BESLA 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE DIGITAL JOURNAL : simplebooklet.com

4 San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, October 2024 Dear Guests and Members of the Black Entertainment & Sports Lawyers Association, On behalf of the entire team at Secrets Puerto Los Cabos, I am honored to welcome you to our hotel for the 44th Annual BESLA Conference, taking place November 13-17, 2024. We are thrilled to host this prestigious event. Our hotel sta is committed to providing exceptional service and ensuring your stay with us is comfortable, productive, and memorable. During your time here, enjoy our upscale amenities, including ve a la carte restaurants, one buet, fours bars, gill and café, pool, tness center, Spa, and conference center. Our concierge team is available to assist with any requests or recommendations. We know the conference schedule promises engaging presentations and valuable networking opportunities. We are proud to provide a seamless and supportive environment for your discussions, meetings, and celebrations. Thank you for choosing Secrets Puerto Los Cabos as your conference home. We look forward to making your stay enjoyable and successful. If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact our Concierge team. Warm regards, David Ocete General Manager Secrets Puerto Los Cabos

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5Forty-three years ago, a group of notable African-American attorneys met in Philadelphia during the 1st Annual Black Music Association Conference. They quickly identied the need to establish an ongoing learning and networking environment for African-American attorneys in the entertainment industry; one that would provide an opportunity for them to exchange information, refer business, share industry opportunities, sharpen their legal skills and support each other in the highly competitive eld of entertainment.In 1980, they formed the Black Entertainment Lawyers Association (BELA), which was changed to the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA) in 1986 to incorporate growing opportunities for African American attorneys in the sports arena.From day one, BESLA members have made an indelible impression upon the sports and entertainment industries. From holding major corporate posts to representing marquee talent, BESLA members have created a deep reservoir of inuence, resources and relationships that are unparalleled among professional legal organizations. Now, 43 years later, it is clear that the original founders changed history and enhanced the upward trajectory for other attorneys and professionals of color to break into and be successful in the legal, entertainment and sports industries.Albert R. Hopkins, Jr.* Bill HayesBob Brennan* Charles Ward Chere D. Lott David Franklin* Don MizellFrederick D. Cooke, Jr. Herbert Harris, Jr.James M. DeLeon Karl Gutherie Kendall A. Minter* Louise C. West Michael Ashburne Phil Ashbury Philip Ransom Ronald A. DavisS. Timothy A. Crawford*Joined After InauguralMeetingDenis E. Kellman*Joseph Porter Larkin ArnoldRay Tisdale Robert HolmesRonald E. Sweeney Thomasina M. ReedDavid Franklin, Founding Chair* Louise C. WestLarkin ArnoldL. Benet McMillanFrederick W. Brown*C. Lamont Smith Darrell. D. Miller William L. StricklandDenis E. Kellman* Edward L. Woods*Tamela R. Cash-Curry Matthew J. MiddletonElke F. SuberLawrence C. Hinkle, IIKhadijah Sharif-DrinkardLafayette Jones Robert Holmes Fletcher WileyTheresa Cropper KylesFrederick W. Brown*C. Lamont Smith Monique Reid Berryhill* Darrell D. MillerJoi H. RideoutDenis E. Kellman*Edward L. Woods* Tamela R. Cash Curry Matthew J. Middleton Elke F. SuberLawrence C. Hinkle, IIKhadijah Sharif-DrinkardLeron RogersChiquita Woolfolk BanksFOUNDING EIGHTEENPAST CHAIRSPAST PRESIDENTS / MANAGING DIRECTORSOUR LEGACY*Deceased

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6OUR LEADERSHIPLeron E. Rogers, Esq.ChairmanPartnerEntertainment & Sports LawFox RothschildAdrienne C. Williams, Esq.President(Former) DirectorAssociate General CounselWhatsAppDarrick J. Hooker, Esq.Vice PresidentPartnerIntellectual PropertyBarnes & Thornburg LLPVanya G. Allen, Esq.TreasurerSenior GovernanceRisk & Compliance AdvisorIBMAngela Y. Ball, Esq.SecretarySr. Vice PresidentRegulatory AffairsNBCUniversalOFFICERS BOARD OF DIRECTORSKhadijah Sharif-Drinkard, Esq.Immediate Past ChairwomanSenior Vice PresidentBusiness AffairsABC NewsChiquita Woolfolk Banks, Esq.Immediate Past PresidentPrincipalBankable Consulting, IncAziza A. Bowser, Esq.Senior CounselProduction Risk Business & Legal AffairsParamount GlobalTony Brackett, Esq.Director, Senior CounselBusiness & Legal AffairsOriginal SeriesNetixBrian K. Broughton, Esq.Vice-President, Business AffairsThe Walt Disney CompanyWendy R. Credle, Esq.Credle & Associates, PLLCWenPie Productions, Inc.Jemar Daniel, Esq.VP, & Senior CounselParamount GlobalNyasha S. Foy, Esq.Vice PresidentBusiness & Legal AffairsHorizon MediaLawrence C. Hinkle II, Esq.Managing PartnerSanders Roberts, LLPAllison Hobbs, Esq.Senior CounselBusiness & Legal AffairsEpic GamesJakgeem Mays, Esq.CEO & Managing AttorneyMays Law Group, P.C.Anthony “Tony” Mulrain, Esq.PartnerHolland & Knight LLPClarence A. Nesbitt, Esq.Chief Legal OfcerTHINK450Endi Piper, Esq.General CounselThe Springhill Company, LLCVincent Phillips, Esq.Founding PartnerArrington & Phillips, LLPLita T. Rosario, Esq.ChairEntertainment Law Group Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker, P.A.Darrell Thompson, Esq.PrincipalThe Law Ofce of Darrell Thompson Joseph K. West, Esq.PartnerDuane Morris LLPMarjorie Williams, Esq.SVP, Business & Legal AffairsSkydance Sports

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8BESLA LIFETIME MEMBERSNedra Agnew Vanya G. AllenTony D. Alexander Ricky AndersonMason AsheMichael Roland AshburneAngela BallJoaquim D. BarrosJohn R. BernardBonnie Berry LaMonDouglas “Tony” BrackettCraig BrowneGlenn A. BrownEgerton Fitzhugh BullockLaDawn BurnettUwonda CarterTuneen ChisolmBeverly J. DavisCatherine DavisDedra DavisEmily M. DickensBecome a BESLA Lifetime Member today by visiting besla.org/membership. If you are a Lifetime Member and do not see your name on the list please contact chairman@besla.org so that we can include you on our growing list of Lifetime Members. BESLA Membership has its privileges.Brian EdgeAudrea GoldingAmy GoldsonJohnny Lamont HawkinsAlex M. HeicheCasinova HendersonDarrick HookerFrances J. JonesLynette M. JonesJohn KelloggRandall Mark KesslerBernie Lawrence-WatkinsJelani LawsonByron McLainJames E. McMillanL. Benet McMillianL. Londell McMillanRasheed McWilliamsDennis N. MiddletonKendall MinterJamice OxleyKeisha Perry WalkerYvette PriceJoseph Porter Tracie R. PorterVirgil RobertsSidney A. RobbinsLeron Rogers Khadijah Sharif-DrinkardMichelle Simpson C. Lamont SmithWillard A. StanbackMichael SteeleBill StricklandMichael TraylorLewis Z. ThomasDarrell ThompsonLouise C. WestFletcher (Flash) H. WileyAdrienne WilliamsMarjorie C. WilliamsZamani Williams

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10DETAILS AND INFORMATIONCONFERENCE REGISTRATIONIn accordance with this year’s COVID-19 policies, please note that each individual attendee must collect his/her own wristband in order to participate in any BESLA event. The wristband serves as an indication that the attendee has complied with our COVID-19 protocols (i.e., shown proof of negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival at the resort). To ensure this and in addition to our normal registration tables, we will have a COVID-19 compliance table set up in the lobby, at Wednesday’s Welcome Reception, and Friday’s Gala Pre-Reception.Conference Registration is located in the hotel Convention Center in Puerto 1 & 2. Wednesday, November 13, 2024 11:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.Thursday, November 14, 2024 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Friday, November 15, 2024 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.Saturday, November 16, 2024 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.SESSION ATTENDANCE/CLESessions will start on time. Plan to arrive early in order tosign-in and nd seating. You must sign in on the BESLA event app in each session to receive CLE credit.NAME BADGES & WRIST BANDSName badges and wristbands are provided to all individuals registered for the Conference. Badges are required for admission to all conference panels. Badges and/or wristbands are acceptable for entry at evening events. There will be no exceptions to this policy. CONFERENCE ATTIREDress is business casual for most conference events. Please note that meeting rooms are often cool, so bringing a sweater or light jacket is advisable. Wear business casual resort attire for the Welcome Reception and evening social events. Black Tie attire is requested for the Gala Awards Dinner.LOST & FOUNDReport any lost or found items to the Secrets Resort Registration Desk or BESLA Registration Ofce located in Puerto 1 & 2.CHECK-IN/CHECK-OUTWhen you check-in, you must leave a credit card for room costs and all incidentals. BESLA will not assume any responsibility for your room costs or incidentals.HOTEL BUSINESS CENTERThe hotel has computer and internet offerings for Guests. However, we advise you to bring a laptop or other relevant mobile devices to conduct any required business.CONSENT TO USE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGESRegistration and/or attendance at, or participation in, BESLA meetings and events constitutes an agreement by the participant to BESLA’s use and distribution of the attendee’s image, voice, or likeness in photos, videos, electronic reproduction and audiotapes of such activities.

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11Important Operating System InformationThe CVENT platform serves the latest and most represented operating systems.The iOS app is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches running on an operating system of 15.0 and higher. The Android app is compatible with Android phones and tablets running on an operating system of 11.0 and higher. The platform is compatible with: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. It is not supported on mobile browsers nor on Kindle Fire and other devices that use the Amazon App Store. BESLA Conference App FeaturesConference and event check inInstant messaging within the AppConference agenda including workshops and eventsReal-time activity feed to share photos and commentsReal-time conference updatesPrivate network to communicate with conference attendees, speakers and sponsors. And more!How to Get StartedFollowing receipt of your invitation to access the “BESLA Inc.” App, down-load it prior to leaving the U.S., familiarize yourself, and set up your prole before the conference. The App is a free download on Google Play or the iTunes store. During App download, we encourage you to allow notications to alert you in order for real-time conference updates. This option can be changed at the end of the conference.THE BESLA CONFERENCE APP IS BACK! EXCLUSIVELY for our conference attendees. Stay engaged in this year’s conference.

