Taylor Hathaway-Zepeda

Taylor Hathaway-Zepeda is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.  Her practice focuses on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity investments, restructuring transactions and general corporate governance. She works with companies in a broad array of industries, and has extensive experience working with media, entertainment and technology companies and private equity sponsors.

In 2024, the Los Angeles Times recognized Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda on its list of “Entertainment Business Visionaries,” which honors “uniquely talented visionaries” whose “expertise fuels the engines that drive the industry forward.”  She was also named a leader in mergers and acquisitions, as well as corporate governance, in the 2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation, which highlights “the future leaders of the law.”  Additionally, Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal in its 2024 “Women of Influence: Attorneys” feature, which spotlights the region’s noteworthy women legal professionals.

Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, where she is also Chair of the Governance Committee.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Children’s Center at Caltech, where she is a member of the Executive Committee.  Additionally, she is a member of Gibson Dunn’s Hiring Committee.  She has also served on the Corporations Committee of the California Lawyers Association, and on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Law School Association of Los Angeles.

Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda is admitted to practice in the State of California and the State of New York.

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda served as managing law clerk to Chief Judge Sandra Lynch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She received her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review and a finalist in the 100th Ames Moot Court Competition. Prior to law school, she earned a master’s degree with a focus on international economics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom as a recipient of the Frank Knox Memorial Fellowship. Ms. Hathaway-Zepeda received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard University, where she was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard International Review.

Selected Transactions

• The North Road Company, a global, multi-genre studio, in its formation and various transactions including:
  • the investment of up to $500 million by Providence Equity Partners
  • the acquisition of Words + Pictures
  • the investment of $150 million by Qatar Investment Authority
• Universal Pictures in its investments and partnerships with:
  • Amblin Partners
  • Blumhouse Productions
• Block, Inc. (formerly Square, Inc.) in its acquisition of a majority stake in Tidal, the streaming and entertainment platform founded by Jay-Z
• Chernin Entertainment in its formation of content studio Words + Pictures with former ESPN executive Connor Schell
• SpringHill Entertainment, a production company founded by LeBron James, in a capital raise from investors including Guggenheim Partners and Sister, the production company founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Stacey Snider and Jane Featherstone
• Epygenix Therapeutics in its sale to Harmony Biosciences
• Ahern Rentals in its acquisition by United Rentals
• WndrCo in its formation of Quibi, a short-form premium content distribution platform, including the raising of $1 billion of capital commitments
• The Chernin Group in various investments and transactions, including:
  • the sale of its controlling interest in Otter Media, an internet video joint venture between The Chernin Group and AT&T
  • the sale of The Action Network to Better Collective
  • its partnership with Providence Equity Partners, Qatar Holding, and other investors
• Oak View Group in its redevelopment of the Seattle Key Arena and bringing an NHL team to Seattle
• Azoff MSG Entertainment in the formation of LaneOne, a joint venture with Live Nation Entertainment
• Platinum Equity Advisors in its acquisition of:
  • Cision Ltd., a global provider of software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals
  • The water care business of Lonza Group AG
  • Highway Toll Administration, an electronic toll collection and technology company
• F45 Training in its acquisition agreement with Crescent Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company
• La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company in its acquisition of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals
• AmaWaterways, a luxury river cruising company, in its partnership with travel and hospitality investor group Certares LP
• Array Technologies in its sale to Oaktree Capital’s GFI Energy Group
• Otter Media, an internet video joint venture between The Chernin Group and AT&T, in its acquisition of a majority stake of Fullscreen, a multichannel network
• Aurora Capital Partners in its acquisition of:
  • Petroleum Service Corporation, a product handling and site logistic services provider
  • Zywave, a provider of insurance brokerage software solutions
  • National Technical Systems, a provider of environmental simulation testing, inspection, and certification solutions
• Technicolor in:
  • the sale of the transactional streaming service M-Go to online ticketing service Fandango
  • the acquisition by TiVo of Digitalsmiths, a provider of TV and movie content discovery recommendation services
• Group Health Cooperative in its acquisition by Kaiser Permanente
• The Sports Authority in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy, including the sale of its IP portfolio and e-commerce platform to Dick’s Sporting Goods
• CVC Capital Partners and Leonard Green & Partners in the sale of Leslie’s Holdings, Inc. to a group led by L Catterton
• The Artémis Group, parent company of Château Latour and Christie’s Auction House, in its acquisition of Araujo Estate Wines
• GI Partners in the sale of Duckhorn Wine Company to TSG Consumer Partners
• The Rubicon Project in its acquisition of iSocket, Inc., a provider of automated online advertising solutions
• Motorsport Aftermarket Group in its merger with Tucker Rocky/Biker’s Choice, a motorsport distribution company
• Leslie’s Poolmart in e-commerce and retail acquisitions including:
  • Nationwide Group Service, Inc. and NPS Pool Supply, LLC, online retailers of pool and spa products
  • Pool Supply World, Inc., an online pool and spa retailer
  • Warehouse Pools, Inc., a pool and spa retailer
• March Capital in its investment in Morty
• Eminence Capital in its investments in:
  • xAD d/b/a GroundTruth, a location-based marketing and advertising platform
  • Quartzy, a laboratory management platform
  • Comprehend Systems, a clinical intelligence and cloud software company
• Alpha Edison in its investments in:
  • The Baby Box Company, a provider of newborn starter kits and parent education programs
  • Emagispace, a modular construction company
• Acumen Fund in its investment in:
  • Sanergy, a provider of waste management services in East Africa

Capabilities

• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Emerging Companies / Venture Capital
• Media, Entertainment, and Technology
• Private Equity

Credentials

Education:

• Harvard University - 2011 Juris Doctor
• University of Cambridge - 2008 Master of Philosophy
• Harvard University - 2007 Bachelor of Arts

Admissions:

• California Bar
• New York Bar

Clerkships:

• US Court of Appeals, 1st Circuit, Hon. Sandra Lynch, 2011 - 2012