J. Christopher Hamilton

Assistant Professor

Television, Radio and Film

Email

jhamil07@syr.edu
Phone

(315) 443-3377
Office

445 Newhouse 3

As an attorney, author and professor, J. Christopher Hamilton’s work is focused on the monetization of content and leveraging distribution outlets in the television, film and digital streaming industries. In addition to brokering content deals and teaching about their dynamic revenue and financing models, Hamilton is also a passionate executive producer.

Prior to joining Newhouse, Hamilton worked for a number of media conglomerates such as Paramount Global, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Lionsgate as a business executive and lawyer. In his varied roles within the entertainment industry, Hamilton helped build the “Laugh Out Loud” streaming service for Kevin Hart while advising on other celebrity business ventures; brokered deals to remake major theatrical motion pictures like “Red,” “Step Up” and “Nerve” as international co-productions in Asia; helped launch an independently-finaced streaming service; and packaged/sold a number of self-funded original tv shows/movies to various television networks (Tubi TV, BET, Comcast Xfinity, and HBO).

Currently, Hamilton is committed to disrupting the entertainment industry by providing a balanced business perspective as a legal analyst, business strategist and advocate for marginalized voices at film festivals (such as SXSW and PAFF) and by advising small media ventures and Fortune 500 companies like Yahoo and Reebok on how to navigate the new marketplace. Hamilton, a native of Brooklyn, is a graduate of Binghamton University, where he earned a B.A. in sociology and cinematography. He earned a Juris Doctorate and master's degree in television, radio and film from Syracuse University. Hamilton also completed an executive training program at Harvard Business School through a fellowship underwritten by Lifetime Television.

PUBLICATIONS:

Crowdfunding and Cryptocurrency – a New Conduit to Film Finance (Rutgers Law Journal)
An examination of the traditional and new pathways to funding content based the impact of Covid-19, shrinking capital markets and shifting business landscape due to the streaming wars and content bubble.

When They See Us: An Unshaken History of Racism in America (published in March 2020/ Journal of Family Theory and Review) - An analysis on how this Emmy award winning series on Netflix can be used as prosocial content to deconstruct institutional racism and operate as a change agent throughout our society.

How Movie Theaters Can Avoid Extinction: "It's a really practical and effective step forward," said J. Christopher Hamilton, an assistant professor of television, radio, and film at Syracuse University, and a former executive at Disney and WarnerMedia. "It will usher in more variations."

Once Upon a Crime in Hip-Hop (University of Miami Law Journal)
This explores the criminal culpability of record labels in the crimes of their artists and provides a perspective for understanding the risks of employing artists with criminal tendencies