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12WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMANDear BESLA Members, Sponsors and Supporters,Welcome to BESLA’s 44th Annual Conference! I am honored to serve as Chair of the BESLA Board of Directors and excited by the level of support from our members, sponsors and friends. The organization continues to service our membership by providing robust legal education, scholarships and advocacy for our profession. This year, BESLA has presented programming and events in Miami, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Martha’s Vineyard and Washington, DC as we continue to provide meaningful education and networking touch points for our membership throughout the year. We are excited to welcome our colleagues and friends to Puerto Los Cabos, Mexico for our annual conference. This year’s conference theme Antifragile epitomizes the organization’s focus to become stronger in uncertain political and business climates as we bring together industry leading professionals in the entertainment, sports and related industries. Keep the theme in mind during the entire conference as we attend panels, participate in networking events, salute our honorees and continue to build relationships that enhance our respective businesses. BESLA is proud to have brought renowned leaders across the entertainment, sports and technology industries to provide cutting edge insight and thought leadership. We could not do this work without our members, sponsors and supporters. In order to continue BESLA’s legacy of training leaders in our industry, we continue to provide scholarships to deserving and eager law students. We could not lead in this regard without your consistent support. To all of our sponsors, I thank you as the organization could not provide the high level of programming and scholarships without your continued support. Finally, thank you to our entire Board of Directors for their hard work to elevate the organization. A special thank you to the Conference Co-Chairs Vanya Allen, Adrienne Williams and our beloved board member, the late Inga Dyer. Thanks to our Programming Committee led by Jospeh West and C. Anthony Mulrain; Angelia Bibbs Shepperd and the entire ABS team for always bringing their A-game to help us plan and execute the conference; and Sheina Waddell for her continuous dedication over the year to keep us connected with our membership and provide administrative support to the organization. BESLA has a bright future based on the excitement and involvement our Young Lawyers Division continues to bring throughout the entire year. BESLA is focused on building a legacy to last many generations. To that end, please consider supporting BESLA’s endowment and thank you again for supporting BESLA and our focus on ensuring BESLA and its mission is Antifragile.Sincerely,Leron E. RogersChair of the Board of Directors

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13GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENTDear BESLA Members, Sponsors and Supports, Welcome to the 44th Annual Conference of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. Whether this is your rst time with us, or your twentieth return, we are honored to have you with us. This has been a challenging year for our country, our industries and for BESLA. BESLA lost founder and faithful advisor Kendall Minter as well as board member and 2024 Annual Conference Co-Chair, Inga Dyer. They were both brilliant and inspiring trailblazers who left indelible marks on those they encountered and on BESLA. We are forever grateful for their vision, tireless service and heart strong leadership. In the US, democracy itself was on the ballot while many industries grappled with restructuring, layoffs, spinoffs, and mergers. Once again, innovative technologies, such as Articial Intelligence, are disrupting creative processes and business models. Throughout it all, BESLA remains at the forefront of helping our clients and organizations navigate the challenges and opportunities inherent with these shifts in creative and business endeavors. Ever committed to radiating excellence through education and opening pathways to economic opportunities and decision-making parity, BESLA gathers at this conference, in hope and service to foster the sharing of expertise and expansion of opportunities between industry professionals. Unquestionably, BESLA lawyers embody excellence to meet each moment; thrive in uncertainty and ultimately protect our culture despite the ever-changing landscape. Collectively, BESLA is the legal vanguard of entertainment, sports and business. Thank you to all who joined us throughout the year for insightful conversations and networking during our 2024 programs in Miami, Atlanta, NY, LA, Chicago, Martha’s Vineyard, and D.C. as well as for our virtual programs. Thank you to our sponsors, panelists and committee members for contributing to BESLA this year. I ask each of you to join me in thanking the BESLA board of directors for all of their hard work throughout the year and for their investments in the mission of BESLA, which is to advance the excellence of professionals in the entertainment, sports and related industries. Thank you to our Chairman, Leron Rogers, for your leadership and strategic vision for BESLA. For bringing this 44th Annual Conference to fruition, we thank Vanya Allen for serving with me as Annual Conference Co-chair all while serving as BESLA Treasurer. Thank you to C. Anthony Mulrain and Joseph K. West for serving as Annual Conference Program Committee Co-Chairs. Thank you to Annual Conference Committee members Jakgeem Mays, Nyasha Foy, Jemar Daniel, Taylor Carter and Umica Anderson. Thank you to the BESLA Divisions who provide expertise and programming throughout the year: Film & Television, Music, Sports, IP & Digital, Young Lawyers Division and Litigation. Special thanks to the BESLA Young Lawyers Division for delivering various programming and networking opportunities throughout the year as well as for launching the BESLA Mentoring Program. Thank you to Angelia Bibbs Shepperd and her entire ABS team for conference planning support. Thank you to Sheina Waddell for your support now and throughout the year as BESLA’s Business Operations Consultant. It is my hope that you leave this conference empowered and that you, your families, clients and organizations are for evermore – Antifragile. Sincerely, Adrienne C. Williams BESLA President

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15WELCOME FROM THE CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRSAdrienne Williams Vanya Allen Inga Dyer(In Memory of)Dear BESLA Family, Partners and Friends, On behalf of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, we warmly welcome you to BESLA’s 44th Annual Conference in beautiful San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico. We feel privileged to serve as Co-Chairs of this conference and honor the legacy of our dear friend, board member and Annual Conference Co-chair, Inga Dyer. Proudly proclaiming herself to be a “BESLA baby” (one who joined as a law student), Inga was a dedicated member of BESLA for nearly 30 years and joined BESLA’s Board of Directors in 2012. Inspired by Inga’s dedication to excellence, mentorship and her work to open pathways of parity and opportunity for lawyers of color, we set out to enable a worthy and empowering experience this conference. This year’s theme “Antifragile” highlights a superpower of BESLA. Antifragile: To not merely withstand a stressor, but to actually improve because of it.Be antifragile by building a life and career that embodies growth and purpose no matter the inevitable challenges. Thrive in uncertainty. Reinvest in oneself. Commit to Constant Elevation. Antifragility allows us to meet the moment amidst changing landscapes: to learn, adapt, rebuild and ultimately ourish. With this year’s theme “Antifragile” we are proclaiming that no matter the inevitable disruption to industry, economic uncertainty, inequity and challenges (even to democracy) – we thrive. BESLA is Antifragile.During this conference, thought leaders will help us reinvest and elevate by delivering insights from the front lines of music, television and sports, career strategies to and beyond partner and general counsel roles to include paid board service and sports franchise opportunities. We will explore global entrepreneurship across the African Diaspora, consider the legal and business implications of AI in entertainment, sports and business and focus on how each of us can cultivate full engagement, wellness and resiliency. We will honor writer, producer, director and philanthropist, Mara Brock Akil, with the 2024 Trailblazer Award for her groundbreaking body of work and strategic business endeavors and for inspiring us all to live a creative life with a full heart. We will bestow the Corporate Disrupter Award on Klutch Sports Group for disrupting the industry and empowering clients to realize opportunities across sports, entertainment, media and business. We extend our heartfelt thanks to you, the BESLA community, for your support, expertise and engagement. May you, your family, clients, organizations and our future be Antifragile! Sincerely, Your 2024 BESLA Annual Conference Co-ChairsVanya AllenInga DyerAdrienne Williams

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16WELCOME FROM THE PROGRAMMING COMMITTEETo BESLA 2024 Conference Attendees, Speakers and Sponsors The results of last week’s election clearly demonstrate the essential value of elevating and celebrating the brilliance of black professionals. That brilliance is more vital now than it has ever been. It resonates globally at the conuence of art, media, music, sports and entertainment. There is no aspect of global commerce that is not impacted by the creative genius and the persistence of black professionals in the U.S. and throughout the African Diaspora. Despite recent and not so recent headwinds, we continue to contrib-ute, even as our contributions are ignored. We remain resourceful, even as our resourc-es are appropriated. Throughout it all, our guiding principle is to do, as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested: “Persevere”. This dynamic is perfectly illustrated by this year’s conference theme “Anti-Fragile”. It is also embodied in this year’s extraordinary panel discussions which could not be more topical or better designed to support the growing constellation of business needs of BESLA’s core constituents. We cover topics ranging from investing in sports franchises, to obtaining positions on paid boards, to doing business in Africa and beyond. We will also pause to honor deserving trailblazers such as Mara Brock Akil. As always, we will provide rst class networking opportunities in a tropical setting and of course no BESLA conference is complete without a little bit of R & R and a whole lot of fun. We are honored to have you join us for the 44th Annual BESLA Conference. If this is your rst time with us, welcome to the family. We certainly hope you will make this a regular stop on your calendar.COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Taylor Carter Jemar Daniel Nyasha Foy Jakgeem Mays Umica Anderson-HowardAnthony MulrainJoe West

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23_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE AGENDA(SPEAKERS, SESSIONS TOPICS AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE) All Continuing Legal Education (CLE) sessions are held in Ribera____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 202411:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Registration Puerto I 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Welcome Reception West Garden 9:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Karaoke DesiresTHURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 20247:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration Puerto I 8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Mental Health and Wellness for High Performing Lawyers9:50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Film Screening I 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Television Under the Microscope: Where the Industry is Now, How it Got Here and What the Future of Television Will Look Like 11:05 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Film Screening II 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Streaming Royalties and the Music Modernization Act12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch 1:05 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Film Screening III 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Is General Counsel/Equity Partner The Pinnacle of an Attorney’s Career?2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Film Screening IV 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Practical Implications of Generative AI in Entertainment and Sports6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Chairman & President’s Reception (By Invite Only) 8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. BESLA After Dark (Sponsored by Empire and BMW) Friday, November 15, 2024 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Registration Puerto I 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. We’re Doing it Live: Advising Clients on Legal, Regulatory and Relationship Issues Presented When Producing / Operating Live Events and Activations 10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. That’s a Bet! Understanding the Current and Future Landscape of Sports Betting 11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Demystifying Serving on Paid Boards 12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MARA BROCK AKIL 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Pre-Gala Cocktail Reception 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Gala & Awards Program (Black Tie Attire) 10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Post-Gala Kickback Saturday, November 16, 20249:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Registration Puerto I8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. BESLA Women in Sports Initiative Breakfast Chauntell Bobo, Esq., Deputy General Counsel, Women’s Tennis Association Sponsored by NFLPA – Remarks by Teri Smith, COO (Limited seating. Registration required.)9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Music Agreements for Film and Television: A Deeper Dive10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. Investing in Professional Sports Franchises11:10 a.m. - 12:40 p.m. The Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion and Entertainment6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Mixer Rendezvous8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Closing Celebration (Sponsored by ONErpm) Sunday, November 17, 2024DEPARTURES...BESLA wishes its members, sponsors, partners and extended family safe travels back to the US!

