UCLA Entertainment Symposium


Bringing entertainment leaders and professionals together each year.

49th Annual UCLA Entertainment Symposium

Hollywood ’25: Survive or Thrive



The Annual Entertainment Symposium is a flagship event for the entertainment industry, bringing leading lawyers, executives, agents, managers and producers, together with students for candid discussions on subjects at the forefront of the industry. Conversations during this conference have ranged from lively debate over the changing landscape of the entertainment business, to shared insights on planning for the success of original content in a vast digital landscape, and perspectives on filmmaking in newly developing markets. Panelists regularly include top entertainment lawyers and key executives from studios and production companies, along with leaders from digital and independent companies.

For any questions or further inquiries please email ziffreninstitute@law.ucla.edu.

Ticketing

Registration: $450 (not tax-deductible)

Program

  • Symposium Program

    Hollywood ’25: Survive or Thrive

    49th Annual Entertainment Symposium

    Friday, June 27, 2025 | Schoenberg Hall, UCLA

    Dana WaldenKeynote: Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment

    Hollywood ’25: Survive or Thrive confronts a defining moment for the entertainment industry. In a year marked by rapid disruption—AI’s reckoning, production flight from Hollywood, and the shifting ethics of defamation law—this year’s Entertainment Symposium brings together the key players shaping what’s next. Anchored by a keynote conversation with Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company, the day features urgent, incisive discussions on crisis management on set, the monetization of creative IP in the age of generative AI, and whether California can reclaim its role as the heart of global production. As business, creative and legal stakeholders grapple with industry headwinds, this is where strategy meets survival, and where a path to thriving hopes to emerge.


     

    9:30 to 9:35 AM (PDT)

    Welcome & Dean's Remarks

    Presenter:

    • Dean Michael Waterstone, Dean and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law

     

    9:40 to 10:25 AM (PDT)

    The Future of Content in the Post Pay TV World

    Presenter:

    • Michael Nathanson, Founder, MoffetNathanson

    Follow-up discussion with:

    • Lucas Shaw, Managing Editor, Bloomberg News; interviewed by Elsa Ramo, Founding and Managing Partner, RAMO

    CA General MCLE Credit: 0.75 Hour
    NY Areas of Professional Practice Credit: 0.5 Hour


     

    10:30 to 11:25 AM (PDT)

    Hollywood v. the World: Competing Incentives and the Future of Production

    Are empty Hollywood sound stages the new normal? Hollywood has traditionally been the center of the universe when it comes to making top quality film and television shows. And the United States remains the dominant market with respect to the consumption of content. In recent years, however, fewer productions are actually produced on the stages of Hollywood studios. As the studios and independent producers chase tax credits in other states and foreign countries, has Los Angeles lost its luster as the film production capital of the world? Many states and countries continue to lure productions with aggressive tax credits, infrastructure investments and workforce training programs—at LA’s expense. What can we do to keep the production and jobs in California that bring in billions to the local economy? Is it too late?  This panel will assess the path forward to return film and TV production to California, and what real reforms are needed to stay competitive.

    Moderator:

    • Sophia Yen, Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

    Panelists:

    • Ali Jazayeri, Managing Director, Head of Global Lending, TPC
    • Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom, Director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
    • Hal SadoffProducer | Strategic Advisor in Media & Entertainment

    CA General MCLE Credit: 1.0 Hour
    NY Areas of Professional Practice Credit: 1.0 Hour


     

    11:25 AM to 11:35 AM (PDT)

    Networking Break


     

    11:35 AM to 12:35 PM (PDT)

    Keynote: Dana Walden

    • Dana Walden, Co-Chairman, Disney Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company
    • Ken Ziffren ’65, Partner & Co-Founder, Ziffren Brittenham LLP

    CA General MCLE Credit: 1.0 Hour
    NY Areas of Professional Practice Credit: 1.0 Hour


     

    12:35 to 1:45 PM (PDT)

    Lunch & Networking Break


     

    1:45 to 1:55 PM (PDT)

    A Few Words about Tumult

    Presenter:

    • Doug Lichtman, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law & Faculty Director, Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law

     

    2:00 to 2:55 PM (PDT)

    With Reckless Disregard: The Evolution & Ethics of Defamation Claims in a Polarized Era
    The John H. Mitchell Panel on Ethics and Entertainment 

    As our society becomes more polarized and media scrutiny intensifies, high-profile defamation cases are pushing the limits of legal ethics, public discourse and constitutional protections. Our panel of experts will dive into the world of media and celebrity defamation litigation, exploring the delicate—and often explosive—balance between zealous advocacy and ethical responsibility. This discussion will also spotlight the growing movement to challenge New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that gave us the “actual malice” standard that insulates publishers from many defamation claims. Is Sullivan still good law—or good enough?  Or does the actual malice standard enable publishers to go to press with thinly researched stories that fail under the weight of factual scrutiny? And what are the ethical responsibilities of attorneys that vet these stories prior to publication to ensure truthfulness and accuracy and once published, must litigate these claims when they turn out to be untrue and damaging to their subjects?  This panel will examine the crossroads among law, ethics, media and free speech to find balance between truth, reputation and the First Amendment.  

