Wendy Bernfeld

Originally from Montreal and based in Europe since 1991, Wendy has over 25 years of experience in film, Pay TV, and VOD channel startups, curation, and program acquisitions. She began her career as an entertainment lawyer,  practicing with top firms in Toronto and serving as Law Clerk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court , before moving away from law to the business side: senior acquisition, distribution and management roles across international networks.

Before founding her company Rights Stuff in 1999, she was CEO of Canal+ International Acquisitions, overseeing multiterritory, multi-platform deals and new channel launches. She specialized in studio output deals and international indie films. Her earlier roles included M.D. at Alliance-Atlantis and SVP at The Movie Network (Canada). Wendy holds an LL.B./J.D. from Queen’s University, after B.A./M.B.A.studies at McGill and the University of Toronto.

A frequent lecturer and writer on digital media, she sits on several advisory boards and was named one of the ‘Brave Thinkers of Indie Film’ in 2010 by Oscarwinner Ted Hope.

Rights Stuff

Rights Stuff is a boutique consulting film and digital agency, founded in 1999 and based in Amsterdam, specializing in content strategy, curation, acquisition, and distribution for both traditional and digital media platforms. These include Pay TV, mobile, and VOD / OTT services (SVOD, AVOD, FAST, etc.).

The company works across a broad range of formats, including Originals deals (short- and long-form content) as well as cross-platform and interactive projects. Rights Stuff draws on Wendy’s comprehensive database of international Pay TV, VOD, and streaming platform buyers.

In brief, the company operates in two main ways:

1. Platform-side consulting
   When working with international platforms before their launch or during expansion into new territories, Rights Stuff curates world cinema and television content and manages the full process through to sourcing and negotiating with rightsholders.

2. Producer / creator-side consulting
   When working with producers, creators, sales agents, or festivals, Rights Stuff helps them identify and access alternative or additional buyers and funders beyond the traditional “usual suspects” or the Big Five streamers such as Netflix or Amazon. This includes competitor platforms (cable, telecom, OTT services) as well as complementary platforms (arthouse, documentary, and niche genre services) that also acquire or finance films but are often less widely known.

Rights Stuff also provides industry training, including pragmatic workshops and panels on topics such as The Art of Negotiation.

Since 2024, the company has also been active in content licensing and rights management for “Ethical AI” internal training systems.