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24Thursday, November 14, 2024Session A1 - Ribera 8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Ethics, Career Strategies, Wellness & CompetenceMental Health and Wellness for High Performing Lawyers Sponsored by Loeb and LoebFull engagement in corporate America is now under 17%. Wellness and resiliency are major factors in this under-performing state. Lawyers who are dealing with illness, lack of physical vitality, anxiety, or depression simply do not have the ability to commit their full energy to their careers. This panel will cover simple and practical physical vitality best practices and understanding the effect of stress on our nervous system and how to make and maintain high resiliency during challenging times.Moderator: Nyasha Foy, Esq. | Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs Horizon MediaPanelist: Dr. Greg McClaire, PhD | Professional Athlete Consultant & Executive CoachCierra Gross, CEO | Worklution, Inc. Carena Lemons, Esq. | Founding PartnerThe Lemons Law Firm, PLLCFilm Screening I 9:50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.Film Screening II 11:05 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.Session A2 - Ribera 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Film & TVTelevision Under the Microscope: Where the Industry Is Now, How It Got Here, and What the Future of Television Will Look Like Sponsored by SonyWith what seems to be tectonic shifts happening every six months in the TV industry, the panel is an opportunity to discuss the industry's current state. Topics will range from the different strategies companies employ to differentiate themselves in the marketplace to the importance of advertis-ing revenue and products in the streaming landscape and the continued importance of linear distribution in 2024 and beyond. With ad sales being the primary revenue driver for linear cable and now with major streamers creating lower-cost ad tiers, the C-Suite and investors areseeing the wisdom.Moderator: Greg Olaniran, Esq. | Partner, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLPPanelist: Michelle Sneed | CEO & FounderA Few Good Women Productions, LLCTraci Bransford, Esq. | Partner, Parker PoeJoshua Edwards, Esq. | Partner, Fox RothschildKai Bowe | Director of Current Programming, Unscripted, OWNSession A3 - Ribera 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.MUSICStreaming Royalties and the Music Modernization Act Sponsored by Mechanical Licensing CollectiveThe US Copyright Ofce recently claried that songwriters are entitled to collect mechanical royalties generated from streaming platforms after their termination rights have been invoked. This panel will breakdown how the MMA impacts producer agreements and artist recording agreements (i.e., negotiating royalty provisions), strategies to maximize client income and the current landscape for clients seeking to exercise their termination rights.Moderator:Heather Beverly, Esq. | Owner/Attorney at LawOfce of Heather Beverly PC Panelist:Maurice Russell | Head of Rights ManagementThe Mechanical Licensing Collective Miriam Camara, Esq. | Principal Attorney, Camara Law Group, PLLC Lynn Gonzalez, Esq. | Partner, Granderson Des Rochers, LLPOrlando McGhee | Head of Urban Music, ONErpm Tabetha Plummer | Founder, Plummer Law Group, PC

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25Session A4 | Ribera 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.CAREER STRATEGIES & COMPETENCE Is General Counsel/Equity Partner the Pinnacle of an Attorney’s Career?Sponsored by Fox RothschildA discussion of how to reach the highest levels within a legal organization, but also how have attorneys transcended the law business to become CEO’s of their organizations.Lunch 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.Film Screening III 1:05 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.Moderator: Leron Rogers, Esq. | Equity Partner, Fox Rothschild Panelist: Erica McKinley, Esq. | Chief Legal Ofcer, The Sierra Club Joe Pierce, Esq. | SVP & General CounselAMB Sports & EntertainmentRiché McKnight, Esq. | General CounselUltimate Fighting ChampionshipCandisse Williamson, Esq. | EVP, General CounselHartBeatSession A5 | Ribera 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTSPractical Implications of Generative AI in Entertainment and SportsSponsored by The Walt Disney CompanyThere have been multiple challenges to the implications of AI's consumption of copyrighted material, from New York Times v. OpenAI to the current music label lawsuits against AIcompanies (Anthropic, Udio, Suno, etc.), which challenge the boundaries of fair use in the digital era. Additionally, after terse negotiations in 2023, the AMPTP attained new agree-ments with SAG AFTRA and the WGA, culminating in an AI rider that studios include in talent agreements. This panel will explore the implications of the agreement(s) reached by the unions with talent; the legal positions that record labels have taken in their lawsuits and whether generative AI fair use can be used as a defense to copyright infringement.Film Screening IV 2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.Moderator: Isa Watson | Founder & CEO, Squad Panelist: Jamice Oxley, Esq. | Partner, Hansen Jacobson Maurice Dyson, Esq. | DEI & AI Consultant and Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School Kevin Greene, Esq. | Professor of LawSouthwestern Law SchoolYemi Adegbonmire | VP, Legal & Associate General Counsel CineverseChairman & President’s Reception (By Invite Only) 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. BESLA After Dark | TBD | Sponsored by Empire and BMW8:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.

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26Session B1 | Ribera 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. FILM & TVWe’re Doing it Live: Advising clients on legal, regulatory and relationship issues presented when producing/operating live events and activationsPresented by the Young Lawyers DivisionSponsored by ParamountWith fans of popular entertainment franchises yearning for closer engagement with their favorite characters, reality personalities, and musical artists, there’s been a proliferation of fan conventions and award shows operated/produced by entertainment companies and their brand sponsors. This panel will explore the legal and risk mitigation frameworks that are used to mitigate risk and assist in maximizing client bottom line.Friday, November 15, 2024Moderator: Aziza Bowser, Esq. | Senior Counsel, Production Risk, Business & Legal Affairs, Paramount Global Panelist: Jemar Daniel, Esq. | Vice President & Senior Counsel, ParamountMichelle Johnson, Esq. | Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs, BET NetworksNyasha Foy, Esq. | Vice President, Business and Legal AffairsHorizon MediaChiquita Woolfolk Banks, Esq. | PrincipalBankable Consulting, Inc.Session B2 | Ribera 10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m. SPORTSThat’s A Bet! Understanding the Current & Future Landscape of Sports Betting Sponsored by Grubman Shire Meiselas & SacksGaming has exploded in the last decade. So too has the urry of gaming advertisements. From limited access in limited jurisdictions just a few years ago, to 24/7 access today; the opportunity to place bets is now everywhere from sports venues to your smart phone. But with opportunities come challenges. A panel of experts, practitioners and regulators will help navigate the ever changing world of gaming and provide insight into what’s next in this rapidly evolving space. Moderator: Jonathan Goins, Esq. | Partner, Lewis BrisboisPanelist: Aaron Ford, Esq. | Attorney General, State of Nevada Lisa Baker Jones, Esq. | Special Counsel, Duane MorrisAngela Ball, Esq. | Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs NBCUniversalSession B3 | Ribera or Puerto 11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. GENERAL, CAREER STRATEGIESDemystifying Serving on Paid BoardsSponsored by Barnes and ThornburgWhat’s really required to earn a position on a paid board? What’s expected once you’re on the board? This panel an-swers these questions and takes a deep dive into the duciary obligations of board members, the consequences for not dispatching those obligations, recent cases involving board members who have breached their duciary obligation and board and ofcer liability insurance. Moderator: Shameeka Quallo, Esq. | Chief Legal OfcerWashington SpiritPanelist: Anthony Mulrain, Esq. | Partner, Holland and KnightSherry Williams, Esq. | Chief Legal Ofcer, Corporate Secretary & SVP Human Resources, Strategic Materials, Inc.Steven Pamon | Chief Executive Ofcer & President, VERZUZDavid White | CEO, 3CG VenturesRegistration | Puerto 1 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

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27Pre-Gala Cocktail Reception | Ribera Foyer 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Gala & Awards Program | Ribera BallroomSponsored by Merrill (a Bank of America Company) 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.Post-Gala Kickback | TBD10:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.Saturday, November 16, 2024El Patio Restaurant 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.BESLA Women in Sports Breakfast Sponsored by NFLPA – Remarks by Teri Smith, COOSession C1 | Ribera 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.MUSIC and FILM & TVMusic Agreements for Film and Television: A Deeper Dive Sponsored by NBC UniversalMusic continues to serve as a pivotal and vital element which adds depth to a lm or television show in ways words alone cannot. The role of music in television (and consequently, acquiring all of the necessary rights) cannot be understated. This panel will provide a deep dive into the rights required to include music in television and lm projects, as well as issues licensees deal with in the process of securing rights, nding rights owners, how rates and fees are determined, and terms unique to these licenses. The panel will also cover agreements for original compositions and current trends/business models.Moderator: Jakgeem Mays, Esq. | CEO & Managing AttorneyMays Law GroupPanelist: Nadja Webb, Esq. | EVP, Programming Operations & Business & Legal Affairs, BET Networks Michael Dyson, Esq. | Counsel, Music Business & Legal Affairs, NBCUniversal Tanya Perara, Esq. | Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Ofcer, Music, NBCUniversal Connie Howell | VP Creative Music StrategyParamount GlobalChauntell Bobo, Esq. | Deputy General CounselWomen’s Tennis AssociationSession B4 | Puerto IV 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.FILM & TV FIRESIDE CHAT WITH MARA BROCK AKIL Sponsored by NetixBESLA’s 2024 Trailblazer Award recipient Mara Brock Akil, sits down with BESLA board member MarjorieWilliams, Esq. for an inspiring conversation.Registration | Puerto 1 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

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28Session C3 | Ribera 11:10 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.Global Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentSponsored by BETBy 2050, a quarter of all people on the planet and 1/3 of all people aged 15 to 24 will be African. Between now and then, the population of Africa is projected to double to 2.5 billion. Currently 60% of all French speakers on the planet are in Africa. In India, the most populous country in the world, the median age is 28. In China and the U.S. the median age is 38. The median age of the African Continent is 19. The future of global entrepreneurship is African. This panel of experts from the worlds of sports, entertainment and fashion will share their experiences doing business in the Motherland and will open eyes, ears and doors to opportunity throughout the Diaspora.Moderator: Joe West, Esq. | Partner, Duane MorrisPanelist: Deborah Ababio | Founder and Director at Ad CuratedRick Wade | SVP, Strategic Alliance and Outreach, US Chamber of Commerce Amma Mensah | CEO, Reign RumRoger Patton, Esq. | Co-Founder/General CounselGlobal Head of Strategic Business DevelopmentAfrica Creative AgencySegun Aluko, Esq. | Senior AssociateSheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLPWalter Baddoo | Co-Founder and Managing Partner of 4DX VenturesRendezvous 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Mixer Presented by the BESLA Young Lawyers DivisionClosing Celebration | On-siteSponsored by ONErpm 8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2024DEPARTURESBESLA wishes its members, sponsors, partners and extended family safe travels back to the US!Session C2 | Ribera 10:05 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.SPORTSInvesting in Professional Sports FranchisesSponsored by Holland & KnightWith the National Football League joining other professional sports leagues in allowing investments by private equity rms, it gives potential investors another avenue within which tobecome involved as franchise owners. This panel will evaluate the economic opportunities for team owners and walk through the anatomy of a deal for both primary owners and limited partners. Moderator: Anthony Mulrain, Esq. | Partner, Holland and KnightPanelist: T. Derrick Heggans, Esq. | CEO, Shepherd Park Sports Properties Max Siegel, Esq. | CEO, USA Track & FieldKitan Irukera | Investor, Dynasty Equity

