Dear Members,
Welcome back! If you feel anything like me, you are just starting to re-emerge from the COVID-19 haze of the last year and a half. Some of us are returning to the office, some are permanently working from home, and some of us are still in flux. But in whatever form it takes, we’re back, and ready to emerge from our cocoons into our new normal.
This past Thursday, we had our first in-person social event at the Alley Lounge in Culver City. Co-hosted by LACBA ELIPS (the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Entertainment Law and Intellectual Property Section) and AMEC WWL (the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel’s Women Who Lead), it was clear that we missed each other, as there was a great turnout! We’re doing it again November 11 (6-7:30 PM) save the date! We hope to see you there.
We also have a slate of exciting CLEs scheduled (all by Zoom for the time being, and all co-sponsored by LACBA ELIPS & AMEC WWL, with other co-sponsorships as listed below). Although subject to change, here’s the current Fall lineup:
- October 28 (5:30PM-6:30 PM): Don’t be scared – be prepared! The Entertainment Industry Returns to Work: While the work hasn’t stopped throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it has changed. Join us for a timely roundtable with industry leaders on the issues facing the entertainment industry’s shifting employment and deal-making landscape. Rahwa Ghebre-Ab, EVP, Chief Ethics & Legal Compliance at Lionsgate will moderate a discussion with Michelle Strowhiro, Partner at McDermott Will & Emery and Jessica Johnson, National Director of Entertainment Contracts at SAG-AFTRA ranging from hybrid work to vaccine mandates to Return to Work agreements. This event qualifies for 1 Ethics CLE Credit in Ethics.
- November 1: (12:30-1:30 PM): The Future of Video Games: Augmented/Virtual Reality and NFTs:
Join Veda Cruz from Gearbox Software and Janna Smith from Facebook Reality Labs as Yen-Shyang Tseng of ESG Law moderates a lively discussion about their stellar experience in the industry, and recent developments, including AR/VR and blockchain/NFTs in games, and the unique legal issues, benefits, and downsides of these and other developments.
- November 4: Techtainment 7.0 (LACBA and AMEC members receive discounted rates!)
- November 30: (12:30-1:30 PM): The Good, The Bad, and the NiFTy: The Wild West of NFTS, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and IP Rights: Learn all about NFTs blockchain and cryptocurrency, how they are different from but co-exist with each other, and are creating a new wild west for many different segments of the entertainment industry. Panelists include Eva Feder, SVP, Business and Legal Affairs at Lionsgate and Jason Vogel, Partner at Kilpatrick, Townsend and Stockton. (Stay tuned for more details!)
*Also co-sponsored by the Santa Monica Bar Association
- December 14: (12:30-1:30 PM): Data Privacy and the Communications Decency Act:
Stephen Kelly, Attorney at Cypress LLP and other legal leaders bring us up to speed on all of the national and global changes and how they will impact our business. (Additional announcements to come!)
*Also co-sponsored by LACBA’s Privacy Section
This is your organization! Please let us know if there are CLE topics you’d like to see covered, or perhaps there is a topic that you would like to present? How about submitting an article for publication in the LACBA ELIPS journal? We also sponsor social and networking events, and encourage sponsorships from other organizations. We hope that you will join us in person and by zoom, and propose ideas for fun ways to gather and build our networks, and informative events to increase our knowledge. I am thrilled to work with, and hopefully to see many of you soon!
Sincerely,
Grace Duplissea
grace@duplissea.com