Cross Cultural Business Solutions.
An Asia-based expatriate providing legal and strategic, communications, and and business development services. My focus is on facilitating cross-cultural understanding, managing risk, fostering commercial opportunities, and easing the challenges for foreigners doing business in Asia. I also mentor start-ups and small businesses, drawing from decades of practical experience establishing and running businesses in key markets around the world.
Backed by a global network of specialized experts, Insight & Analysis can provide quick connections and long-term solutions for clients to expand their international presence or manage risks effectively. Whether you are planning to start or expand operations in the Asia-Pacific region or are already established there, I&A can provide reliable guidance and assistance for your needs. I’ve also helped Asia-based businesses expand their presence and operations into the United States.
SERVICES
What I do
With a primary emphasis working with creative content developers, I&A provides business and legal advisory support for individuals and companies around the world.
We work with clients on a defined and confidential basis towards agreed deliverables across the following areas:
Business Development Strategy
I&A analyzes business stakeholders, needs, and objectives to identify priorities and recommend strategies to enhance your operations through public relations messaging and awareness, consumer research, government relations, and cross-industry coordination. I&A also helps structure various business arrangements and agreements outlining mutual commitments and expectations between companies.
Liaison and Networking
For companies interested in Asia-Pacific markets but without an on-the-ground presence, Insight & Analysis offers a cost-effective solution through localized support for market entry, intellectual property rights administration, and business liaison services. We maintain a global network of skilled professionals, enabling us to connect you with experts, manage their performance, and oversee operations efficiently. We can introduce you to key interest groups, organizations, and companies relevant to your field and represent your interests to them locally.
Brand Enhancement and Risk Mitigation
Insight & Analysis can help safeguard and enhance your company’s image and reputation by assessing competing interests and potential challenges and identifying viable solutions. We provide advice on liability exposure, compliance oversight, and due diligence for those navigating the complexities of doing business in Asia. In cases of crises or disputes, we offer guidance on mitigation strategies and resolution methods to help you maintain business continuity or exit gracefully.
Business Communications
Whether you need business correspondence, presentations, legislative submissions, or reports tailored for specific markets, territories, or audiences, Insight & Analysis can draft or refine written and visual communications so that you don’t have to. Specializing in business writing, we create localized content including position papers, news articles, and internal communications for clearer messaging and better comprehension by your target audience.
Cross Cultural Coordination
Insight & Analysis provides bespoke strategic advice and guidance from a western perspective on international markets, cultural dynamics, and situational management – especially in the media and entertainment sectors. We also assist foreign companies looking to expand into the United States by bridging cultural gaps, forming alliances, and enhancing their market presence.
Project & Assignments
Whether you require assistance with business operations, contracts, research, or problem-solving, either individually or in collaboration, I&A is well-equipped to efficiently handle one-time assignments. We can manage research projects, analyze data, advise and counsel, and identify comprehensive solutions tailored to your needs.
- Extensive in-house experience representing multinational clients’ commercial and contentious affairs in the media and communications sectors
- International acumen across a variety of business cultures resulting from more than 500 business trips to more than 30 different countries and more than 25 years of Asian expatriation
- Supervisory experience from past responsibility for more than one hundred executive and operational employees in fifteen different regional markets
- Confident speaker and communicator resulting from more than one hundred presentations during industry conferences, seminars, workshops, and government proceedings
- Proven history of effective advocacy, influence, communication, and rights protection
- Flexibility to accommodate global scheduling, sudden developments, and “on-the-road” operations
- Individual attention and availability; reliably responsive; highly ethical and trustworthy
About Frank Rittman
Who I am
I’m an executive/attorney with extensive international experience in the entertainment and media sectors. During a career spanning more than three decades, I’ve represented multinational conglomerates’ contentious and non-contentious affairs in the book publishing, music publishing, and motion picture and television industries. A native New Yorker, I’ve by now lived and worked in four different countries, overseeing business operations and collaborating with professional service providers across the Asia-Pacific region and globally. Throughout my career I’ve functioned primarily as a business strategist and legal advisor, and additionally as a communications consultant to help clients refine their messaging and expand their reach. Before launching I&A Ltd. I held the following positions:
- President & Managing Director for the Motion Picture Licensing Company (Asia) Ltd.
