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Background and Experience As an Expert Witness
For the past 35 years Horwitz has specialized in the financing
of the Music, Television and Motion Picture Industries. He has been
a banker in the United States for 48 years. 25 years ago Horwitz
left his position as senior vice president, Entertainment Lending,
of a bank in Los Angeles and started the Lewis Horwitz Organization
(LHO), a finance company exclusive to the Entertainment
Industry. He was the first lender in the United States to offer
financing utilizing international distribution contracts and gained
worldwide acceptance by international and domestic distributors,
producers and sales agents. In 1989 he sold the Lewis Horwitz Organization
to a bank in Los Angeles, California and became a leader in financing
independent motion pictures through the use of international distribution
contracts, subsidies and tax incentive funds and gap financing,
which he established as a banking industry. Horwitz has spoken throughout
the United States, Europe and Asia on film financing, loan structuring
and foreign and domestic distribution.
Horwitz has been an expert witness in the field of film and television
financing on numerous occasions. Requests have come from litigation
attorneys, film completion bonding companies, film producers and
banks. He has excellent deposition and trial skills. He has the
knowledge, experience and ability to analyze documents and dissect
financial transactions so as to provide an attorney with additional
insight.
Horwitz is financial vice chairman of the International
Film and Television Alliance (IFTA) which is an international
trade association of independent distributors and producers of the
motion picture and television industries, formerly known as AFMA.
It is this organization that created and operates the American Film
Market. The alliance represents over 150 member companies from 22
countries. His involvement in this organization has provided him
with much additional knowledge and insight into international film
and television distribution.
As of July 2004, Horwitz retired from banking and became a consultant
to the film industry and presently represents clients throughout
the world as well as American production companies and banks.
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