Kelly Crabb reportedly has negotiated contracts for Paul McCartney, Dave Matthews and Muhammad Ali. A week ago, the Los Angeles entertainment attorney added another celebrity to his client list: Elizabeth Smart.
Actually, it is her parents who hired Crabb to help them screen movie and book proposals about Elizabeth's abduction and remarkable return. According to his firm's Web site, Crabb's areas of practice include motion picture, television and other programming production and financing; composer agreements, personal appearances and motion picture distribution.
"These kind of contracts are very specialized," said Smart family spokesman Chris Thomas, and Kelly Crabb "has an impressive resume."
Not to mention Utah connections.
Crabb received bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University before earning a law degree from Columbia University in 1984. He worked for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee -- experience that helped his current firm, Morrison & Foerster, land a contract with the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games.
Crabb was in Boston and could not be reached for comment.
The Smarts' top priority is negotiating the story rights for a television movie to counter "unauthorized" versions of Elizabeth's abduction that may already be in the works. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported that some producers and networks have lost interest in doing the story. Specifically, NBC has reportedly backed away from a plan to air a movie about the Smarts in May during ratings sweeps.
Thomas, however, said none of the producers or network representatives angling for the exclusive rights to tell the Smarts' story has called to take themselves out of the running, including those with ties to NBC.
"We've had at least a dozen meetings in the last week with producers, and family members met with executives at two networks and all of them have been calling ferociously to find out what their status is," Thomas said. "The family wants to be thorough and it's driving some people crazy."
Meanwhile, David Smart, Elizabeth's uncle, will participate Monday in a panel discussion on "How the Media Treated Me" at the Radio and Television News Directors Association convention in Las Vegas. Smart said other panelists include people thrust into the spotlight by tragedy, such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the 1996 ValuJet crash in the Florida Everglades.
Smart said the most frustrating part of the experience was the amount of inaccurate -- and often salacious -- information with which the family was confronted.
"It can be pretty ugly at times. But overall, the family was willing to take it and to do whatever it took to get her back," Smart said Friday. "Our goal was to keep the media involved and the public involved, and in the end that is what brought her home."
Even as Elizabeth Smart's family works to finalize a movie and book deal within the next couple of weeks, the teen kidnap victim has now begun to reclaim her life outside the home.
Family spokesman Chris Thomas said that being able to announce that a movie is being produced with the family's cooperation could stop some unauthorized versions of their story from getting a green light, or at least limit their appeal to viewers.
"It just kills the momentum a little bit," he told the Deseret News Saturday.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth, an accomplished harpist, performed for the first time in public at the funeral of a family friend on Friday, Thomas said. She has also been to an area mall, skiing and to a dance performance, he said.
"She's trying to do the normal things a 15-year-old would do," he said. "She's doing very well."
People who recognized Elizabeth on those outings were respectful of her privacy, Thomas said, adding that she has received thousands of letters and packages, more than she will be able to personally acknowledge.
The family is sifting through multiple movie and book offers with the help of an entertainment lawyer in California they hired just over a week ago, Thomas said.
Thomas said he's heard from television network executives as well as other entertainment industry officials that the family should move quickly to choose someone to tell the story of the 15-year-old girl's abduction and return.
"They're telling us time is of the essence and a decision needs to be made in the next two or three weeks," Thomas said. "It's a matter of finding someone you trust and are comfortable with."
The Smart family hadn't planned on selling the rights to Elizabeth's story but decided they wanted to make sure it's told the right way, Thomas said.
"Either they do it or someone will do an unauthorized version," he said.
He declined to detail what offers the family is considering, including the amount of money being discussed. According to the Los Angeles Times, industry sources have speculated that the Smart family could make up to $500,000 from Elizabeth's story.
The newspaper also reported this past week that some producers and networks have lost interest in the project because negotiations are taking too long, citing NBC as an example. The network reportedly has back away from a proposed movie set for May.
Still, Thomas said there are plenty of people vying for the rights.
"I'm working 14- to 16-hour days right now, and I can't keep these guys away," he said. "A number of producers and other folks have met directly with Ed and/or Lois."
Ed and Lois Smart, Elizabeth's parents, are also reviewing the work of some of the leading contenders. That includes made-for-television movies as well as books. Thomas said the same person or company may be hired to produce both a movie and a book.
The family, which has been very protective of Elizabeth since she was found in Sandy on March 12, is trying to maintain as much control as possible of the project. "It's very, very difficult to negotiate creative control," Thomas said.
Elizabeth's alleged abductors, Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee, have been charged with aggravated sexual assault as well as aggravated kidnapping and burglary. Mitchell reportedly took Elizabeth as his polygamist bride.
The lawyer hired by the family to help with the negotiations is Kelly Crabb, a partner in the Los Angeles-area office of Morrison & Foerster. Crabb is no stranger to Utah. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University.
Crabb also did work for the Salt Lake Organizing Committee while at another firm. He is fluent in Japanese and has handled financing, production and content work for clients in Japan, Canada, the United States and Europe.
Again...I'm not meaning to criticize...
"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....
If you want on or off this list, please let me know!
Smart Family Robinson
This is very sad. Why is the father doing this to her? Why is he planning to exploit her ordeal? This is just TOO MUCH. Please let the girl just get on with her life, and move away from that horrible ordeal.
I've said it from day one: This family is one sick bunch.