Niki Frangos Tuttle: Denver lawyer's work runs from pro sports to Oprah.

• Author: Bronikowski, Lynn
• Position: EXECUTIVE edge

ON NEW YEAR'S EVE 2010, DENVER lawyer Niki Frangos Tuttle worked into the night on an intriguing television deal before arriving late to a dinner party chock full of celebrities.

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It was the launch party for the Oprah Winfrey Network, and the partner in Hogan Levells' Denver office had just cemented programming contracts for the network that would go live the next day.

"Oprah got up out of her chair and said, 'I know who you are,' gave me a big hug and thanked me for helping her with her network," Tuttle said. "She is a very gracious and genuine woman and it was a unique opportunity to work on something that was her vision--a network that embodied who she is and what she believed in. To be associated with something that's about wellness, living a healthy lifestyle and having a positive self-image was just wonderful."

Since 1990 when she represented then-cable giant Tele-Communications Inc., Tuttle has been representing content providers and content distributors with an emphasis on programming. She's worked with many of the major networks and cable companies and represents sports teams in media rights and sponsorship deals. She's negotiated cable, broadcast and radio contracts for Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League.

"I represented the Colorado Rockies when they did their cable, television and radio deals," said Tuttle, a Denver native who did undergraduate work and earned her law degree at the University of Colorado. "To be there on opening day when Eric Young hit that first home run was a very exciting time."

When she started negotiating contracts, there was no such thing as an iPod, video on demand, DVR recording or even the proliferation of networks that exist today. She keeps up with new media through trade publications and by attending industry shows.

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