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30Ethics, Career Strategies, Wellness & CompetenceMental Health and Wellness for High Performing LawyersNyasha Shani Foy is a multi-hyphenate business & legal affairs executive, corporate transactional lawyer, creative and thought leader. She has extensive knowledge advising global Board, on the Board of Directors for the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), and as Vice Chair of the New York State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section. She is a creative writer and frequent speaker on topics ranging from articial intelligence (AI) to social justice. Nyasha received her B.A. in Music and French from Wesleyan University, and her J.D. from New York Law School. She is admitted to practice in California and New York. Nyasha is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.brands, start-ups and scale-ups in the areas of intellectual property law, media, entertainment, and emerging technologies. Nyasha has served in senior business and legal affairs roles at Buzzfeed, Complex Media, VICE Media Group, Broadway Video and Sotheby’s as their rst Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, NFTs. She brings a wealth of experience supporting brand partnerships, commercial transactions, and activations, such as ComplexLand and ComplexCon. Outside of her professional life, Nyasha serves on the Save the Music Foundation Dr. Greg McClaire is a distinguished Sports Psychology Professional and Executive Leadership Coach. Much of his drive comes from his experience as a former Division I and professional basketball player. He has dedicated over 15 years to helping motivated leaders, organizations, and top athletes achieve peak performance and results.Dr. McClaire’s unique approach blends science, innovation, experience and the parallels between successful sports teams and high-performing entities. He customizes success programs for individual and corporate clients, such as the NBA and Merrill Lynch. His signature program, “Win At The Line Leadership” (winattheline.com), teaches transformational leadership and in-depth team success. The workshops are conducted at premier collegiate and professional sports venues for an enhanced engagement and experiential learning.He has also been known as one to call when the pressure is up and the game, career, or the deal is on the line. Dr. McClaire’s mission is to empower both emerging and seasoned leaders by applying evidence-Cierra Gross is the founder and CEO of Worklution, a Future of Work Solutions Company. Worklution, Inc. operates two innovative brands: Caged Bird HR, the agship brand, pioneering scalable independent HR support for employees across various industries. The second is Wrk Receipts, a mobile application designed to help employees easily track and send their work documentation and receive instant guidance from an AI powered employee advocate, Jayla. Cierra’s academic journey began at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she graduated early with honors in Political Science, focusing on pre-law based strategies that drive excellence and performance across sports and business sectors.studies. She then earned a Master’s in Human Resources from the University of South Carolina. Her professional career ourished in HR roles at prominent companies such as ExxonMobil and Google, as well as in the tech startup ecosystem. Outside of her professional pursuits, Cierra enjoys staying active through workouts, expanding her knowledge through reading, nurturing her garden, experimenting in the kitchen, and cherishing time with family and friends.

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31Ethics, Career Strategies, Wellness & CompetenceMental Health and Wellness for High Performing LawyersCarena Lemons, is an attorney with over 22 years of experience practicing law. Carena served on the Board of Directors for Durham Orange Women Attorneys (DOWA) and the Greater Raleigh Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). She is a former member of the 14th Judicial District Bar Grievance Committee where she investigated bar grievances in her district. Carena currently serves on the Sports and Entertainment Law Council for the North Carolina Bar Association. She focuses her law practice, The Lemons Law Firm, PLLC, on employment law and entertainment law as a litigator and legal advisor. Carena enjoys serving as a volunteer for the North Carolina Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) which she teaches CLEs on mental health and assists lawyers that are dealing with mental health issues. She is also creator and host of a television talk show, an actress, aminister and sings on the praise team at her church. She is married and has two amazing daughters.Film & TVTelevision Under the Microscope: Where the Industry Is Now, How It Got Here, and What the Future of Television Will Look Like Greg Olaniran is a member of the Litigation and IP & Technology practice groups at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp (MSK). He focuses on copyright and entertainment litigation, which includes a specialty in statutory license matters, and commercial litigation. Greg represents collectively more than 200 producersand distributors of TV content in their contention for shares of hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties paid by cable and satellite systems to the U.S. Copyright Ofce. Greg has litigated or settled numerous statutory license disputes, and has participated in legislative efforts to reform pertinent sections of the Copyright Act. Greg’s multi-disciplinary experience allows him to offer comprehensive solutions to challenges faced by leading media and entertainment clients as well as clients in retail, real estate, government contracts, and healthcare industries. His background in accounting and business has provento be a valuable resource in analyses of complex facts, application of econometric principles, settlement construction, and structuring of creative arguments that are the foundation of the matters he handles.Greg received two undergraduate degrees, cum laude, in Accounting and Business Administration from Morgan State Universi-ty, where he also earned an MBA in Finance. He subsequently earned his Certied Public Accountant (CPA) certicate. After a few years as an accountant, he left to pursue the study of law full-time and graduated from The George Washington University Law School.

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32Traci V. Bransford’s sports, entertainment, and media clients turn to her for strategic counsel on the full range of their legal needs. She is the leader of Parker Poe’s Sports & Entertainment Industry Team and has over 30 years of experience.Traci focuses her practice on transactional law with an emphasis on clients in sports, music, television, lm, and literary publishing. Traci represents talent in scripted and unscripted television productions and represents both producers and literary talent on option and purchase agreements, production, development, investment and distribution agreements for television and motion picture deals. She serves as outside general counsel and guides her clients through many aspects of their businesses, including intellectual property management, contract negotiation, and brand strategy. Her clients benet from her multi-jurisdictional experience from California to New York, Minnesota, and Georgia, as well as her commitment to the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This background allows her to offer comprehensive solutions to key legal challenges.Traci frequently speaks before national audiences about entertainment, media, sports, and celebrity philanthropy. She is a member of leading sports and entertainment law associations and serves on several nonprot boards. Traci earned her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College in Atlanta and her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.Film & TVTelevision Under the Microscope: Where the Industry Is Now, How It Got Here, and What the Future of Television Will Look Like Michelle Sneed is a veteran television and lm industry executive with over 18 years of experience spanning the scripted and unscripted entertainment arenas. She is known for her exemplary leadership skills and as a decisive team player - striking the balance between creative and production throughout all phases of content development, execution and exhibition. Michelle’s latest endeavor is that of A Few Good Women Productions, where she and the dynamic women around her are asking the question “why do big studios get to have all the fun?” This boutique studio and production company operates under a hybrid traditional motion picture studio model coupled with the foundation of a production company. It is founded on the notion that it is crucial to create vehicles for fair, equal, and meaningful opportunity for diverse creatives both in front of and behind the camera, starting in the prot-participation and executive-level roles — because true opportunity for diverse storytelling and ownership starts at the top. Prior to starting her own company Michelle served as the President of Tyler Perry Studios, leading all lm, television, and new media projects. During her tenure in this role, Michelle executive produced and led the launches of multiple new television shows and feature lms, resulting in over 450 hours of content produced each year. She also rebuilt the post-production facility and operations, resulting in a multi-million-dollar revenue stream. Media outlets such as the Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 and Essence Magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood have recognized Michelle multiple times for her vast work. A graduate of Michigan State University, and from the small town of Inkster, Michigan, Michelle currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. She also serves on the Board of Governors for the Paley Center, as well as for the DreamChasers Foundation, and in 2022 was honored with the “Givers Award” from the Girls with Gifts Foundation. Michelle is also a member of the Producers Guild of America.

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33Joshua Edwards, a former NYC District Attorney, decided to follow his passion for representing talent by moving to California and attending business school. After obtaining an MBA, Joshua took an entry level job in the mailroom of an agency before working his way up the ladder to talent agent and then eventually to talent manager before his return to the practice of law. His previous experience includes working at several notable companies such as The Firm, Overbrook Entertainment, Don Buchwald & Associates, Mosaic and MGMT Entertainment while working with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Britney Spears, Will Smith, Toccara, Ralph Macchio, Jennifer Connelly, Heather Graham, Cher, Richard Dreyfuss, David Duchovny, LisaRaye McCoy, Amin Joseph, Jeryl Prescott, Jason Weaver, Darius McCrary and Steven McQueen, to name a few. Currently, Joshua Edwards is a Partner in the Entertainment & Sports Law Department at Fox Rothschild LLP where he continues to represent high-prole talent while providing strategic guidance on a wide range of lm, television and production agreements to talent performers, independent producers and production companies. Combined with his previous experience as a talent representative, Joshua has signicant experience at the negotiation table, complemented by a macro-level understanding of the lm and television industry. This multifaceted experience enables highly effective negotiations and sophisticated dealmaking making Joshua one of the most sought after entertainment attorneys in Los Angeles. Film & TVTelevision Under the Microscope: Where the Industry Is Now, How It Got Here, and What the Future of Television Will Look Like Kai Bowe, born in the Bronx, raised in Oakland, California, and spent her early teens in Malawi, Central Africa. Living under a dictatorship, Harlem summers andbeing forced to eat whole wheat everything before it was popular or palatable, are justsome of the experiences that have given Kai a broad range of characters to pull from,and the courage to take professional risks.At just 16, Kai Bowe whetted her appetite for lm production as an intern on Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Over a ten-year period, Kai worked on feature and TV lms in positions ranging from Production Assistant to Second 2nd Assistant Director.After graduating from UCLA and Howard University School of Law, Kai returned to her roots as a lmmaker. She honed her screenwriting skills as the WGA Trainee for The XFiles and as an executive at Viacom’s BET Pictures. Kai received the CosbyScreenwriting Fellowship at USC’s School of Cinema-TV and was a nalist in NBC’sWriters on the Verge program.Kai bridged into the reality television genre near its inception, casting NBC’s Emmy-winning Starting Over and producing for some of the most successful unscriptedfranchises, including America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. As a writer/producer for The Africa Channel, she penned Ghana at 50 and African Presidents: Robert Mugabe, a hybrid documentary featuring a coveted interview from the controversial Zimbabwean leader.Kai was Supervising Producer for the Emmy-nominated LA Burning (A&E) and Emmy-winning Red Table Talk (Facebook), and Co-EP of the Emmy-winning Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (A&E). Kai served as EP/Showrunner of Resist (a documentary series that successfully thwarted LA County’s plan to fund two new jails), the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning, We Have to Talk About Cosby (Showtime), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Fight the Power (History) and the award-winning Ferguson Rises (PBS).Kai currently serves as the Director of Current Programming, Unscripted for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network where she has overseen multiple projects, including Ready to Love, Put a Ring on It, Justice, USA, Breaking New Ground, the NAACP-nominated The Hair Tales (an OWN/Hulu collaboration executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Tracee Ellis Ross), and Time of Essence (a star-studded, ve-part documentary series about Essence magazine).

