Daniel founded W.E.L in 2021 to provide all NZ Screen Industry participants improved access to expert legal advice. W.E.L delivers top-value expert legal services that are accessible to all, plus a level of care that equips and empowers clients. W.E.L secures your legal needs, while building business capability and industry acumen. Daniel specialises in industry legal advice, contract negotiation and drafting, & regulatory matters, and his clients include many emerging writers, producers, filmmakers, distributors, and major industry organisations. Besides the legal excellence & top client care, W.E.L has a further distinction among industry legal advisors: Daniel is quite unique in his lived experience as a professional screen-worker. Not just a legal advisor, but a legal advisor who gets it. Daniel's 'other' professional life is an extremely well regarded professional stage and screen actor. His notoriety began in 2016, performing a star turn to tens of thousands of people at the Pop Up Globe theatre, and garnering rave reviews from the public and critics alike. Since then he has appeared regularly on stage and screen in New Zealand and internationally (www.danielwatterson.com). Legal Career Highlights:Prior to founding W.E.L, Daniel was a former Barrister, Crown Prosecutor, Senior Solicitor, & Dispute Resolution Expert at a top tier law firm. In these roles he appeared regularly in Courts, Tribunals, and before juries, to argue complex commercial and criminal matters. He has been a Senior Investigator for a professional regulatory body, an advisor and board member for an arts organisation, a Contract Specialist for an on-demand legal services company, General Counsel for a tech start-up, and a legal consultant for one of NZ’s largest student associations. His passion for legal education is clearly evidenced: he has been a published legal author, Pegasus Scholar, and Legal Tutor employed by Victoria University. Daniel has also leveraged his interpersonal skills, technical acuity, understanding of story, and his sense of play, in various other ways. He has been the international brand ambassador, face and spokesperson for the international launch of a tech start-up, hosting client events at the largest tech conferences in the world including London Tech Week and Collision Conference. He has been a brand ambassador for established brands who want to re-invent themselves, such as KonicaMinolta at major conferences like CEBIT. He has been the voice and face for various commercial advertising campaigns.