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Summer 2020
Adapting to COVID-19
Like all of you, we at the Ziffren Institute have been working hard to adapt to the professional and personal challenges posed by the ongoing global health pandemic. For us, the implications have included a complete ban on in-person classes, and a complete ban on all of our in-person programming. That said, as the notes below make clear, we have done our best to persevere. We are socially distanced, to be sure, but through online programming we continue to challenge current students, offer personal and professional support to recent graduates, and connect all of you both to UCLA and, hopefully, to one another. We look forward to the day we can return to campus, and in the meantime wish all of you both health and peace during this trying period.
Entertainment Symposium Goes Virtual
Originally scheduled for March 20-21, 2020, the 44th Annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium was ultimately reimagined as a webinar series this summer. Specifically, the multi-panel event took place over four weeks from July 22 to August 12, culminating with Keynote Speaker Bryan Lourd, Managing Partner and Co-Chairman of CAA. Each night of the series featured two panel discussions on critical topics facing the entertainment industry today.
Kicking off the series, night one featured Tom Wolzien’s annual overview of the current state of the industry—an in-depth comparison of the current “streaming wars”—and ended with a panel discussion on how the industry is enduring through the COVID-19 pandemic. Night two featured two robust panels: one on the new world order of backend deals, and the other being the newly instated John H. Mitchell Panel on Ethics and Entertainment, which discussed at length the ethical responsibilities for lawyers advising journalists and media companies. The series’ third night included discussions on the relationships between unions, talent and producers, followed by an impactful discussion on racial equity in the sports and entertainment industry in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The final night of the series featured a panel discussion on the growing market of social media influencers, capped off by the keynote with CAA’s Bryan Lourd. Coverage of Lourd’s keynote was featured in Variety, Deadline and TheWrap.
With an average viewership of 800 attendees each
night, the series was widely celebrated for continuing to offer relevant and poignant content, and maintaining the integrity of the annual event. The efforts to move the Entertainment Symposium could not have been accomplished without the generous support of its sponsors, as well as the generosity and flexibility of the UCLA Entertainment Symposium Advisory Committee.
Life Before COVID-19
Before the Safer-at-Home order went into effect, the Ziffren Institute was able to host a robust lineup of in-person events for students. Below are a few highlights.
Top Disney Executive Shares Corner Office Insights
On February 27, the Ziffren Institute welcomed Bernardine Brandis ’78, Executive Vice President of Business Affairs at The Walt Disney Company, as the special guest for the latest installment of the Lunch with the Corner Office program, under the newly instituted John H. Mitchell Visiting Scholar initiative. Brandis led students on a wide-ranging discussion of the ever-changing nature of the entertainment business and imparted
valuable advice to the students, many of whom hope to follow in her distinguished footsteps.
Young Alums Return to Campus
On February 6, the Ziffren Institute hosted, for the third consecutive year, its 5 Years Out event. This student-favorite event welcomed back five members of the Class of 2014, all of whom are already enjoying successful careers in the entertainment business, to speak candidly with students about both their law school experiences and their careers. Susan Akens, Executive Director of the Ziffren Institute, moderated the panel that included Ashley Berk, counsel at NBCUniversal Entertainment & Lifestyle Group; Daniel Gibbons, senior counsel at DreamWorks Animation;
From left: Allen Secretov, Daniel Gibbons, Ashley Berk, Jonathan Sauer and Gabriella Nourafchan.
Gabriella Nourafchan, associate at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp; Jonathan Sauer, associate at Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; and Allen Secretov, associate at Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert. Following the panel discussion, the panelists joined students for a catered networking reception where students were able to ask follow-up questions and exchange contact information.
Also in February, the Ziffren Institute hosted the latest installment of its Supplemental Practical Legal Education (SPLE) series, on February 26. This time, students were treated to a presentation by O’Melveny & Myers LLP attorneys Evie Whiting and Christopher Anderson ’17, who discussed the importance and intricacies of copyright chain of title in their presentation, “Who Owns This Movie: Understanding Copyright Chain of Title in Entertainment Transactions.”
Coming Soon...
Jonathan Anschell (left) and Hal Biagas.
Two new courses bring industry leaders to UCLA Law for the 2020-21 academic year. Jonathan Anschell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of ViacomCBS, will teach the John H. Mitchell Signature Course on Ethics and Entertainment, “Harmonizing Hollywood: Entertainment Disputes, Ethics and Peacemaking.” Meanwhile, Hal Biagas ’90, Executive Director of NALCS Players Association (League of Legends), will teach “Esports: The Legal and Business
Evolution.”
Further, our Fall 2020 slate of events is scheduled to kick-off with the ever-popular One Year Out panel on September 10, which this year features alumni panelists from the Class of 2019 who are practicing in media and entertainment. These recent grads will share their experiences and career insights one year removed from law school. Panelists will include Bess Benhamou, Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher
& Flom, LLP; Blake Leeper, Mark Music & Media Law, P.C.; Elias Patlakas (LL.M), The Jim Henson Company; Max Patton, 20th Century Studios; Blaine Roth, Allen & Overy LLP; Lawrence Traylor, Jr., Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.
Additionally, the Ziffren Institute’s first SPLE for the semester will offer real-world training on what to expect as a junior-level associate working at a boutique talent firm in the music industry. The presentation will feature associates Brent Canter ’14 and Brigitte Alanis ’18 from King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano, LLP.
Students Take Top Honors at Recording Academy
Entertainment Law Initiative chair Kenneth Abdo (left) congratulates UCLA Law student Christopher Chiang ’20 on his winning essay.
Christopher Chiang ’20 and Graham Fenton ’20 took 1st and 2nd prize, respectively, in the national 22nd Annual Entertainment Law Initiative Writing Competition and were honored at a number of red-carpet events during Grammy Awards week. For his winning paper, “Copyright Protection Designed for Music’s Illusory Innovation Space: A Sliding Scale Framework of Broad to Thin Protection,” Chiang was awarded a $10,000 scholarship and invited to attend the Grammy Awards show and the MusiCares Person of the Year gala. As runner-up for his paper, “Taming the Ticket
Market: How a Closed Ticketing System Can Beat Back Scalpers and Recapture Lost Revenue,” Fenton was awarded a $2,500 scholarship. Both students were honored at the Entertainment Law Initiative luncheon attended by the nation’s top music attorneys and executives.
Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law
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