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34MUSICStreaming Royalties and the Music Modernization Act Maurice Russell is the Head of Rights Management for the Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC). In this role, Russell oversees The MLC’s publisher services team and leverages his operational and administrative expertise to support The MLC’s processing of billions of dollars in digital music royalty payments to music publishers and songwriters globally.A senior executive in the music and entertainment industry with over 20 years of experience and a deep passion for intellectual property (IP) rights management, licensing, business development, strategy, client service and operations management, Russell was previously the founder of music industry rights management consultancy rm Media Rights Management (MRM). At MRM, Russell helped his clients navigate the music industry’s growing licensing and data challenges.Prior to launching MRM, Russell held senior roles in operations and strategy at the Harry Fox Agency (HFA), where he directed the development and launch of numerous licensing and royalty solutions to transition the company to the high-volume digital music market. Russell has served on advisory groups for the U.S. Copyright Ofce and the U.S. Patent and Trade Ofce, and he is a long-time participant in Digital Data Exchange (DDEX), the primary data standards body serving the global digital music industry. He is a recognized subject matter expert who is frequently asked to speak at key industry events, including Digital Music Forum, Music Biz and SXSW.Russell holds a B.A. in American History from Columbia University and an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University Stern School of Business. He resides in New York City.Heather Beverly, former Board of Governors of the Recording Academy member for 8 years, is an entertainment attorney, speaker, consultant and author. As founder and CEO of the Law Ofce of Heather Beverly, P.C. she is recognized for being a veteran powerbroker and with an expansive and impressive roster of clients. Her rm represents lm and tv producers, writers and production companies; radio personalities; executives, entrepreneurs, inuencers, as well as multi-genre creatives from new artists to multi-award winning writer and producers to legendary enter-tainers. In her words, “Entertainment clientele come with a myriad of unprecedented and challenging issues which require individualized creative solutions. My commitment to excellence ensures that my rm makes each client a priority and that we utilize our collective experience to serve effectively and creatively while staying true to their brands and goals. The ultimate objective…to support the creation and monetization of art and the preservation of LEGACY”.Ms. Beverly is also the founder and CEO of Soul Reciprocity, LLC (lifestyle brand providing tools for one’s quest for SOUL-FULL relationships in love, friendships, family and business). Her debut book, “Soul Reciprocity: Quest to Soul-Full Relationships” encourages readers to engage in Soul Work to gain understanding of who they are and what they really need at the soul level. With that clarity, one can discover their Soul Tribe - people with whom Soul Reciprocity (the optimal state of fulllment in relationships) can be achieved. “Soul Reciprocity” will be available Fall 2024 followed by the World of Soul Reciprocity (online store, tour, workshops, retreats and other Soul-FULL experiences).

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35MUSICStreaming Royalties and the Music Modernization Act Miriam “Mimi” Camara is a music business affairs veteran with over a decade of experience who has launched her own boutique entertainment practice based in New York City. The Staten Island Native started her rm after building her career at Warner Music Group and getting deals done for both frontline labels, Atlantic and Warner Records. She received her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her law degree from the Fordham University School of Law. Blending supreme responsiveness with meticulousness and practical deal savvy, her clientele which includes the likes of YouTube phenomenon Gracie’s Corner, and evergreen rap pioneer Soulja Boy, serves developing and legacy artists, media companies, record labels and tech entrepreneurs. Recent wins for Camara include a successful summer of #1s for Jacksonville veteran Yungeen Ace, landing the young and versatile genre defying Bossa at Atlantic Records, bombastic rap persona Dumar1K at Epic, closing the partnership between Royce Da 5’9 and the Detroit Pistons, as well as the strategic business development effort she has put into the current evolution of the music SaaS company BPM Music as its head of business affairs in addition to playing an integral part in the business development of Indian entertainment juggernaut Kyyba on the subcontinent and stateside. She is most looking forward to similar wins for R&B songstress AKIA, the effervescent entertainer 2Rare, the gritty and introspective emcee GMK, Mexican producer phenomenon Muzik Junkies, alongside trending YouTube stars Kinigra Deon and Tiffany La’Ryn in the year ahead.Orlando McGhee has established himself as a closer, one able to see any project to completion and to leverage any client’s goal beyond fruition, since the earliest days of his career. Throughout his career, he has maintained himself a cultural ambassador of sorts for his native Atlanta, working to elevate some of the biggest brands to help establish the city’s dominance within the entertainment industry. While working as the Special Assistant to the Chief Operating Ofcer to the City of Atlanta shortly after college, McGhee found his way into the music industry through an internship with the legendary production trio Organized Noize (ONP). Assisting ONP with a myriad duties right as Dungeon Family began attracting the Hip-Hop business to Atlanta, McGhee had the opportunity to not only learn every facet of the game, but to play a hand in developing a legacy that laid the foundation for Atlanta’s music creatives. As the Vice President of BME Recordings, McGhee was instrumental in pushing “Crunk” culture forward and solidifying Lil’ Jon’s place within Hip-Hop history. While working at BME, McGhee also helped to develop artists like Crime Mobb, Lil Scrappy and Trillville who youthful energy allowed BME to capture a segment of Hip-Hop fans that had been largely ignored until then. Around the same time, McGhee forayed into the world of management, taking on The Aphilliates - a growing collective founded by DJ Drama, Don Cannon and DJ Sense. Following his run at BME, McGhee was named VP of A&R at Warner Bros Records, where he continued to push for the inclusion and growth of Southern, and specically Atlanta Hip-Hop, but also signed legendary Bay-Area Rapper E-40.Still, McGhee’s greatest professional successes have come as an independent. Following his departure from Warner, he launched Seventy 2 Music Consulting, a boutique management, marketing and brand development rm. Under the guidance of Seventy 2 Music, the Atlanta rapper was catapulted to megastar not only through his own music and strategic partnerships, but also through his inuence as a songwriter with McGhee signing Metro Boomin to Future’s publishing company. Seventy 2 Music Consulting currently represents producers 30 Roc, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Organized Noize, and played an intergral role in the development of recent Dreamville/Interscope Records signees EarthGang and J.I.D.

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36MUSICStreaming Royalties and the Music Modernization Act Tabetha D. Plummer is a distinguished transactional sports and entertainment attorney and the founder of Plummer Law Group, PC. She represents a broad spectrum of high-prole individuals and entities, including entertainers, athletes, and industry executives. Her client list includes iconic names such as Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, Michael Strahan, Bryce Young, Ledisi, Snoop Dogg, and Jhené Aiko, among many others.A trailblazer in both the legal and sports industries, Tabetha is also a certied NFL, NBA, FIBA, and NCAA sports agent. She co-founded CREED Sports & Entertainment, the rst all-Black women-founded and owned agency, and is the founder of Represent International Sports & Entertainment. Her expertise in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) has facilitated groundbreaking deals for athletes like Shedeur Sanders, Shilo Sanders, Travis Hunter, Dominic Lovett, and Jake Retzlaff.In 2024, Tabetha was honored with BESLA's Trail Blazer Award and recognized as one of Billboard's Top 100 Music Lawyers for the fourth consecutive year. Her impact extends into music and entertainment, with recent highlights including: Brandon Caddell: Curated and produced the music for "Tiana's Bayou Adventure" for Disney World and Disneyland theme parks.  Produced the theme song for "Disney Treasure", Disney Cruise Line’s newest Cruise Ship. Adam Blackstone: Up for Grammy consideration in four categories for collaborations with Fantasia, Boyz II Men, and Keke Palmer; six-time Emmy nominee; and Music Director for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, U.S. Open, and the upcoming Super Bowl 2025. Ledisi: Managed the launch of her Good Life album and celebrated her rst-ever RIAA certication for Pieces of Me.In addition, Tabetha played a pivotal role in securing Shedeur Sanders' distribution deal with 10K Projects for the song Perfect Timing.Her clientele includes elite producers such as Chopsquad DJ, Rex Rideout, and Dem Jointz, with credits spanning artists like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, King Von, and Halle (Grammy consideration). Other notable collaborations involve music legends and rising stars alike, cementing Tabetha’s position as a powerhouse in sports and entertainment law. Beyond her legal and agent roles, Tabetha is a sought-after speaker and panelist at top educational and industry events, consistently setting the bar for excellence and innovation.Lynn Gonzalez is an experienced entertainment attorney and music executive. She is currently a Partner in the music group at a boutique law rm, Granderson Des Rochers. Prior to joining the rm, Lynn most recently served as the Executive Vice President and Head of Business Affairs and Business Development at Def Jam Recordings (Universal Music Group), where she was the label’s lead attorney and oversaw matters for its roster of artists, including Kanye West, Big Sean, YG and Justin Bieber. Before Universal, Lynn was counsel for Atlantic Records and Razor and Tie Entertainment. She also taught music industry and copyright at Hunter College in NYC after beginning her career as an intellectual property attorney at the Wall Street-based law rm, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. She has built a reputation across her career as a legal expert who advocates hard for the artist’s vision but serves as a partner to the business leaders to guide them in achieving their objectives while effectively managing risk for the corporation.Lynn has a passion for mentoring and is also proud to be a member of the NY Chapter of the Recording Academy, where she serves as Chapter Secretary.Lynn is a graduate of New York University and studied at University of Southern California School of Law and the University of Amsterdam School of Law before receiving her JD degree from NYU Law.

