What we do
Dev
Project and venture development
Structuring a film, media project, or venture so it can be financed and produced. Business model, budget and waterfall design, partner and stakeholder coordination.
Cap
Capital readiness
Preparing a project or company to raise. Financial models, capitalization scenarios, diligence preparation, and investor materials, working alongside counsel.
IP
Rights and IP commercialization
The business strategy around life rights, adaptation, and licensing. What to acquire, what it is worth, and how it should be structured.
Part
Partnerships and sponsorship
Brand, institutional, and philanthropic partnerships. Identifying them, structuring the economics, and getting them across the line.
Who we work with Choose one to begin
How we work
First call
What you are building, where it currently sits, and what is in the way.
Scope, in writing
What the work covers, what it does not, and what you will hold at the end.
The work
Structuring, modelling, and coordination, alongside your counsel and your team.
Ryan Lake Principal
Ryan Lake founded Beyond the Playbook to do the business work behind sports and entertainment projects.
He advises on capital structure, deal economics, rights strategy, and project execution across film, media, and sports ventures.
He teaches Sports and Entertainment Law at the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, and holds a J.D., an LL.M., and dual MBAs from Cornell and Queen's.
Start a project
Tell us what you are building.
One person reads this. You will get a straight answer about whether it is work we should be doing together.
Beyond the Playbook LLC provides business advisory services and is not a law firm.
© 2026 Beyond the Playbook LLC