    Moderator:

    • Eriq Gardner, Founding Partner, Puck

    Panelists:

    • Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., Partner, Gibson Dunn
    • Selina MacLaren, Lead Counsel, ABC News
    • Camille Vasquez, Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

    CA Legal Ethics MCLE Credit: 1.0 Hour
    NY Ethics and Professionalism Credit: 1.0 Hour


     

    3:00 to 3:55 PM (PDT)

    Entertainment First Aid Kit: Crisis Prevention, Protection, Management & Mitigation

    There’s been a development on set, perhaps a terrible accident or a conflict between performer and director and one of them has walked, or some other calamity. Now what? This panel will discuss how to manage and mitigate production risk through contractual protections including how to insure against catastrophic losses, what to look for in the so-called boilerplate, the types of insurance available and other strategies that may save the project. And what to do if you find yourself in the position of having to deal with an accident on set, an insurance claim or a shutdown. Whether you are or represent the leading talent on a Hollywood franchise, the studio trying to meet a network air date, or  the financier on an indie film, what should you do and when should you do it if and when the unexpected, and unfortunate, happens during production.  

    Moderator:

    • Dori Lerner, Senior Vice President, LBW Insurance and Financial Services, Inc.

    Panelists:

    • Yolanda T. Cochran, Head of Production, Imagine Entertainment and Jax Media
    • Bryan Freedman, Founding Partner, Liner Freedman Taitelman + Cooley, LLP
    • Dan Stutz, Owner, Stutz Law Corp.

    CA General MCLE Credit: 1.0 Hour
    NY Areas of Professional Practice Credit: 1.0 Hour


     

    3:55 to 4:10 PM (PDT)

    Networking Break - Schoenberg Hall Terrace

    UCLA Law Alumni Networking - Room 1325


     

    4:10 to 5:05 PM (PDT)

    To License or Not to License: Is That the AI Question?

    Who gets paid when AI gets trained? In the aftermath of copyright cases filed by authors and owners of intellectual property against generative AI companies that make platforms like ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic) and Cohere, a burgeoning licensing marketplace has emerged. Without surrendering completely, the theory and defense that free use protects against copyright claims for AI “training,” many AI companies have now begun to license content as source material to train AI models. Major players—from The Atlantic to News Corp., Vox Media, Shutterstock, and Reddit—are striking licensing deals with AI companies, ushering in an entirely new marketplace for content rights in the age of machine learning.  Behind the scenes, industry clearinghouses are forming to represent the interests of publishers, studios, songwriters, and other rights holders across every form of media. Join our experts as we unpack this fast-moving and high-stakes frontier in IP law and digital economics. We’ll explore the structure of these groundbreaking deals, what’s at stake for creators and tech giants alike, and how IP owners get paid for the use of their work in an AI-powered world.

    Moderator:

    • Andrew Wallenstein, President and Chief Media Analyst, Variety Intelligence Platform

    Panelists:

    • Trip Adler, Co-Founder & CEO, Created by Humans
    • Seth Goldstein, General Counsel & Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs, Music AI
    • Varun Shetty, Head of Media Partnerships, OpenAI

    CA General MCLE Credit: 1.0 Hour
    NY Areas of Professional Practice Credit: 1.0 Hour


     

    5:10 to 5:15 PM (PDT)

    Closing Remarks


     


    CA MCLE: You may earn up to 5.75 total MCLE credits (4.75 hours of General credit & 1 hour of Legal Ethics credit)

    NY MCLE: You may earn up to 5.50 total MCLE credits (4.5 hours of Areas of Professional Practice credit & 1 hour of Ethics and Professionalism credit)

    UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This session is approved for  5.75  hours of MCLE credit.

Guest Information

  • Check In & Badge Pick Up

    Badges are required for entry and can be picked up at the check in tables near the entrance of Schoenberg Hall. Check-in begins at 9:00 AM, and the event will start promptly at 9:30 AM. Refreshments and beverages will be available during this time.

    Schoenberg Hall is located in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

    Address: 445 Charles E. Young Dr. E, Los Angeles, CA 90095

    Entrance of Schoenberg Hall

  • Parking

    We recommend parking in UCLA Parking Structure 2 in the designated guest areas on Level 1. Daily permits are available for $15 at Self-Service Pay Stations near the guest areas. Schoenberg Hall is a short six-minute walk from Parking Structure 2.

    Directions to UCLA Parking Structure 2:

    Entrance of UCLA Parking Structure 2

  • Minimum Continuing Legal Education Credit (MCLE)

    To receive MCLE credit for the in-person session, forms must be submitted by July 27, 2025. We are unable to issue credit for submissions received after this deadline.

