BIO
Film and Television Lawyer
Part of Toronto's newest cohort of entertainment lawyers, Mitchel Fleming brings to his practice a wealth of entertainment experience.
Fleming has extensive experience acting as production legal counsel, including handling rights acquisitions, international co-pro agreements, broadcast and distribution deals, performer agreements, production financing, tax credit optimization and E&O insurance reviews for a growing list of feature films and TV series.
Fleming not only works on behalf of legacy film and television organizations, but maintains a diverse roster of clients, including social media sensations, comedians, and live sport entertainment companies.
Breadth of Experience
Fleming currently serves as COO of The Rights Clearance Company, the next generation of rights clearance services in the film and television industry. In his role, he oversaw the adoption of revolutionary in-house software models which increased the firm's profitability and efficiency.
Beyond entertainment, Fleming has also dabbled in the entrepreneurial arts, having co-founded a psychedelics research company in 2017. Halucenex Life Sciences was the first company to investigate the therapeutic effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy on individuals suffering from acute Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Fleming left the company in 2020 to focus his efforts on his burgeoning entertainment career after the company was bought by Australian pharmaceuticals company Creso Pharma.
In addition to growing his legal practice, Fleming prioritizes teaching and publishing in the areas of law, technology and the arts. Fleming has been a guest lecturer at the McGill Faculty of Music and Memorial University of Newfoundland's Faculty of Music. Fleming's scholarship has also been published in several noteworthy Canadian publications, including the LexisNexis' Canadian Commercial Law Guide and Internet & E-Commerce Law in Canada, the McGill Centre for Intellectual Property Policy, the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review and the Canadian Journal of Law and Technology. Fleming also acted as the editor of a now-defunct online satirical news publication.
Fleming has sat, and continues to serve on the board of directors of a number of arts organizations across Canada.
Ever passionate about economic and community development in Canada's rural communities, particularly First Nations Fleming has dedicated time and energy to establishing opportunities for First Nations youth to study music in St. John's, Newfoundland in the hopes that they might bring that knowledge back to their hometowns.