Craig Gates

head of Business & Legal Affairs

Craig Gates is a veteran business affairs executive with extensive experience in the development, financing, production, distribution and sale of film, television and music content.
 
He handles day-to-day operations for Electric Entertainment’s acquisition, distribution and sales activities and works alongside Electric COO Dionne McNeff, Domestic Distribution head Steve Saltman and International Distribution head Sonia Mehandjiyska.  Prior to joining Electric, Gates was Head of Business Affairs at Millennium Entertainment where he handled work on such films as FADING GIGOLO (with Woody Allen), ELSA & FRED (Shirley MacLaine), KIDNAPPING MR. HEINEKEN (Anthony Hopkins), PARKLAND (Zac Efron), and CHARLIE COUNTRYMAN (Shia LaBeouf), among other films.
 
Before Millennium, he was Vice President of Business Affairs at Maya Entertainment, an English and Spanish language film financier, producer, distributor and sales agency. Gates was instrumental in setting up Maya’s distribution deals with various Internet, MSO, MVPD and game console platforms.
 
Prior to Maya, Gates was Vice President of Business Affairs at Image Entertainment where he handled film, television, stand-up comedy and music concert acquisition and distribution (both domestic and international), including several output deals with major foreign distributors.
 
Other positions have included posts at CenterStaging and Warner Music Group’s Rhino Entertainment. In addition, Gates co-founded an independent record label that won the first-ever Best Dance Recording GRAMMY Award for “Carry On” by Donna Summer. He began his career with his own law practice handling individual and institutional clients across a broad spectrum of entertainment matters.
 
Gates received his B.A. with Honors from Claremont McKenna College and received his law degree from Tulane University School of Law.

As of 1/6/22