy action shooting, collecting guns and guitars, performing as a singer/songwriter and working with some of the best and most experienced creative people in the film and music industries worldwide.

Bill above Lago di Albano, Castel Gandolfo near Rome