Richard Waysdorf

Legal ConsultantWaysdorf

Richard is responsible for providing legal counsel to the Foundation, negotiating and drafting agreements, and advising on a wide range of legal and policy issues. He oversees outside counsel in specialties including government relations, intellectual property, biomedical research, and not-for-profit operations.

Prior to joining Global in 2015, Richard had been an attorney at the Starz television networks for nearly twenty years, serving as Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs. At Starz, Richard was primarily responsible for negotiation and drafting of affiliation agreements with all major cable, satellite and internet distributors for carriage of the Starz networks. Richard was also responsible for the company’s government relations and regulatory compliance activities, and had also served as Counsel for Starz affiliate Encore International. Prior to Starz, Richard had served as a supervisory attorney at the Federal Communications Commission’s Mass Media Bureau in Washington, DC (1994-96). Prior to the FCC, Richard was in private law practice for 16 years in Washington (1978-94), specializing in cable television, broadcast, and copyright law and policy, and representing major Hollywood movie/television studios (the MPAA), broadcast stations, and cable systems before the FCC and other agencies and courts.

Richard graduated from Brandeis University (BA English Literature/Creative Writing, 1975), and Syracuse University College of Law (JD 1978). He’s an avid golfer and music fan.