Toby Shorter serves as counsel to DeSimone, Aviles, Shorter & Oxamendi, LLP. Mr. Shorter has extensive experience in the area of entertainment law. He has represented highly successful companies, musicians, producers, TV/video producers and apparel designers.

Mr. Shorter has more than a decade of experience protecting the interests of clients in the entertainment industry. In a previous position, he served as head of the Multimedia, Internet and Entertainment Group of a 70-attorney Wall Street law firm.

He was one of the founding members of HoopsTV.com, a web-based basketball media and entertainment company. With the other founders, he drafted the business plan, identified capital sources, raised $21 million in capital and helped build a company that employed more than 50 people. Mr. Shorter was Executive Vice President of Business Development. He identified, initiated, negotiated and managed strategic partnerships for the company, including deals with NBC1, ESPN.com and Real Networks.

As Director of Business and Legal Affairs for Safe Space Productions, a television and music production company, he was involved in the development of a worldwide distribution deal with Sony Music Group. He also negotiated and oversaw production agreements with Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel and the Children’s Television Workshop. He drafted and negotiated all talent and employment contracts, and evaluated new business, licensing and commercial media opportunities.

He began his career in the entertainment industry with a boutique New York City entertainment law firm, where he drafted and negotiated agreements for record labels, recording artists, producers, managers and writers. He represented multi-Platinum songwriter, producer and recording artists Timbaland and Missy Elliott, helping the latter in establishing her label and negotiated joint recording agreements with such artists as Lil’ Kim, Busta Rhymes and Ginuwine.

Early in his career, he served as special assistant to the president of the Urban League of Westchester.

Mr. Shorter is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association, the TJ Martell Foundation Basketball Committee, and on the planning committee for the R&B Hall of Fame.

He is admitted to practice law in New York State.

He received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pennsylvania, class of 1989.