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37CAREER STRATEGIES & COMPETENCE Is General Counsel/Equity Partner the Pinnacle of an Attorney’s Career?Erica McKinley is an accomplished attorney who broke the glass ceiling in professional basketball and college sports. Ms. McKinley has the distinction of being the rst woman named Chief Operating Ofcer for the National Basketball Players Association. In 2016, she spearheaded the construction of the NBPA’s award-winning training facility and basketball court. Ms. McKinley also partnered with other NBPA leaders to produce the NBPA One Court Experience, a bespoke program that provided NBA players exclusive amenities and accommodations during NBA All-Star Weekend.After the NBPA, Ms. McKinley entered Division 1 college sports as the Chief Legal Ofcer for the Big Ten Conference. She managed all governance, NCAA compliance, and legal matters for the Conference. Her areas of responsibility included media rights, sponsorships, and the class action litigations involving concussions and name, image, and likeness. Ms. McKinley’s exceptional body of legal work includes in house, government, and law rm experience. She was associate general counsel for the world’s largest retailer, Walmart Stores, Inc. As an attorney in Walmart’s global investigations group, Ms. McKinley spent considerable time in Mexico, Brazil, and Chile, where she investigated violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Her government service includes serving as Chief of General Litigation in the District of Columbia Ofce of the Attorney General. Ms. McKinley rst started her legal career in Washington, D.C. in 1999, where she was a litigation associate at two prominent international law rms, Arnold & Porter and Akin Gump. Before joining Arnold & Porter, Ms. McKinley completed a judicial clerkship with Justice E. Grady Jolly on United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is a 1998 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Law. Ms. McKinley earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Tougaloo College.Ms. McKinley is an engaging and dynamic speaker who lectures on the interconnectedness of one’s passion and one’s profession. She is an activist at heart. Ms. McKinley’s most recent role is Chief Legal Ofcer for Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest environmental organization. Ms. McKinley’s team includes more than fty lawyers and staff who leverage litigation, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to ght climate change, protect clean air, water, and wilderness, and pursue justice for communities threatened by pollution.Leron Rogers’ practice includes complex litigation, business and commercial transaction matters in a variety of elds and industries, primarily in the areas of entertainment, intellectual property, technology and media. He counsels institutional and individual clients on a range of issues related to crisis management, business disputes and litigation prevention, as well as non-litigation matters, frequently in the capacity of outside general counsel.A former banker, Leron is knowledgeable in resolving complex nancial issues and structuring joint ventures and other business ventures. He has successfully represented banks and other nancial institutions, technology companies, physician practice groups, restaurant groups, manufacturers, transportation companies, entrepreneurs, professional athletes and entertainment companies.A well-known and respected entertainment attorney, Leron works with the full spectrumof industry professionals including actors, recording artists, producers, songwriters, record labels, publishing and management companies, music industry trade organizations, lm and television companies as well as new media companies. He represents corporate entities as well as high-prole celebrities and athletes in their personal and professional business ventures. He has participated in leading industry think tanks such as the SXSW Music and Entertainment Conference and the London Music Expo. He formerly served on the Advisory Board for the Future of Music Coalition and was inuential in advocating for the Performance Rights Act HR848, which entitles artists to royalties from radio airplay. Leron is a Board Member and Chair of Entertainment for the Entertainment and Sports Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia. He serves as Chairman of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. He is also Co-Chair of the Music Industry Relations Collective for the National Museum of African American Music. Before joining Fox Rothschild, Leron was a partner and Vice Chair of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice at a national law rm.

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38CAREER STRATEGIES & COMPETENCE Is General Counsel/Equity Partner the Pinnacle of an Attorney’s Career?Joe Pierce is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of AMB Sports & Entertainment, where he leads all legal affairs for the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, PGA TOUR Superstore and the Blank Family of Businesses.Prior to AMBSE, Joe served as Chief Legal Ofcer for Hornets Sports & Entertainment. Joe joined the Hornets from Bank of America, where he was SVP & Associate General Counsel for Global Marketing & Corporate Affairs. Prior to that, Joe served as Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for Comcast Sports.Joe previously served as Associate General Counsel for the Jacksonville Jaguars, after practicing law at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati where he represented emerging growth technology companies. Joe serves on the Board of Directors of Cullen Frost Bank and the Sports Lawyers Association as well as an Advisory Director for Enterprise Mobility. Joe graduated from Georgetown University, where he received a bachelor’s in business administration in Finance, captained the track & eld team and joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He earned dual Juris Doctor and MBA degrees from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Wharton School of Business.Riché T. McKnight is Executive Vice President General Counsel at Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”) and Deputy General Counsel and Co-Global Head of Litigation at Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), a preeminent sports, entertainment, media and fashion agency with ofces in over 35 countries. As General Counsel, Riché heads the overall legal function at UFC including litigation, transactional and advisory aspects. Riché engages routinely with department heads to help ensure strategically efcient operations within each of UFC’s business lines including events, media and production, sponsorship, ghter relations and consumer products. Riché has also partnered with other members of the executive team to help execute some of UFC’s most critical initiatives. For example, Riche played a pivotal role in helping develop and maintain the health and safety protocols — including testing and other procedures — which have allowed UFC to continue seamless and successful operations during the global COVID-19 pandemic.As Co-Global Head of Litigation, Riché oversees the group in charge of resolving all major disputes between Endeavor and third parties on a world-wide basis. He has handled contentious matters concerning a substantial number of Endeavor’s keystone properties including UFC, World Wrestling Entertainment (“WWE”), WME talent agency, IMG Media, the Miami Open, the Professional Bull Riders, and the global suite of Fashion Week events. In addition, he has provided counsel across virtually all of Endeavor’s business lines including media, events, licensing and global marketing. Riché has also advised on matters involving a number of Endeavor’s high-prole clients including Serena Williams, Cam Newton, Naomi Osaka and Lindsey Vonn. In recognition of his contributions to Endeavor, Riché was named In-House Litigator of the Year at the 2018 Global Counsel Awards.Prior to working at Endeavor, Riché was a partner in the prestigious sports litigation practice group at Winston & Strawn LLP. In this capacity, Riché served as an advisor to various professional sports unions including the NBPA, the NFLPA and the MLBPA on matters involving antitrust law, labor law, licensing and collective bargaining disputes. In 2013, Riché was a candidate for the position of Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association advancing to the nal handful of applicants considered out of hundreds who initially began the process.Riché received his undergraduate degree from Duke University. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After graduating law school, Riché served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable William B. Traxler, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

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39CAREER STRATEGIES & COMPETENCE Is General Counsel/Equity Partner the Pinnacle of an Attorney’s Career?Candisse (Collins) Williamson is a creative dealmaker with robust legal experience across entertainment and corporate. As EVP, General Counsel of Hartbeat, Candisse oversees all business affairs and legal matters across the company. Previously, Candisse was General Counsel at Skybound Entertainment, where, during her four-year tenure, she started the legal department and oversaw all strategic transactions across all company divisions (including corporate, gaming, literary, merchandise, television, lm and marketing, among others). Before joining Skybound, Candisse spent ve years at The Madison Square Garden Company where, in her last role as VP, Business & Legal Affairs, she was the lead attorney for the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes and other live productions at Radio City Music Hall. Candisse spent the rst ve years of her career as a corporate associate at two major law rms in New York City and Atlanta, managing a wide array of complex corporate M&A and private equity transactions. Candisse received her JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and her B.S in Business Administration, Marketing from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.BESLA WOMEN IN SPORTS BREAKFAST Chauntell Bobo is the Deputy General Counsel for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), where she leverages her extensive background across diverse industries to drive legal excellence within the realm of professional sports. With a robust career spanning sports, sports betting, technology, trading, cryptocurrency, and corporate and commercial transactions, Chauntell brings a unique perspective to her role.In her capacity at the WTA, Chauntell oversees legal and business matters governance, gaming licensing, business development, sports league and team deals, sponsorships, general employment and human resources guidance, media transactions, technology and data transactions, and data privacy compliance, including GDPR and CCPA.Chauntell’s career journey also includes pivotal roles at DRW Trading Group, as well as legal practice experience at esteemed rms Baker & McKenzie LLP and DLA Piper LLP. Her academic foundation includes a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Law from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctorate from The University of Chicago Law School.Chauntell’s dedication to the legal profession and her passion for sports intersect seamlessly in her current role, where she continues to make impactful contributions to the world of professional tennis.critical to the success of the WTA Tour. Her responsibilities encompass a wide spectrum, including tour operations, corporate governance, policy development, intellectual property rights, player and tournament relations, and technology implementation.Before joining WTA, Chauntell served as the Assistant General Counsel for the Golden State Warriors, where she provided strategic legal and business counsel on various facets of the organization’s operations. Her expertise extended to corporate partnerships, commercial transactions, player engagements, cryptocurrency and NFT initiatives, technology innovation, intellectual property rights, marketing endeavors, and community outreach efforts.Prior to her tenure with the Golden State Warriors, Chauntell held the position of Director of Legal & Business Affairs at FanDuel, where she navigated complex legal landscapes surrounding corporate

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40TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTSPractical Implications of Generative AI in Entertainment and SportsIsa Watson is the founder & CEO of Squad, a fan engagement and data platform licensed to professional sports teams to help them unlock core data about their fan base beyond the arena. Isa has been named Top 100 MIT Alumni in Technology and Top 100 Female Founders by Inc Magazine. And she is one of the very few women to hold a technology patent in the United States for her invention around “interactive calling systems and methods.”Formerly an executive at JPMorgan Chase, she led the development of new businesses and products that amount to ~$5bn in business annually to the rm each year. Prior to that, she was a metabolic diseases chemist, and data scientist at Pzer. Isa is also the author of the bestselling book, Life Beyond Likes: Logging Off Your Screen and Into Your Life, and one of the very few Black female skydivers in the U.S. Isa has also been featured in Fortune, Marie Claire, Fast Company, Forbes, CNBC, Sports Illustrated, and Inc Magazine.Jamice Oxley joined HJTH as a partner in 2022. Jamice has dual undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degrees from Yale University. Prior to law school, Jamice began her legal career at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and Warner Bros. Television. After earning her J.D. from Loyola Law School, Jamice has over the course of her entertainment legal career, represented numerous media and entertainment clients. Some of her clients have included Facebook (Meta), Netix, major studio and independent lm and television production companies, live stage theatre producers and composers, Grammy award winning producers and artists, television and lm producers, directors, writers and actors, lm nanciers, feature lm animators and producers, and digital content creators. Jamice has also represented inuencers, beauty brands and trademarks across complex endorsement relationships and joint ventures.At HJTH, Jamice represents individual talent. Alongside her partner, John Meigs, Jamice negotiates and closes high value deals and contracts for lm and television actors, writers, showrunners, executive producers, producers, comedians, directors, athletes, podcast producers, brand inuencers and lm and television production companies.In 2021, Jamice was listed in Variety Magazine as a Top New Leader in Entertainment under 40. Jamice is recognized yearly as one of the “Top 100 Black Lawyers” in America and was named a Leader in the Law by the Los Angeles Business Journal.Jamice has been frequently quoted in publications such as the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal and speaks on entertainment and IP related panels. Jamice is also of service in her community as the former President of the Entertainment and IP Lawyers section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, a member of the Langston Bar Association’s Entertainment Law Committee, a speaker for the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association annual conferences, and a mentor to young, black women attorneys. Jamice has served on the Alumnae Leadership Board of her alma mater, Marlborough School, for over a decade and is also a Yale Undergraduate Admissions interviewer.Jamice is the proud mother of her elementary school age daughter, Olivia, and loves to swim, adventure travel, write, and enjoy great seats at live concerts, plays, dance performances, sporting events and festivals.

