Founder, Forefront Partners

Susan Brooks

Susan Brooks is a veteran television, digital and business affairs executive, bringing strategic and innovative thinking, along with decades of established high-level industry relationships, to entertainment negotiations across all media platforms.

In 2014, Susan established, FOREFRONT-Partners.  With her proven ability for quick deal closures and forward thinking, she facilitates her clients’ goals for the future, allowing for growth with a competitive edge in an ever-changing landscape of digital media. As such, she has attracted both Fortune 500 companies as well as new-entrants into the field of entertainment. Her list of clients includes Marriott International’s Content Studio, Shaquille O’Neal, Reach Agency, Above Average, Select Co and Select Next, and Sony Music Entertainment, as well as brands such as Nestle, Purina, Hallmark and Porsche among others.

In 2009, during the rapidly accelerating digital entertainment revolution, Susan joined Fishbowl Worldwide Media as a Partner and Executive Vice President.  In addition to developing business strategies and creating cutting edge deal structures for licensing acquisitions, Susan oversaw all legal and business affairs functions of the television, film, and digital divisions of the company.

From 1993 to 2009, Susan served as the Worldwide Head of Television Business Affairs for the William Morris Agency.  As a business partner and adviser to more than one hundred agents in offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, Miami, London, and Shanghai, Susan made groundbreaking and innovative deals for television and digital platforms.  Notable examples include negotiating an overall multi-platform deal on behalf of renowned writer and director J.J. Abrams, As a result of her dealings on behalf of film and television star Kiefer Sutherland for the Fox Entertainment’s hit TV show “24,” Mr. Sutherland became one of the highest compensated actors in television. Susan was known for her creative packaging of high level talent and properties, and was responsible for the deals that brought highly profitable shows such as The Office and Ugly Betty, among others to the US market.

Susan has been recognized on four occasions in the The Hollywood Reporter’sannual “Top 100 Women in Entertainment”.  She teaches at YouTube’s Business Building workshops, is a frequent panelist in entertainment industry conventions, digital conferences and marketing conferences, and was invited to Spain to lecture on International Formats, Licensing, Exhibition and Distribution deals.

Susan earned a B.A., magna cum laude, in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Miami.  She then attended and graduated with honors from the University of Miami Law School. Susan launched her career in the entertainment industry immediately following law school, holding key positions with MGM/UA Television Productions and talent companies Writers and Artists Agency and International Creative Management (ICM). Susan later co-founded Wilshire Court Productions, an independent production company established and owned by Viacom, where she served as a key executive developing business models for the development and production of television movies and series for the USA Cable Network.

Susan supports a variety of charities with her time and contributions, including WHY (Women Helping Youth), the Lung Cancer Foundation of America, AIDS Project LA, and the Hollywood Radio and Television Societyamong others.

Susan splits her time between Los Angeles and New York, and shares a home with her boys, Wilbur, Louis and Norman.