MPA hires Elliott as VP Content Policy Counsel
January 7, 2026
By Colin Mann
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has hired Andrew Elliott as Vice President, Content Policy Counsel to bolster its advocacy efforts at the US state and federal levels on issues involving the regulation of its members’ motion pictures, television programmes, and streaming services.
Elliott joins the MPA from the law firm Jenner & Block LLP, where he litigated intellectual property and First Amendment matters for media and entertainment clients in the firm’s New York office.
Elliott will work from New York and report to Ben Sheffner, Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel, Law and Policy, in close collaboration with Kathy Bañuelos, Senior Vice President, State Government Affairs.
Elliott, working closely with the MPA and member-company government affairs executives, will focus on state and federal legislation that would regulate the content of MPA members’ works and means of distribution, including in areas such as artificial intelligence, right of publicity/digital replicas/deepfakes, access to works by minors, and privacy.
“I am thrilled to have Andrew on board to help MPA and our member studios navigate some of the most novel and challenging issues we face in this rapidly evolving legislative and technological environment,” commented Sheffner. “Andrew’s deep experience in intellectual property and First Amendment matters will strengthen our already best-in-class legal and policy teams as we address legislative proposals around the country on a variety of subjects, particularly artificial intelligence.”
Elliott is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, served as a research assistant for Professor Jane Ginsburg and the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts, and externed for the Knight First Amendment Institute. Prior to attending law school, Elliott worked in the Washington, DC office of UPS, where he focused on policy communications.
“Like all industries, film and television are facing a critical moment in light of the sea change of technological advancement and flurry of legislative proposals involving artificial intelligence technologies,” added Elliott. “I’m excited to be joining the MPA’s efforts to ensure its members can continue to provide world-class entertainment while advancing thoughtful policy on some of the leading issues of the day.”