The right music can make or break a movie or TV show, but acquiring the songs you need to make your project sing can be a challenge.

In this program, leading entertainment lawyers Steve Gordon and Thea Kerman are joined by top music consultant Judith Finell. Together they’ll tell you how to select the right music for your production, explain the rights you need to acquire it, and let you know how much you should expect to pay. They’ll also cover what to consider when commissioning original music.

Bring questions about your project and get advice from the experts.

Judith Finell is a musicologist and the president of Judith Finell Music Services Inc., a consulting firm in Westchester County. She has served as an expert witness and consultant in various disputes regarding intellectual property, including copyright litigation, and she regularly advises film and television companies, advertising agencies, entertainment and copyright attorneys, media, musicians, and publishing and recording companies as a music supervisor. Finell was a music consultant on Memoirs of a Geisha and she also consulted on several HBO specials. In addition, she recently appeared as a guest on television’s Celebrity Justice, discussing a pending copyright case involving Madonna.

Steve Gordon is an entertainment attorney and consultant specializing in the production, distribution and financing of music, television, documentaries, feature films, and digital entertainment. He operates a music clearance service for feature films, documentaries, concert programs, DVDs, audio compilations and ringtones. He is author of The Future of the Music Business: How to Succeed with the New Technologies, A Guide for Artists and Entrepreneurs, hosts the internet radio show MyRealBroadcast.com and writes the blog Digitalmusicnews.com. Gordon served as Director of Business Affairs at Sony Music (TV/Video) and prior to that, he worked at Dino Di Laurentiis, a movie studio in Hollywood, and the music publishing company SESAC.

Thea J. Kerman, (pictured above) who serves as NYWIFT's Treasurer, has over 25 years of legal experience and is an expert in the entertainment, publishing, merchandising, toy and licensing industries. Her experience includes theatrical films, live action and animated episodic television programs, broadcast and cable television movies of the week and documentaries. She has extensive experience providing financial, production counsel and other legal services for films produced for major studios, broadcast and cable television networks, as well as independently produced films and international co-productions. Prior to establishing her own law firm in 1990, Kerman was the Senior Production Counsel for Tri-star Pictures in Los Angeles.

PLEASE RSVP FOR THIS PROGRAM BY NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009.

PHOTO I.D. IS REQUIRED FOR ENTRY INTO THE BUILDING

Produced by Thea Kerman