Melissa Bortnick currently serves at the Senior Counsel at Epic Games, Inc., a video game and software developer and publisher.
Prior to this position, Ms. Bortnick served as the Director of Music Business Affairs and Counsel at Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., a publicly traded video game company. She built, from the ground-up, a business affairs department dedicated to managing music matters for labels that publish internationally best-selling video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption 2, NBA 2K and WWE 2K. Her responsibilities included the development of music licensing and music production strategy in the context of ever-evolving technology and a challenging business climate; negotiations with various stakeholders, including collection rights societies, labels, publishers, and composers; and talent negotiations with A-list talent.
Ms. Bortnick also previously served as counsel at SFX Entertainment, Inc., now known as Livestyle, Inc., where she spearheaded the development and institution of a 360° strategy for music festival assets, managed the acquisition and assimilation of new companies, and negotiated sponsorship and form artist performance agreements. From 2010 through 2012, she was a corporate associate at White & Case LLP in the tax and securities groups. Immediately after law school, she spent a year working in the White House’s Domestic Policy Council, crafting policy recommendations to President Obama, and clerking at the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of General Counsel.
Ms. Bortnick received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Certificate of Study from the Wharton School of Business. She also graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania. She is licensed to practice law in New York and New Jersey.