- Senior Vice President, Deputy Managing Director & Asia-Pacific Regional Policy Officer for the Motion Picture Association.
- Founding Director of the Centre for Content Promotion
- Vice President, International Affairs for the National Music Publishers’ Association and the The Harry Fox Agency, Inc.
- Director of Contracts & Copyrights for the Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Legal Associate for G. Schirmer, Inc/Associated Music Publishers
- A former Chairman of the New York County Lawyers’ Association Entertainment Law Committee
- Member of the Board of Directors for the Cable and Satellite Broadcasters’ Association of Asia
I’ve also authored numerous articles for business magazines and trade journals.
I have 35 years of applied international business experience
TESTIMONIALS
What they've said
Experience
What I've done
Successful consulting projects assigned by clients have included the following:
- Expanding a multinational entertainment company’s Asian operations through the establishment of new offices in designated markets, strategic coordination, and oversight of local service providers.
- Incorporating and registering business entities and securing related banking relationships for companies in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.
- Analyzing a portfolio of research grant agreements to advise on intellectual property rights monetization opportunities.
- Preparing a non-disclosure agreement and related contractual provisions for a business communications company.
- Advising an overseas music entertainment provider about public performance licensing and regulatory compliance requirements in Singapore.
- Restructuring and revision of partnership agreement and related capital contributions for an international cannabis conglomerate.
- Representing an international asset management group in connection with acquisitions for their corporate portfolio.
- Editing news articles, media reports, and marketing materials for secondary source publication.
- Structuring an artist-producer music rights participation agreement for a catalogue of recorded music repertoire.
- Reviewing and revising Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy statements for online commerce providers.
- Reviewing and revising a Promoter-Sponsor agreement for an international music events coordinator.
- Preparing written submissions to European and Asian government regulatory authorities in response to ongoing public policy reviews.
- Testifying as a registered witness during legislative hearings on behalf of a regional entertainment trade association.
- Coordinating international outreach for an inaugural scholarly conference in Vietnam.
- Counseling a technology application developer on an intellectual property rights protection strategy.
- Vetting a feature film script for potential defamation claims and related due diligence concerns.
- Representing media industry associations during regional WIPO training conferences for Asia-Pacific government regulatory officials.
- Registering trademarks in select Asian jurisdictions to support local and regional product expansion for an overseas horticultural company.
- Drafting opinion commentary for online advocacy publication attributable to industry luminaries.
- Negotiating an option agreement for the dramatization of an established literary series.
- Curating, editing and publishing a monthly newsletter of salient media developments for a professional trade organization.
- Investigating confidential allegations of employee malfeasance and criminal liability exposure for a multinational corporation.
- Partnering with a leading university on a thought leadership lecture series examining technological innovation, creative expression, and related policy developments.
Latest Articles
What I say
Mum’s the Word: Non-Disclosure Agreements
The overall purposes of an NDA are to protect confidential information, intellectual property rights, customer communications, and temper expectations. NDAs send a message, and
Did You Notice? Copyright Attributions for Creators
I got a frantic call awhile back from a new client who told me she was facing a “copyright deadline” and was “running out of
Have We Got A Deal? Essential Elements For Any Contract
What’s A Contract? A contract is simply an enforceable agreement, meaning it represents a promise or a set of promises for which the law provides
Thou Shalt Not: Restrictive Covenants And Their Enforceability
Restrictive covenants are contractual agreements that serve to prevent individuals from doing or saying certain things by virtue of their relationship with another party. They
Thailand’s Privilege Visa Program: A Sound Investment, Or Just Another Rip-off?
Expatriates looking to relocate to Thailand have a number of immigration options available to them depending upon their intentions, their resources, and their tolerance for
Writers’ Rights And Responsibilities
If you’ve written a manuscript that’s gotten the attention of a publisher and you’ve been presented with a book publishing agreement, congratulations! You’ve accomplished something
A gifted orator and communicator able to function proficiently and energetically with the various diverse cultures and changing circumstances of the Asia Pacific Region, Frank thrives in meeting the challenge of putting forward intelligent arguments to advance the issues at hand. He has also shown himself able to be able to advocate effectively with those with whom he engages throughout the Asia Pacific region, including local and regional alliances that he was personally worked to forge over the years.
Christopher J. Dodd United States Senator, 1998-2011 Chairman & CEO, Motion Picture Association 2011-2017