Learn the art and strategies involved in negotiating executive employment agreements for women working in the film and television industry. The panelists will share the most common pitfalls, as well as the most important issues that executives and their lawyers face in the negotiation process. A seasoned employment attorney will discuss timing and leverage in these negotiations and how to empower yourself to get the compensation you deserve.
The panelists will cover various executive compensation plans and structures, including bonus and equity—the key terms in an agreement that matter most—and the strategies for a successful negotiation.
Plus, they will discuss how to leverage your newly negotiated compensation and benefits package to make you financially secure and put you in a strong position to negotiate the next time around.
Wendi S. Lazar, Partner & Co-Chair of the Executives and Professionals Practice Group at Outten & Golden LLP, has been practicing law since 1993 with a focus on representing employees in the negotiation of executive employment agreements, non-competition and severance agreements, and multinational employment issues. She also advises clients and attorneys concerning employment-related immigration and international law. Lazar recently co-authored as Co-Editor-In-Chief, "Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets in Employment Law: An International Survey," published by the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. and previously co-authored "Employees’ Privacy Rights in the Digital Age," published in the New York Law Journal. She is Chair of the National Employment Lawyers Association’s Executives and Professionals Committee and is Diversity Co-Chair and member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section. Lazar has also been selected by her peers for inclusion in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers of America.
Alex Levi is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Element Financial Group, a financial advisory firm specializing in the media and entertainment industries. Element, a women-owned and -managed firm, provides expertise in the areas of financial planning, asset management, insurance and estate planning and corporate and executive benefits. Levi launched her first consulting practice when she was 21, developing financial and tax strategies for individuals and businesses in our industry. Later she became CFO of a premier modeling agency headquartered in New York. She expanded the business to London, South Beach, and Cape Town and developed the company's commercial, television, and film divisions, negotiating some of the largest and most innovative contracts in the industry. In 1999, she became vice president of entertainment at a communications firm, leading both its creative and management teams. Levi has been a member of NYWIFT for more than 10 years; she has served as the VP of the Development Committee and is now President.
John J. Dabney is Vice President, Employment Counsel, at Viacom Media Networks. In his role as in-house employment counsel, Dabney advises all of Viacom Media Networks' diverse brands and businesses (including MTV, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central) on all manner of employment law and related issues, both domestically and internationally. His responsibilities include providing daily guidance to VMN's worldwide human resource organization regarding various legal and HR issues; negotiating employment, separation, and other services agreements; and working with VMN's parent company, Viacom, to acquire and integrate new businesses around the world. Prior to joining Viacom Media Networks in 2005, he spent seven years in private practice, first in the Labor and Employment Group at the firm of Proskauer Rose, and then with the boutique labor and employment firm of Kauff McGuire & Margolis. He earned his BA degree in Political Science from Colgate University in 1992, and his JD degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1998. In earning his BA, Dabney also did substantive Political Science and Government coursework in the United Kingdom at the University of Manchester.
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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: May. 3, 2012 
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