Steven Beer Interviewed by Law360 on "Reading Rainbow" Revival

New York, N.Y. (December 16, 2021) – New York Partner Steven C. Beer was recently interviewed by Law360 for an article about his work as an executive producer for the PBS children’s television show “Reading Rainbow Live” in its new live format. The original award-winning show first aired in 1983, and during its 26-year run, was the most watched PBS program in classrooms.  

The article describes how Mr. Beer, a father of three, recognized the need for quality educational content during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many parents around the country struggled to keep their children engaged with learning. 

"Books are your gateway to a life of fun and adventure, and 'Reading Rainbow,' I think, hits that as well as any children's show,” said Mr. Beer, who serves as outside legal counsel for the original show’s owner, WNED PBS in Buffalo, New York. 

The show’s new format will let children interact with the show's hosts in real time through a streaming platform named Looped. The episodes will then be available to watch on another platform after they air. With multiple hosts called "Rainbows," who are musical theater performers in their 20s, production is set to start putting on live shows in early 2022.

The article goes on to describe how “Reading Rainbow Live” is one of several media projects that Mr. Beer has been invovled with alongside his work as an attorney. He has served as a business and creative adviser on movies and musical soundtracks, authored a nonfiction book titled Your Child's Career in Music and Entertainment: The Prudent Parent's Guide From Start to Stardom, and launched an accompanying podcast series. He has also had the opportunity to produce some notable films, including "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till" and "Comedy Warriors: Healing Through Humor." The article also notes Mr. Beer's work executive producing the launch of Disneymania, a musical project in which pop artists like Christina Aguilera and Usher recorded updated versions of classic Disney numbers.

"The work allows me to flex my creative muscles and helps me identify with my clients,” said Mr. Beer of these media endeavors. “I understand their experiences even more, which is a win-win.” 

Mr. Beer elaborated on the connection between his entertainment law practice and his passion for music and the performing arts from an early age.  

“As a New Yorker and someone who was very attuned to film and music at an early age, I'd read stories over and over again of artists that made bad decisions and perhaps regretted transactions where they had a short-term gain, but lost out in the long term," he said. "And I felt like, 'Wow, these great artists, if they only had advocates, someone who could help them protect their copyrights.'" 

Mr. Beer serves as a national chair of Lewis Brisbois' Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice. He represents industry-leading film, television, and music companies, and has acted as counsel to numerous award-winning writers, directors, producers, and multi-platinum musical artists. Mr. Beer also regularly negotiates rights deals for film and television projects. 

The creation of "Reading Rainbow Live" has been widely covered in the media by outlets including CBS News, The Wrap, Spectrum NY1 News, Yahoo! Entertainment, Book Riot, and Consequence TV. 

Read the full Law360 Pulse article here (subscription required).