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Entertainment law for television: The essentials you need to know
What legal issues do you need to know for producing programming for television? This panel of entertainment industry lawyers will share the best ways to find the right lawyer for you and how to maximize the relationship with your lawyer.

The panelists will cover a variety of agreements: talent attachment, talent/writer/producer/director, option/purchase, collaboration with creative partners, network development/production, and distribution.They will also review clearing rights, copyright/ownership, and issues that come up in production.

If there's a specific issue you would like them to cover, please email programs@nywift.org so the topic can be considered for discussion.

Thea J. Kerman (pictured above) 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. 

Kathleen Conkey represents television production companies, online ad agencies, producers and developers, authors, artists and reality talent. She is an author and editor of Counseling Content Providers in the Digital Age: A Handbook for Lawyers. Prior to starting her own firm in 2007, she was a Vice President and Senior Counsel in the Intellectual Property and Litigation department of MTV Networks. Earlier, Conkey was an Assistant General Counsel at CBS Broadcasting. She began her law career at Debevoise and Plimpton, before moving to Lankenau Kovner & Kurtz to concentrate in media law. Before attending law school, she was Press Secretary to Manhattan Borough President David Dinkins and a staff writer for Ralph Nader.

Mary Ann Zimmer is an entertainment lawyer with clients in television, film, video and internet production and distribution, in all areas including intellectual property, publishing and licensing. A former partner at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard, and VP, Business Affairs & General Counsel for A&E Television Networks responsible for A&E History Channel and A&E Home Video, she also served with CBS Inc., heading its New York Business Affairs Department and Network Music operations. Prior to CBS, she was a member of the Labor Relations Department of ABC and a trial attorney with the National Labor Relations Board.

Jim Arnoff is a television packaging agent who represents New York production companies, developing and selling original programming to the networks. Arnoff has worked at the William Morris Agency as both an in-house lawyer and packaging agent. A certified life coach for the entertainment industry, he has lead workshops for the Producers Guild of America, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, HBO, MTV Networks, and the Writers Guild of America. He is also a faculty member of the School of Visual Arts and FIT.

The panelists will be answering questions from attendees that relate to the material covered by the panel, not legal questions specific to attendees' individual projects. 

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NYWIFT programs, screenings and events are made possible, in part, by public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York State Legislature.


Last updated: Jun. 4, 2013