Labor and Employment Law in the Motion Picture and Television Industries (2024 Sports & Entertainment Law Section Program)

1:30 Welcome and Introductions

1:35 Employment 101 for Entertainment Legal Professionals

Lindsey Wagner, Moxie Mediation & Wagner Law, Los Angeles, CA

Dive into everything from worker classification and multistate production challenges to the intricacies of work-related contracts, including confidentiality provisions and work-for-hire terms, as our speaker gives us the down and dirty in this employment law 101 for entertainment. We also tackle compliance with wage and hour laws, equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, providing a legal framework essential for navigating labor and employment intricacies in the film and television industries.

3:05 Break

3:15 Lights, Camera, Industry Shutdown! Key Takeaways From the 2023 Guild Negotiations

Danielle Van Lier, Solo Practitioner, Los Angeles, CA

Join us as we discuss the historic 2023 strikes of both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA — the longest strike in SAG-AFTRA history at 118 days — resulting from the tumultuous negotiations of the Film & Television Collective Bargaining Agreements of all three major entertainment unions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Learn about the key provisions that resulted from these negotiations, their impact on the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Agreement, and their potential impact on producers and talent alike, as well as some forecasting for future collective bargaining agreements.

4:45 Adjourn

Thank you

Thank you for joining us for Labor and Employment Law in the Motion Picture and Television Industries (2024 Sports & Entertainment Law Section Program).

Description

While every sector of the workforce deals with labor and employment law issues, this area of law in the motion picture and television industries presents several unique and industry-specific challenges and concerns — and it even has its own lingo!

In the summer of 2023, the motion picture and television industries came to a practical standstill as both the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike, and the nation watched and began discussing some of the key labor and employment issues of the motion picture and television industries.

Join the NCBA's Sports & Entertainment Law Section and their invited speakers as they explore employment contracts, guilds, and the collective bargaining agreements that are a critical component of every entertainment legal professional's practice.

Contributors

Christy A. Coates

Christy A. Coates is a trademark attorney with Chestek Legal in Raleigh. She has experience in the entertainment and music industries, customer service, operations management and touring. Her focus is on entertainment law and intellectual property law including trademark, copyrights, licensing, media law and contracts.

Christy also works as a Production Assistant with CID Entertainment working for multiple tours with acts that include Eric Church, The Kings of Leon, Alternative Press Music Awards, Dirks Bentley, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan and Kenney Chesney.

Christy is an active member in the North Carolina Bar Association, where she serves as both a co-chair of continuing legal education for the Sports and Entertainment Law Section and as a member of the Women in the Profession Committee. She is also an active member in the International Trademark Association (INTA) where she serves on the UNREAL Campaign Committee.

Christy earned her B.A. in Marketing and Management from Lenoir-Rhyne University and her J.D. from University of North Carolina School of Law.

Click here for more information about Christy.
Danielle Van Lier

Danielle Van Lier is a solo practitioner in Los Angeles, CA. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Southwestern Law School. She is an intellectual property, technology, and transactional attorney with special expertise in artificial intelligence and its impact on creative professionals.

Danielle was assistant general counsel, intellectual property and contracts at SAG-AFTRA. She was responsible for managing SAG-AFTRA's third-party contracts and intellectual property, as well as other efforts aimed at protecting the rights of SAG-AFTRA and its members.

Danielle has written several amicus curiae briefs on behalf of SAG-AFTRA and other parties in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the California Supreme Court on issues such as rights of publicity, copyright, and the California Talent Agencies Act.

Danielle earned her B.A. in Japanese Language, Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara and her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where she served on the Journal of Urban and Contemporary Law and also pursued a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies. In 2019, she earned an LL.M with Merit in Innovation, Technology, and the Law through University of Edinburgh.

Click here for more information about Danielle.
Lindsey Wagner

Lindsey Wagner is an Employment Mediator, Neutral Workplace Investigator, Workplace Trainer and Arbitrator with Moxie Mediation & Wagner Law in Los Angeles, CA. Her mission with Moxie Mediation is to be an agent of positive change by offering workplace training and ethical investigations that deter costly litigation while providing creative resolutions when needed through mediation services.

Lindsey served as an associate at an insurance litigation firm before launching her labor and employment law career with Scott Wagner and Associates PA. She represented clients in Florida, California, and Ohio, specializing in employment litigation, arbitration, and counseling on workplace matters. With a successful track record in state and federal courts, Lindsey's proactive mediation approach has resolved complex cases.

Committed to community service, Lindsey actively participates in various legal associations and serves as a mediator for California Lawyers for the Arts and the U.S. Central District Court of California panel for the 2022-2024 term as well as a Pro Bono Mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) Cleveland, OH office.

Lindsey earned her B.A. in Political Science and Journalism from Miami University and her J.D., with a concentration in International Law, from Stetson University. She studied in Spain and the UK during her academic journey and later received a Certificate in Health and Hospital Law from Seton Hall School of Law. She also earned a Certificate in Mediating Disputes from Harvard Law School.

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Alexa M. Whiteside

Alexa M. Whiteside is Vice President, Business Affairs at Hearst Media Production Group in Charlotte.

Alexa's background includes experience in entertainment law, working with Netflix, Peacock, Discovery+, Freeform,CNN, Sony Pictures Television and the Sundance Institute. In addition, she was a filmmaker and holds credits as an independent producer, unit production manager and casting associate, among other roles.

Alex was formerly with Ramo Law, a Los Angeles and New York-based entertainment law firm specializing in production and distribution, where she was senior associate attorney, providing general outside counsel and business affairs guidance for a wide array of clients.

Alexa is chair of the Sports & Entertainment Law section of the North Carolina Bar Association and on the Pro-Bono Awards Sub-Committee of the North Carolina Bar Foundation; she was recognized in 2021 for her pro bono efforts by the North Carolina Bar Association.

Alexa earned her B.F.A., with honors, in Film and Television Production from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Southwestern Law School. She earned a Advanced Business Certificate, Business Administration and Management, General from Columbia University.

Click here for more information about Alexa.

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Certificate of Completion and Archived Video: Your certificate of completion and archived video will be available approximately two weeks of the program date and can be found in your CLE account. MCLE credit is available to registrants only on the day(s) of the live event. This archived content is offered solely for review purposes and is not a substitute for live attendance.

Thank you

Description

Contributors

Christy A. Coates

Danielle Van Lier

Lindsey Wagner

Alexa M. Whiteside