The Fordham Media & Entertainment Law Society held its eighth annual symposium on January 20. This year’s symposium consisted of three panels, with speakers whose expertise ranged across culture industries such as music, film and television, and publishing.
“This was the first time the symposium has been held in person since 2020 and I’m thrilled that it was such a hit,” said Matthew Roomberg ’23, president of Fordham Law’s Media & Entertainment Law Society, which hosted the symposium. “We sought to curate a slate of fascinating and critically important topics on the cutting-edge of entertainment law, and we have received incredible feedback from practitioners and students alike.”
One panel, “Labels, Indies, and the Artist Services Landscape in 2023,” featured speakers like Mike Biggane, executive vice president of music strategy at Universal Music Group, and Bea Koramblyum, global head of business affairs at Downtown Music Services, and was moderated by Bernard A. Mantel, an entertainment lawyer at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Another panel, “Comedy Writers’ Battle for Royalties,” featured a “first-of-its-kind discussion about an active lawsuit that could fundamentally reshape the business of comedy,” said Roomberg. The case involves the streaming service Pandora, which was recently sued by prominent comedians over copyright claims. The panel featured speakers like Kristelia García, associate professor of law at University of Colorado Law School, and Shanti Sadtler Conway, a partner at Kirkland & Ellis.
The final panel, “Transmedia Convergence: Licensing IP from and for Literature, Film, Podcasts, and Games,” included representatives from several high profile entertainment industry organizations, including Megan Brown, a business affairs executive at Amazon Studios; Daniel Cooper, a senior vice president of intellectual property at NBCUniversal; and Alexandra Machinist, a literary agent at CAA.
Ethan Bordman, chair of the entertainment, arts and sports law section at the New York State Bar Association, also provided brief remarks during the event.
The symposium, which was held virtually and in person, took months of planning but was well worth it, said Vasa Dunham ’24, vice president of the Media & Entertainment Law Society. “Coordinating an event of this size required a lot of attention and effort, but the result was extremely rewarding,” said Dunham. “Overall, it was an incredibly valuable learning experience for us as individuals and collectively as an organization.”