For Alexa Camarena ’14, the path to becoming counsel at Mattel, drawn by the company’s creative energy and successes like the Barbie movie, began with an unglamorous moment in high school: fainting at the sight of her own blood being drawn.

"I literally passed out. I was like, 'Well, there goes that dream' of becoming a doctor. So, there was lawyer left," Camarena recalls with a laugh.

What started out as a process of elimination has led to a successful career in entertainment law. Camarena’s journey includes overcoming uncertainty, facing insecurity, and making the kind of pivotal discoveries that can only happen when you're willing to take risks and trust the process.

Finding support and community as a first-generation student

As a first-generation college and law school student, Camarena arrived at UCLA School of Law without a clear roadmap. Fortunately, Camarena had been a member of the UCLA Law Fellows Program, and while she grappled with bouts of intense imposter syndrome, she now credits her Law Fellows mentors for guiding and encouraging her through these difficult periods.

“In those inevitable tough moments in law school, it's so easy to compare yourself to others, and to stop believing in yourself,” Camarena shares, reiterating advice she had once received from her own mentors through the Law Fellows Program. “Don't let anything hold you back, convince you that you can’t achieve something you want to achieve, or stop you from trying.”

Today, Camarena remains deeply connected to the UCLA Law community. She regularly mentors students, offering the same kind of encouragement she once received. "Even having a 30-minute call with a student who can hear and talk to somebody who was once in their position makes them feel a lot more at ease and a lot less alone," she says.

Discovering an interest in copyright law

Camarena’s pre-law experience had helped to rule out certain practice areas that didn’t necessarily interest her. Litigation was “definitely out,” but she wasn't sure what other direction to pursue. It was the robust course offerings at UCLA Law that ultimately helped shape her career trajectory. "When I took copyright courses in my second and third years, I found the topic really interesting," she explains. "I found myself naturally gravitating toward those classes and being really interested in what we were discussing."

The discovery was significant. "I didn't even know that there were entertainment lawyers! I never thought about that before law school," she says. UCLA Law's renowned entertainment law program proved to be "fortuitous," providing not only academic grounding but practical experience through externships at HBO and part-time work at Viacom.

After learning that most entertainment companies prefer to hire lawyers with some experience under their belt, she spent several years building foundational skills. “I felt pretty disappointed for a little bit,” she admits about not landing an entertainment job straight out of law school. “But it all worked out because I ended up working at Greenberg Traurig in the commercial real estate practice.” Those years proved invaluable, teaching her the critical skills of drafting, negotiation, and due diligence review.

Breaking into entertainment law

The breakthrough finally came through networking and a bit of luck. A recruiter she'd been working with moved in-house to Amazon Studios and reached out about an opportunity. That led to more than three-and-a-half years on Amazon's scripted television legal team, where she eventually led Amazon’s wholly owned scripted drama projects, which was their biggest programming area.

Her transition to the business side at Amazon Studios reflected her continued desire to learn and grow. "I just wanted to keep acquiring more skills," she says. "I always had an eye toward that. I really love to learn, and I really love the idea of getting my hands dirty, my feet wet, and negotiating those tough TV deals."

Now at Mattel, Camarena finds herself at the center of what she calls "360 experiences" — the modern approach to entertainment that extends far beyond traditional linear television to encompass podcasts, merchandise, fan conventions, and immersive world-building. "I think that is the coolest part of what I do," she says. "We bring this IP, we tell stories, we bring these things to life because it does matter. It makes people happy."

This approach, Camarena says with a smile, is apparent in the success of the Barbie movie: "You see this Barbie come to life, and you see yourself in Barbie, and you're talking about Barbie like Barbie is your friend, because she is.”

Many UCLA Law students have themselves found a good friend in Camarena.

Her advice to current students mirrors the wisdom that guided her own career: Focus on one step at a time rather than trying to map out an entire career path. "I always say I'm happy to share my story, but please don't feel pressured to repeat my story,” she says. “It will happen. But you need to take it one step at a time, calm that anxious mind, and trust yourself."