Most people are surprised to learn that lawyer and Marriott alumnus Kelly Crabb has written a cowboy musical, produced a documentary, represented Paul McCartney, and won an Olympic gold medal (well, kind of). His most recent surprise is that he has written a guide to being a movie producer. This media-savvy legal counsel never really meant to go into showbiz, it was simply unavoidable.
“A lot of people try really hard to get into the entertainment business, and I couldn’t help but fall into it,” he says.
The Movie Business is about the legal aspects of making a film. It covers the idea of development, film distribution, and everything in between. The intent of the book isn’t to sell the secret of how to make a box-office smash or turn the reader into an entertainment accountant, but to warn producers of the risks of leaving legal matters to the last minute.
As a source for the text, Crabb drew upon his twenty years of experience as a lawyer and one-time producer. Through what he calls a “bizarre twist of events,” Crabb found himself producing a PBS documentary based on a musical stage play he wrote called All My Friends Are Cowboys.
From his involvement with the play and documentary, the Spanish Fork native worked with country music legend Johnny Cash, actor Roy Rogers, and cowboy poet Waddie Mitchell. Crabb enjoys writing but never thought the play would turn into much of anything. “I’ve long given up the dream of being a rock star,” he says. “But it’s amazing to see what happens to some of my stuff.”
After serving a mission in Japan, Crabb earned his bachelor’s degree in Asian studies and international relations at BYU in 1971. By 1973 he had earned his MPA.
Crabb attended Columbia Law School from 1981 to 1984. After earning his law degree, he began practicing law at Skadden Arps representing Japanese businesses, including several media companies, in New York City.
In 1990, he was transferred to Los Angeles to be their Pacific Rim representative. While there, the Japanese economy soured and the only investments Japanese companies made were in American movies.
Crabb, a partner of Morrison & Foerster LLP, now works as counselor to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics. This isn’t his first Olympic-related work though; he also worked on projects for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Games and won gymnast Paul Hamm his gold medal in a legal dispute arising from the Athens games.
“I’m one of the few lawyers in the United States to win a gold medal,” Crabb says. “Or, in my case, win it for someone else.”
During his illustrious career, Crabb has represented Paul McCartney, Dave Matthews, Michael Jordon, Charles Barkley, Academy Award-winning producer Gerald Molen, and the family of Elizabeth Smart.
Crabb resides in South Pasadena, California, with his wife, Janice. They have five children.