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41TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTSPractical Implications of Generative AI in Entertainment and SportsYemi Adegbonmire serves as VP, Legal and Associate General Counsel at entertainment technology company Cineverse, where she leads the company’s legal strategy for AI-integrated entertainment and streaming technologies. A seasoned technology and media attorney, Yemi brings a dynamic blend of expertise from her work with top-tier companies, including The Walt Disney Company.Known for championing innovation and inclusivity, Yemi has a proven track record of navigating complex legal and regulatory landscapes in tech and entertainment. Her work embodies a commitment to advancing AI innovation responsibly and inclusively.Honored as Outstanding In-House Counsel by the LA Times in 2024, Yemi has also been named a Top 100 Black Lawyer and is a two-time Non-Prot GC of the Year nominee. A dedicated advocate for inclusion, she has co-founded and supported employee resource groups throughout her career. She is also a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a member of Lambda Legal’s Emeritus Board of Directors, and serves on Wake Forest University’s Law Board of Visitors.Maurice Dyson, graduate of Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, practiced law with the rm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, securities and leverage buyouts valued over $166 billion. There Professor Dyson participated in landmark pro bono school nance litigation winning a $14 billion judgment that was upheld on appeal in an effort to win back misallocated funds for students in New York City public schools. He also led federal civil rights enforcement as the Special Projects Attorney for the U.S. Department of Education Ofce for Civil Rights (OCR) where he was recognized for his work in Title VI inter-district equitable school funding enforcement. Professor Dyson is a member of the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, and has served as pro bono volunteer to numerous public service organizations, including Casa Cornelia, the Innocence Project, and as a law clerk to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He has also worked on family immigration visas and asylum matters as registered counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Ofce for Immigration Review (EOIR) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He promotes restorative justice healing circles and collaborative de-escalation training as part of his work with the ABA Policing Project in partnership with Massachusetts Chiefs of Police and Suffolk Law School. Professor Dyson is also a visual artist/muralist, nancial services professional and has held multiple licensures and certications in retirement income strategies, compassionate elder law care and complex legacy estate planning for federal service employees, families and community charities.

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42TECHNOLOGY, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTSPractical Implications of Generative AI in Entertainment and SportsKevin “K.J.” Greene, professor, is a graduate of the Yale Law School and a U.S Marine Corps veteran. Professor Greene serves as the John J. Schumacher Chair Professor at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California, where he teaches Copyright Law and Entertainment Law. Professor Greene also teaches International Entertainment Law in Southwestern Law School’s London program at University of London.Professor Greene’s extensive, award-winning scholarship explores copyright, trademark, and publicity rights issues. HAfter admission to the New York Bar, Professor Greene practiced law in New York at the premier rm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, representing companies such as Time Warner/HBO. Professor Greene has been an invited speaker at leading academic and professional organizations, including the American Bar Association (“ABA”), the International Trademark Association (“INTA”), the Beverly Hills Bar Association, The Association of American Law Schools (“AALS”), the California Copyright Conference, the South-by Southwest Conference, and at Yale, Harvard, Duke, N.Y.U., Notre Dame, U.S.C., Georgetown, U.C.L.A., University of Washington, U.C. Berkeley and Columbia law schools, among others. He has also served as an expert for the Burbank Choir in a novel case involving copyright grand performance rights. Greene also served as a testifying IP expert in a landmark $9.5 million jury trial on contracts and right of publicity case.In 2021, he served as a copyright and entertainment industry expert for lm nancier and producer Village Roadshow in a case against Warner Brothers Pictures. In 2021, Professor Greene was selected by the California Commission on Reparations to testify as an expert on the issue of reparations for African American Music.Currently, Professor Greene is part of the production team for a landmark BBC documentary on reparations for African American music artists that is executive produced by Edris Elba scheduled to air in September, 2024..In 2022, Rolling Stone Magazine did a feature article on Greene’s longstanding work around social justice and copyright law.

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43FILM & TVWe’re Doing it Live: Advising clients on legal, regulatory & relationship issues presented when producing/ operating live events and activations.Aziza Bowser, Senior Counsel in the Business and Legal Affairs Department with Paramount Global, oversees Production Risk for both scripted and unscripted productions. Her client groups include Vh1, MTV, BET, Logo, Paramount +, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon as well as multi-platform, digital and Ad Sales teams. Aziza is responsible for assessing production risk for live productions and reality TV shows including, The MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Movie Awards, The Love and Hip Hop franchise, Black Ink Crew Franchise, Catsh, Ru Paul’s Drag Race Franchise, Wild N’ Out, The Daily Show, Unplugged, and Storytellers, just to name a few. A proud alum of an HBCU, Aziza Bowser received her Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate degrees from Florida A&M University (FAMU). Aziza is the recipient of The NY FAMU Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award and the FAMU College of Law Distinguished Alumni Award for Professional Excellence in the Private Sector.As one of the leading experts in her eld, Aziza has served on several panels within the Entertainment and Music Industries. A range of topics include Women’s Leadership In the Music Industry, Production Risk, The Use of Marijuana On-camera in Scripted and Unscripted Content, Child Labor in the Entertainment Industry, and Best Practices for Artist: Navigating Immigration and Visa Issues. Aziza sits on the Board of Directors for The Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), where she serves as board liaison to the Film and TV Division; President of the Board of Directors for The Bessies (The NY Dance and Performance Awards); an active member of the NY FAMU Alumni Association; The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications; a member of The BEAT (Paramount’s Black Employee Afnity Team); a member of Paramount’s Law Department’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee; in addition to being a wife, mother, and mentor.Jemar Daniel is currently a Vice President and Senior Counsel at Paramount Global. Jemar has been a member of Paramount Global’s Business and Legal Affairs department since 2014. He advises clients on various pre-production-related legal matters, including defamation, intellectual property, right of publicity, production transactions, marketing and promotions, and pre-litigation strategy. His clients include scripted, unscripted, digital, news, off-channel production teams and various ad-sales business units. Jemar also works closely with other Paramount law department teams to create legal guidelines and policies for integrated marketing business units that produce branded content for digital platforms. Jemar is also a member of Paramount Global’s legal department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. As co-chair of the Partnering with Outside Counsel subcommittee, he leads initiatives and coordinates programs to foster a more diverse and inclusive eld for minority and underrepresented legal practitioners.Jemar is a frequent panelist and guest lecturer on First Amendment law, production legal matters, intellectual property, advertising Law, and general media law developments. He is also a Legal Council on Legal Diversity Fellow alumnus and was a Black In-House Counsel “Rise Up” executive leadership development program cohort member (2023). He is currently a member of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association’s Board of Directors.Before joining Paramount Global, Jemar was a member of BET Networks’ Business and Legal Affairs department. He obtained his J.D. from The American University’s Washington College of Law and is admitted to practice in New York. He is a graduate of McDaniel College and a visiting member of its Board of Trustees.

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44FILM & TVWe’re Doing it Live: Advising clients on legal, regulatory & relationship issues presented when producing/ operating live events and activations.Michelle Johnson, since 2021, has served as the Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at BET Media Group. She currently works on a wide variety of matters such as unscripted development and production (Celebrity Squares, College Hill and Ms. Pat Settles It), live events and award shows (BET Experience and BET Awards), acquisitions, digital and marketing content. Prior to joining BET, over the last thirteen years in the entertainment industry, Michelle has provided business affairs and legal support at WME, Vox Media, Sony Pictures Entertainment and ABC, resulting in a career that has to date handled more than 100 projects for some of the top networks and platforms with work that spans across Michelle Obama, Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Cohen, Men In Blazers, Barstool Sports and The View. She prides herself on being a trusted business collaborator endeavoring to come up with creative solutions that balances both empowering her creative and business executives and adeptly navigating business risks. Prior to embarking on a career as an attorney in the entertainment industry, Michelle served as an Assistant District Attorney from 2005-2010, where she was entrusted to handle high-prole press cases and assist in training New York City Police Ofcers. Michelle earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University in 2002 and Juris Doctorate degree from Saint John’s University in 2005. She is a native New Yorker via the Bronx, and when she is not juggling the demands of work, she often times nds herself succumbing to the antics of her 4-year-old, 79 lbs Giant Schnauzer, Onyx.Chiquita W. Banks, Esq. is Principal/Owner of Bankable Consulting, Inc., a tax and legal consulting rm specializing in the lm, television and multimedia industries. At Bankable, Chiquita supports content creators, with a focus on lmmakers of color, and advises on options to nance the creator’s projects. Specically, she consults on production’s global incentive alternatives and is “the plug” connecting lmmakers to companies that lend against production incentives, distribution agreements and other production collateral.Prior to starting Bankable, Ms. Banks served as Sr. Advisor, Production & Investment Planning at The Walt Disney Company. At Disney, she specialized in helping the Company’s brands realize a reduction in the cost of production through the use of global lm and television tax incentives. Her practice also included government relations where Chiquita interacted with international, federal, state and local legislators, lm commissioners and other industry inuencers for the purpose of maintaining and increasing production incentives in relevant jurisdictions.Before Disney, Chiquita served as Director, Tax Counsel at Viacom in New York, NY and State & Local Tax Senior Manager at Bennett Thrasher in Atlanta, GA. In her prior consulting practice, Chiquita used her considerable years of tax consulting and business development experience to assist the big six Hollywood studios and large independent studios (e.g., AMC Networks) utilize and monetize lm incentives across the country. Then, her practice focused on auditing qualied production expenditures, preparing certication applications, performing pre-production budget and sourcing analyses, and handling a wide variety of tax controversy matters.Chiquita currently serves on the Board of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (“BESLA”) and is the organization’s Immediate Past President. Furthermore, she is an active contributor to other non-prot organizations such as Women in Film and Television and the Council on State Taxation. Lastly, she is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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45FILM & TVWe’re Doing it Live: Advising clients on legal, regulatory & relationship issues presented when producing/ operating live events and activations.Nyasha Shani Foy is a multi-hyphenate business & legal affairs executive, corporate transactional lawyer, creative and thought leader. She has extensive knowledge advising global brands, start-ups and scale-ups in the areas of intellectual property law, media, entertainment, and emerging technologies. Nyasha has served in senior business and legal affairs roles at Buzzfeed, Complex Media, VICE Media Group, Broadway Video and Sotheby’s as their rst Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, NFTs. She brings a wealth of experience supporting brand partnerships, commercial transactions, and activations, such as ComplexLand and ComplexCon. Outside of her professional life, Nyasha serves on the Save the Music Foundation Board, on the Board of Directors for the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA), and as Vice Chair of the New York State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section. She is a creative writer and frequent speaker on topics ranging from articial intelligence (AI) to social justice.Nyasha received her B.A. in Music and French from Wesleyan University, and her J.D. from New York Law School. She is admitted to practice in California and New York. Nyasha is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.SPORTSThat’s A Bet! Understanding the Current & Future Landscape of Sports Betting Jonathan Goins is a co-leader of the rm’s Intellectual Property & Technology and Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice Groups. Relying on two decades of experience, Mr. Goins serves as lead counsel for Fortune 500, mid-size and protable start-up companies in litigation across the country involving intellectual property, technology, entertainment, sports, right of publicity (name, image and likeness), and complex business disputes. His trial experience includes “bet the company” cases with multimillion-dollar exposure, including obtaining a jury defense verdict in Kinon Surface Designs, Inc. v. Hyatt Corporation, Case No. 9:18-CV-81065 (S.D. Fla. 2019). Complementary to his litigation practice, Mr. Goins is consistently peer-recognized in numerous publications for his expertise in intellectual property, including Best Lawyers In America, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America, Georgia Super Lawyers, and the World Trademark Review (WTR). Obtaining client feedback, WTR published that Mr. Goins is “a protean IP lawyer” who “litigates assertively, counsels deftly and negotiates deals prociently.” WTR further notes that Mr. Goins “is comfortably at ease in any role – protector, litigator, deal broker – and covers a lot of ground for clients.” As reported by American Lawyer Media, Mr. Goins has “cultivated a booming niche practice,” which includes ground-breaking rulings in copyright, trademark, entertainment and technology law. He served as lead counsel in In re Jackson, which earned him among the nation’s Legal Lions by Law360 in 2020 after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held for the rst time that copyright preemption can apply to a right of publicity claim. Later that same year as lead counsel in Bayoh v. Afropunk, a New York federal judge nixed the plaintiff’s right to a jury trial over copyright infringement claims after failing to present any damages. In 2021, Mr. Goins obtained a favorable result for the leading streaming service provider in Pirtle v. Netix, which adopted for the rst time a recent U.S. Supreme Court jurisdictional-related decision. And in 2022, Mr. Goins is a board member and past General Counsel to the National Bar Association, the nation’s oldest and largest network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges, which earned him the “Presidential Award” in 2019 for his exemplary service. Mr. Goins was a judicial law clerk to the D.C. Court of Appeals (Honorable Inez Smith Reid). He earned a J.D. from Howard University and a B.A. from the University of Louisville.

