Representing film and multi-media clients, Devan Towers assists companies and individuals in contract negotiations and the development, financing, production, exploitation and protection of their intellectual property.
Prior to her call to the Manitoba Bar in 1994, Devan worked in the film and television industry as a production accountant before taking on administrative positions for commercial production companies. In 1984 she worked for the Province of Manitoba and designed programs in support of various sectors in the cultural industries, including film, publishing and sound recording. Devan was instrumental in setting up the film office for the Province of Manitoba, presently Manitoba Film and Music, where she was the Film Financial Officer, the Film Officer/Film Commissioner and the Executive Program Co-ordinator responsible for all film and sound recording programs, respectively. During this period of time, she represented the Province on various provincial, national and international committees in the cultural industries. Additionally, Devan has worked as a policy analyst for the Province, provided consulting services to federal and provincial organizations and many private production companies and from 1992 to 1994 she was the Executive Director of the then Manitoba Motion Picture Industries Association (MMPIA) (currently called On Screen Manitoba).
From 1994 to September, 2013, Devan was in private practice with Taylor McCaffrey, LLP in Winnipeg, MB., where she was a partner for the last 7 years of her practice, and where, in addition to her corporate commercial practice, she provided services to clients from the film, music and publishing industries, including producers, artists, writers, distributors and lending institutions. In 2004 she took a sojourn from private practice for 2 years and worked with Original Pictures Inc. as Executive Producer on A Bear Named Winnie, an international co-production with Powercorp TV, and spent 2005 as Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs for Original Pictures where she assisted in setting up development and production systems, specifically providing services for the Global/ABC Family series Falcon Beach.
Devan left Taylor McCaffrey, LLP in 2013 to join Buffalo Gal Pictures Inc. where she is the Senior Vice-President, Legal and Business Affairs. During this time, she has been executive producer on many productions, including on a 22 one-hour episode series entitled The Pinkertons and a treaty animation feature film currently entitled Ozzy.
She has practiced entertainment law for many years from various perspectives, having represented both the financing and the production side of the industry, representing both the producer and the bank on a variety of financing structures, including gap financings, international co-productions and co-ventures and Canadian and Manitoba tax credit financings. She was involved in various copyright related matters including errors and omissions reviews in the film and television industry.
Devan is recognized in Best Lawyers in Canada in the area of Entertainment Law.
