Ben Ryzak '18 went from the wait list at UCLA School of Law to negotiating million-dollar deals with Hollywood stars — and he credits the law school community that took a chance on him for launching his career. As vice president of business and legal affairs at FilmNation Entertainment, Ryzak navigates the complex world of independent film development, financing, and production, negotiating deals with A-list talent and crafting creative structures for projects at the independent production company that produced the Academy Award-winning movies Anora and Conclave. His path from corporate law to the heart of Hollywood's independent film scene illustrates the versatility of a UCLA Law education in an industry that is hungry for skilled legal minds who understand the business of storytelling.

Here, Ryzak – who recently stepped down from an impactful term as president of the UCLA Law Alumni Association – talks about his work and why hands-on contract drafting experience became his secret weapon in entertainment law.

What has motivated you to stay so actively involved with UCLA Law?

I owe a tremendous amount to the law school. I was so fortunate that my dream school took a chance on me. They set me up for this amazing life and career that I've been able to embark on, and I felt that debt of gratitude even while I was still a student. I was quite involved as a student and got to meet a lot of great people — administrators, faculty, and my peers. Coming out of law school, I really valued that sense of community and wanted to continue giving back. I don't think of it as balancing community involvement with my career. I think of it as something I need to do, something I enjoy that brings fulfillment to my life. That sense of giving back to the school energizes me in many ways.

At FilmNation, what does a typical day look like?

It depends where we are on specific productions. If we're about to start production on a movie, I'm working on closing all the cast deals and getting contracts finalized for all the heads of departments, the director, and all the producers. That's when my work gets the craziest. On a more typical day when we're in development, I have creatives at my company coming to me with projects they want to acquire, writers they want to hire, or directors and actors they want to attach to projects in the development stage. I strategize with them and my colleagues in finance and physical production to make sure we're building deals that are sustainable and fit within the bigger production picture — for example, making sure we're not paying an actor too much money on a movie that has a small budget, so everything fits together.

How did your legal education at UCLA Law prepare you?

I came into law school thinking I wanted to be a sports agent or work in sports law. I took Professor Derian's Sports Law Simulation, which was awesome — I recommend it to everyone — but I also really enjoyed all my film and TV classes. I realized I'd loved film and TV my whole life, so why limit myself to just sports? I had built a community among UCLA Law folks, and I invested heavily in building that community and exploring new opportunities, which turned out to be crucial for my career development. After graduation, I went to a big law firm and did corporate law for a couple of years. I wanted to break into entertainment, and I got a call from the Ziffren Institute for Entertainment, Media, Technology and Sports Law saying an alum was looking for someone with contract drafting experience who wanted to learn entertainment law. I took the gamble and started working part-time at a production company called Picturestart, which eventually turned into a full-time job. A couple of years later, I joined FilmNation.

What advice do you have for current UCLA Law students interested in breaking into the entertainment industry?

For people who want to work specifically in business and legal affairs in the entertainment industry, it's good to stay on top of the trades and know what's going on in the industry. When opportunities come up or you're networking and meeting people, you can sound well-informed and contribute to conversations in meaningful ways. But there's also the fundamental skills aspect. My legal education really taught me about contracts — that was my best class in law school. When I worked at that big law firm for a couple of years, I spent a lot of time honing those skills, becoming detail-oriented, really understanding the structure of contracts and contractual language. The fact that just a couple of years out of law school, I could sit down and draft a complete contract is something you don't get without real experience.

What's your message to other alumni about staying involved?

What I try to do is remember what it was like as a first-year law student — terrified, working hard around the clock, and having no idea what I was going to do with my life or what opportunities were available. Networking was super intimidating because all these people were really smart lawyers, and I felt like I had major impostor syndrome. So, in terms of giving your time, it would be so invaluable — it was so invaluable for me — to have people who cared, people who had been through it, just be there as a sounding board, for support, and to give guidance on what things I should be learning and doing to succeed. And whenever people do have the financial wherewithal, I think they should consider giving back by helping to fund scholarships. Just like UCLA Law took a chance on me when I was on the wait list, I want to help ensure we're taking chances on the next generation of students who have incredible potential but need that financial support to unlock it.