Welcome to Bortz Entertainment Law!

With over four decades of experience, publisher and attorney Bruce L. Bortz combines deep literary expertise with Hollywood savvy. Bortz Entertainment Law vets manuscripts, introduces them to Hollywood players, negotiates major film and television deals, and strategically guides compelling narratives from the page to the screen.

For more than thirty years, Bruce L. Bortz has carved a unique and influential path

through the literary and entertainment landscapes. As the founder of Bancroft Press, he

has combined decades of multifaceted media experience with a discerning editorial eye

to create a publishing house that not only produces critically acclaimed books but also

serves as a vital conduit to Hollywood. His career is a testament to a deep, abiding

passion for storytelling, matched by an unparalleled expertise in bringing those stories

to the widest possible audience, whether in print or on screen.

Bruce L. Bortz is a classic generalist, driven by an insatiable curiosity and armed with an incomparable background in writing, editing, and publishing. His formidable

academic credentials—an undergraduate degree in political science from Johns

Hopkins University, a master’s in broadcast journalism from Boston University, and a

law degree from the University of Maryland—laid the groundwork for a career that has

touched nearly every corner of the media world. 

A lawyer since 1978, Bortz's early career included helping to found "7 on Your Side,"he

consumer investigation unit at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. , and serving as Assistant

Bar Counsel to the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland in the early 1980s,

where he handled client complaints against lawyers. During this period, he also founded

a program to help repeat failures pass the Maryland Bar Exam, with an 80 percent

success rate.

Long before founding Bancroft Press in 1992, Bortz built a robust career that saw him

working in television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. He has been a managing

editor, a news writer for a network affiliate, a public affairs director, a political analyst,

and a campaign director. As a freelance writer, his work has appeared in publications like Legal Times and the National Journal. For a time, he was a columnist for the Baltimore Sun and the Baltimore Evening Sun as well as a regular book reviewer for the Baltimore Sunday Sun. This diverse experience, coupled with his legal training, has given him a holistic understanding of what makes a story resonate—a skill that has proven invaluable in the world of book publishing. His journey reflects a singular focus on the power of narrative, which he has channeled into editing nearly 200 books and ghostwriting a half-dozen more.