    QR codes linking to the MCLE attendance forms will be printed on the back of attendee badges and posted throughout the venue.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    • When will I receive my MCLE certificate?
      • Certificates will be emailed a few weeks after we verify your attendance and code word submissions. Please ensure your email address is correct on the form.
    • What if I missed a code word during a panel I attended?
      • You can review the on-demand video recordings to retrieve any missed code words.
    • What if I forgot to scan the QR code and didn’t complete the MCLE attendance form?
      • A follow-up email will be sent to all in-person attendees after the event with a link to the MCLE Attendance Form.
    • How many MCLE credits may I receive for attending?
      • CA MCLE: You may earn up to 5.75 total MCLE credits (4.75 hours of General credit & 1 hour of Legal Ethics credit).
        NY MCLE: You may earn up to 5.50 total MCLE credits (4.5 hours of Areas of Professional Practice credit & 1 hour of Ethics and Professionalism credit).

    Still have questions? Please contact the MCLE Team at mcle@law.ucla.edu.

  • On-Demand Recordings

    A recorded version of the Symposium will be available for on-demand viewing (not live) from approximately July 15 through October 1, 2025.

    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    • If I purchase an in-person ticket, will I have access to the on-demand recordings?
      • Yes. All in-person attendees will also receive access to the recorded sessions.
    • How do I access the recordings?
    • Can I receive MCLE credit for watching the on-demand recordings?
      • Yes. A separate MCLE attendance form will be sent to all attendees with on-demand access. The deadline to submit the On-Demand MCLE attendance form will be October 31, 2025.

    Need additional assistance? Please contact our team at Ziffreninstitute@law.ucla.edu

Sponsors

Entertainment Symposium Advisory Committee

  • Co-Chairs

    Elsa Ramo
    RAMO

    Craig Wagner
    Paradigm Talent Agency 

    Christa Workman

  • Members

    Tom K. Ara
    Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

    Barry Babok
    Babok & Robinson, LLP

    Hillary S. Bibicoff
    FEIG / FINKEL

    David Boyle
    David Boyle, APC

    Nancy A. Bruington
    Latham & Watkins, LLP

    Ann Brigid Clark
    Greenberg Traurig LLP

    Nick Coffman
    Creative Artists Agency

    Loan T. Dang ’00
    Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang

    E. Barry Haldeman ’69

    Michael A. Helfant ’83
    Loeb & Loeb, LLP

    Erik Hyman
    Paul Hastings, LLP

    Robb Klein
    Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

    Amy Lucas ’08
    O’Melveny & Myers LLP

    Glen G. Mastroberte ’02
    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

    Howard Meyers
    Focus Features

    Jamice Oxley
    Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox, LLP

    Robyn R. Polashuk ’94
    Covington & Burling LLP

    Benyamin S. Ross
    Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

    Michael S. Sherman
    Eisner LLP

    Christopher S. Spicer
    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

    Daniel R. Stutz
    Stutz Law Corp.

    Michael Waterstone (ex officio)
    Dean and Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law

    Sophia K. Yen
    Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

    Kenneth Ziffren ’65
    Partner & Co-Founder, Ziffren Brittenham LLP
    Adjunct Faculty

  • CHAIRPERSONS EMERITI

    Matthew C. Thompson
    Sidley Austin LLP

    Lawrence J. Ulman
    Retired, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP

     

  • Emeriti Members

    Roger Arar
    Loeb & Loeb LLP

    Jeffrey A. Barker ’93
    O’Melveny & Myers LLP

    Barbara Boyle ’60
    UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media

    Leigh Brecheen
    Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson, LLP

    Pamela Brockie ’75
    ICM Partners

    P. John Burke
    Retired / Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP

    Gary O. Concoff

    Jay Cooper
    Greenberg Traurig LLP

    Robert A. Darwell
    Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

    David C. Eisman ’93
    Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

    Bonnie Eskenazi
    Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP

    Ruth E. Fisher
    Retired / Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

    Keith G. Fleer
    Keith G. Fleer, A Professional Corporation

    John T. Frankenheimer ’73
    Loeb & Loeb LLP

    Jeffrey M. Freedman ’93
    Creative Artists Agency

    David R. Ginsburg
    Retired / Executive Director, Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Law Program, UCLA School of Law

    Susan A. Grode

    Nicholas La Terza
    The Point Media

    Michael H. Lauer

    Douglas Mark
    Mark Music & Media Law, P.C.

    Laurence M. Marks ’78
    Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP

    Charles Moore
    Wiggin LLP

    Lawrence P. Mortorff
    Trilogy Productions LLC

    Scott S. Packman
    SSP Partners LLC

    Matthew H. Saver ’78
    Law Offices of Matthew H. Saver

    Lois Scali ’86

    Steven Sills
    Green Hasson Janks LLP

    Shelly Sroloff ’76
    Creative Artists Agency

    Donald W. Steele
    Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox, LLP

    Todd M. Stern
    Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation

    Gary Stiffelman
    D’Amelio Brands LLC

    Robert M. Szymanski
    Eclipse Law Corporation

    Dirk van de Bunt ’82
    Executive Service Corps of Southern California

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