Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz

Richard B. Heller is a partner at Frankfurt Kurnit and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Celebrity Branding Group. Mr. Heller has previously served as Managing Partner of the firm and as Co-Chair of the Entertainment Group. His practice focuses on motion pictures and television, new media, publishing, celebrity branding and intellectual property. His clients include on­screen talent, writers, producers, directors, production companies and distributors in the motion picture and television fields, as well as numerous foreign companies, charitable organizations and individuals doing business in the U.S. He handles independent film clients from acquisition of rights through financing, production and exploitation of projects.

For over thirty years, Mr. Heller has also represented a wide range of best-selling authors as well as book and magazine publishers. Working extensively with prominent authors, doctors, journalists, designers and other celebrity clients, as well as global brands, Mr. Heller actively counsels his clients in managing their valuable intellectual property rights and implementing fully coordinated strategies for exploiting motion picture, television, print, audio, electronic new media, merchandising, and other rights.

Mr. Heller was recognized by Variety in its 2019 Dealmakers Elite NY issue. He is also listed in Best Lawyers in America for his work in entertainment law (Motion Pictures and Television); ranked by Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as a top-rated lawyer in media and entertainment; named a New York-area “Super Lawyer” in the field of entertainment and sports by Super Lawyers magazine from 2006-2026; chosen by New York Magazine as one of the New York area’s best entertainment lawyers; and listed among the country’s leading media and entertainment lawyers by The Legal 500. In 2026, Mr. Heller was ranked as Highly Recommended in the field of Telecoms and Media by Lexology. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association (Member, Committee on Entertainment and Sports Law, 1984-Present); and the American Bar Association (Member: Section on Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law; Forum Committee on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, 1979-Present). He was Adjunct Professor of Law, New York University School of Law, from 1985 to 1987.

Mr. Heller is a graduate of Brown University (B.A., 1974) and the New York University School of Law (J.D., 1977). He is admitted to practice in New York.