Quoted

July 24th, 2025

SHOOT’s 65th Anniversary Reflections: FKKS’ Managing Partner Jeffrey A. Greenbaum

SHOOT Magazine quotes Jeffrey A. Greenbaum in its 65th Anniversary coverage on where the advertising industry has been, is, and is going. Jeff discusses the most significant legal cases during his industry tenure and the accompanying lessons, the most pressing legal issues for the commercial production community, his most meaningful professional accomplishments, and the value he has gained from reading SHOOT.

Reflecting on his tenure in the advertising industry, Jeff says, “In the ‘90s, federal and state regulators brought enforcement actions against big car companies–and their advertising agencies–alleging that they engaged in false advertising. It was a big wake-up call to agencies, and others working in advertising, that it’s not just the brands who are responsible for ensuring that their advertising is truthful and not misleading…Not long after that, with the explosion of online marketing, one of the key issues that regulators focused on was the concept of “transparency.”

In recent years, regulators in the United States and abroad have been questioning whether online marketers are using design choices that manipulate users into taking actions that they might not otherwise take. Jeff says that these actions – known as “dark patterns” are being flagged by regulators, and that marketers must consider, “not only whether they’re telling the truth to consumers, but whether they are treating them fairly.”

For the commercial production and advertising communities, Jeff highlights two key pressing issues: Generative AI and the demonstrable value that agencies and production companies can bring to campaigns. “If advertising can be crowdsourced, if a commercial can be shot on a mobile phone, if a generative AI tool can produce a new campaign almost instantly, and if it can all be shared organically in social, brands are going to continue to ask hard questions about what role agencies and production companies are playing today and how to value that contribution,” says Jeff.   

In Jeff’s nearly 30 years as an advertising lawyer, he has found that relationships are the most meaningful part of his job. “Whether it’s helping a brand or an agency negotiate with an A-list celebrity for a new campaign, or dealing with a serious false advertising or infringement issue, or helping a director think through a move to a new production company, or just working on the day-to-day advertising issues that brands, ad agencies, and commercial production companies face, it’s all about helping the clients…. And one of the most gratifying things is [that] those relationships continue for decades.”

Jeff recounts that when he joined Frankfurt Kurnit, the firm’s founder, Mike Frankfurt, told him that as an advertising lawyer, he would represent commercial production companies, directors, and others working in the commercial production industry. It was after that that Jeff began reading SHOOT. “I loved when SHOOT arrived in the (physical!) mail every week and I could read about all of the great that work our clients were doing. It was obvious to me back then (as it is today) how essential SHOOT was in keeping the community connected and informed.”