David Zitzerman
David Zitzerman, BA 1978 (University of Manitoba; Gold Medal-Highest Standing in Faculty of Arts), JD 1981 (University of Toronto Law School ), is counsel and head of the Entertainment Law Group at Goodmans LLP in Toronto, Canada. He is one of several lawyers dedicated exclusively to entertainment and media law. His practice focuses on the film, television and online media industries in Canada and the United States. His clients include leading independent producers, Canadian networks, Hollywood studios, US cable services, streaming services (including Amazon Prime Video, MGM+, Paramount+, Apple TV+ and Disney+), European broadcasters, film and TV distributors, publishers, game companies, talent guilds and agencies, writers and performers. David is recognized as a leading entertainment lawyer by Chambers Canada Guide 2025 (Band 1 for Media and Entertainment Law), Euromoney’s Best of the Best 2024 (one of the top 30 media lawyers in the world), Martindale-Hubbell (Rated AV Preeminent for 2025), The 2025 Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, The 2025 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, Who’s Who Legal: Sports & Entertainment 2025, The Best Lawyers in Canada for Entertainment Law and Defamation and Media Law (2024 and 2020 Toronto “Entertainment Lawyer of the Year”) and Best of the Best in the 2025 Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyers. Adjunct Professor of entertainment law at University of Toronto Law School. Member of the Canadian panel of Independent Film & Television Alliance arbitrators. Past speaker at Osgoode Hall Law School, Dalhousie Law School, University of Western Ontario Law School, Queen’s University Business School, Queen’s University Law School, Ryerson University, UCLA, Duke Law School, Cannes Film Festival, American Film Market, Canadian and American Bar Associations, Law Society of Upper Canada Media and Entertainment Law Conference and Osgoode Certificate in Entertainment Law Program. Frequent media industry commentator on Bloomberg BNN. Co-author of “Entertainment Law in Canada” published by LexisNexis. Director of the Canadian Film Centre, Co-Chair of the CFC Diversity and Governance Committee and member of the CFC Executive and Finance Committees. Member of the Program Advisory Committee of Toronto Metropolitan University RTA School of Media. Vice Chair of the Law Firm Advisory Board of the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel. Member of Film Ontario, Canadian Bar Association, ALAI Canada, Ontario Bar Association- Entertainment, Media & Communications Law Section, Canadian Media Production Association, Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and WIFT-Toronto. Longstanding Gold Patron of the Toronto International Film Festival.