John G. Branca is an entertainment lawyer and a partner and head of the Music Department in the law firm of Ziffren Brittenham, LLP. Mr. Branca is currently the chairman of The Michael Jackson Company, and serves as Co-Executor of the Michael Jackson Estate.
He has represented over 30 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acts, including The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, Carlos Santana, Aerosmith,The Beach Boys, ZZ Top, Fleetwood Mac, Bee Gees, Earth, Wind & Fire, John Fogerty and The Doors. Other clients have included Alicia Keys, Berry Gordy, Dick Clark, Dr. Dre, Justin Timberlake and the Backstreet Boys. Clients outside of the music world included Forbes magazine, Playboy magazine, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and the Vatican.
Mr. Branca has been involved in the sale of some of the music industry’s most prestigious publishing catalogs, including Berry Gordy’s Jobete Music, Leiber & Stoller, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. He was also involved in the formation and sale of Interscope Records and the sale of Rhino Records. He also has served as counsel to numerous music industry investors, including Vivendi and Matsushita.
John Branca, Sr., (John’s father), was a promising high-school baseball player who later became the NewYork State Athletic Commissioner and a New York Assemblyman. John’s uncle, legendary Major League Baseball pitcher Ralph Branca featured in feature film “42”, pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a teammate and lifelong friend of Jackie Robinson.
Mr. Branca majored in music at Los Angeles City College before transferring to Occidental College. Upon graduating, he enrolled at UCLA School of Law, serving as editor-in-chief of one of the law reviews, and received his degree in 1975.
He is a generous philanthropist and active in various community organizations, including: as a memberof the board of trustees of the Grammy Museum and Occidental College; as Chair Emeritus and former Chairman of the Music Cares Capital Campaign; as an Advisory Board member of the UCLA Law School Ziffren Center; as a founding member of the Musicians Assistance Program; and Renovation Campaign Committee member of the UCLA Pauley Pavilion. Mr. Branca is an ongoing guest lecturer at the Harvard Business School, Stanford University, UCLA Law School, USC Law School, Occidental College, and Los Angeles City College, among others.