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46Aaron D. Ford, Nevada Attorney General, was sworn in as Nevada’s 34th attorney general in 2019, was re-elected in 2022, and is the rst African American to take statewide constitutional ofce. Before his election, AG Ford served as the Majority Leader of the Nevada State Senate. He previously served as the Minority Leader, Assistant Majority Whip, chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Education, and member of the Judiciary Committee. Before beginning his legal career, AG Ford served as a public school math teacher. He later attended law school and went on to clerk for the Honorable Denise Page Hood of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, as well as the Honorable Johnnie B. Rawlinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He spent many years in private practice, including as a Partner at Snell & Wilmer LLP and later as Partner at Eglet Prince, both in Las Vegas. AG Ford earned his B.A. from Texas A&M University in Interdisciplinary Studies and then earned his M.A. in International Education from George Washington University. He also earned an M.A. in Educational Administration, as well as his law degree and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University.SPORTSThat’s A Bet! Understanding the Current & Future Landscape of Sports Betting Lisa Baker Jones is Special Counsel for Duane Morris, LLC’s Employment, Labor, Benets, and Immigration Practice Group. She works primarily with emerging and established corporate clients in all matters related to U.S. immigration and nationality law. Her clients include online sportsbetting and gaming brands, as well as artists and entertainers. Ms. Baker Jones is actively involved in cross-border agency liaison and consular practice, helping people move smoothly around the world, and particularly into the United States. She has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 2005, was Chapter Chair of AILA Northern California, and is a regular invited speaker to industry conferences.Ms. Baker Jones is a 2005 graduate, with distinction, of the University of the Pacic McGeorge School of Law (International concentration) and a graduate of the University of California, Davis where she studied Psychology, Spanish, and Chicana/o cultural, social and economic representations. She has attended legal education programs in Suzhou, China (Chinese/American business law) and Salzburg, Austria (EU/US comparative law under former Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy). Angela Ball is a member of the Government Affairs team at NBCUniversal (NBCU), where she advises NBCU-owned television stations, cable networks and digital platforms on Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulatory compliance matters, including political advertising, sponsorship identication, indecency, children’s programming, equal employment opportunity, closed captioning/video description, and station licensing and transactions, and participates in the development of and advocacy related to NBCU positions on federal regulatory policy initiatives and federal and state legislation, including broadcast spectrum, accessibility, privacy and media modernization. In this role, Angela routinely advises internal clients, prepares legal guidance and executive brieng updates and conducts compliance training. Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Angela was Associate General Counsel at Radio One, Inc. and a staff attorney in the Federal Trade Commission’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection. She began her legal career in private practice in the Washington, D.C. ofce of K&L Gates (formerly, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, LLP). Angela received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland at College Park with honors.

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47GENERAL, CAREER STRATEGIESDemystifying Serving on Paid BoardsAnthony Mulrain is a leading corporate and intellectual property (IP) attorney at Holland & Knight, serving as co-chair of the rm’s Sports Law and Entertainment Law teams. Mulrain brings more than 20 years of experience, blending transactional acumen with litigation prowess, making him a trusted legal strategist in the sports and entertainment industries. Tony is nationally recognized for his comprehensive representation across the sports industry, from players and agencies to teams, leagues and esports enterprises. His deep industry insight makes him a trusted advisor to top athletes, sports franchises and investment rms navigating the complex intersection of sports, private equity and venture capital. With a client roster boasting 8 No. 1 overall draft picks, champions with 23 NBA titles, 3 Super Bowl victories, 17 Olympic medals and 100 NBA All-Star Game appearances, his counsel is indispensable in highly sensitive matters. In the entertainment sector, Tony is a sought-after adviser for A-list actors, producers, studios and networks. His commitment to his clients’ success, combined with his extensive industry experience, drives his ability to navigate and resolve the most sensitive and high-prole legal challenges. His representation of multibillion-dollar studios and creative talents in critical transactional and litigation matters has solidied his reputation as a leading gure in entertainment law.Mr. Mulrain’s business acumen and strategic insight position him at the nexus of sports, entertainment and investment. CEOs, investors and companies across these industries rely on his counsel to guide them through sophisticated ventures, mergers and structural decisions that require a blend of legal acumen and business strategy.When brands are threatened, whether by pre-draft extortion or international fraud, Mr. Mulrain is the trusted adviser to whom high-prole clients turn. His ability to protect and restore his clients’ reputations is a testament to his deep understanding of brand value and his proactive approach to crisis management.Sherry D. Williams serves as Chief Legal Ofcer, Chief Compliance Ofcer, Corporate Secretary and Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Strategic Materials, Inc., in Houston, TX, the largest glass recycler in North America. As part of Strategics’ senior leadership team, she oversees and manages the corporate human resources team, and manages all aspects of the Company’s legal portfolio, including corporate contracting, M&A, corporate governance, corporate compliance, risk management, environmental compliance, corporate investigations, employment and labor, and litigation.Sherry has over 25 years of legal and leadership experience with a broad background in corporate governance and board management, global compliance and investigations, litigation, risk management, people and team development, leadership development, change management, and diversity and inclusion. Sherry is highly regarded for her ability to manage complicated issues, work effectively under pressure, exercise excellent judgment, and navigate multifaceted quickly changing circumstances. Williams serves on the Board of Trustees for Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Peterburg, FL, the Board of Directors for Brown Girls Do Ballet, which promotes diversity in the arts, and she is current member of the Executive Board and Parliamentarian for the Greater Tampa Chapter of Jack & Jill of America, Inc. Sherry was awarded her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 1995 and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History, from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. Sherry is licensed to practice law in Florida, New Jersey, and New York.

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48MUSIC and FILM & TVMusic Agreements for Film and Television: A Deeper Dive Jakgeem Mays is CEO and Managing Attorney at Mays Law Group, P.C. He works with a variety of entertainment industry professionals including actors, recording artists, producers, songwriters, lm and television studios, production companies, record labels, music publishers and new media companies. Prior to forming Mays Law Group, P.C., Jakgeem worked at NBCUniversal at what is now NBCUniversal Television & Streaming. Starting in Business Affairs for the broadcast team, he worked on a variety of scripted and unscripted projects including, The Voice, Revolution, The Mindy Project, The Biggest Loser, American Ninja Warrior, The NAACP Image Awards and The Betty White 90th Birthday Special. Jakgeem transitioned to Legal Affairs for NBCUniversal’s cable networks (USA, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, E! and Universal Kids) and studios (Universal Content Productions) where he drafted and negotiated development and production agreements and provided guidance on legal issues in connection with production, guild, labor, insurance, risk, compliance for linear and non-linear programming. Prior to NBCUniversal, he worked as law clerk at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy, LLP where he focused on immigration matters. Jakgeem earned a Bachelor of Music degree from NYU and began his career in the music industry working for companies such as Sony Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Arista Records and EMI Music Publishing. He earned a Juris Doctorate from Thomas Jefferson School of Law while attending Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. He was a founding Co-Chair of the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association (“BESLA”) Young Lawyers Division and currently serves on BESLA’s Board of Directors. Additionally, Jakgeem is an alum of the T. Howard Foundation and continues to work closely with the organization.Connie Howell, Vice President, Creative Music Strategy at Paramount Global, develops and leads strategy for music supervision and clearances across Paramount’s cable networks and streaming services. Over the course of her impressive career, Connie has established herself as a central gure in the industry, working on some of Paramount’s highest rated shows and soundtracks. Connie’s journey began with a passion for music as a driving force in storytelling. Her visionary approach and deep understanding of music in media helped her rise quickly through the ranks, gaining recognition for her talent, leadership and dedication. One of Connie’s key strengths is managing all aspects of music across a wide range of content. Throughout her career, she has worked on a multitude of lms, live events, documentaries and television shows - spanning both scripted/unscripted projects. Additionally, she has a talent for curating soundtracks that complement a show’s narrative. To date, Connie has executive produced several soundtracks, including a score EP for Lena Waithe’s critically acclaimed Twenties, featuring Emmy nominated composer Amanda Jones and two releases for Kingdom Business, containing music from Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin and other gospel giants.Other notable projects include overseeing clearance strategy for The BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, MTV’s Video Music Awards, The CMT Awards and several other award shows; Kenya Barris’ & Diarra Kilpatrick’s Diarra From Detroit, Tracy Oliver’s First Wives Club and Will Packer’s Bigger. She also serves as the network music lead for all Tyler Perry content on BET/BET+, and personally music supervised the Promo campaign Dear Black People, a “message of love, power, hope and perseverance to the Black community”, in the wake of the George Floyd murder. Beyond her work in television, Connie is a tireless advocate for the importance of diverse representation in the Composer and Music Supervision roles for television. She actively seeks new talent and underrepresented voices, using her position to create opportunities and get them into rooms where they otherwise might not be considered.Prior to joining Paramount Global, she got her start at Signature Sound, Inc. It was there she learned all about licensing and clearances, working on various daytime talk shows, soap operas, ad campaigns and Broadway plays. Connie’s unwavering dedication, skill set and commitment to excellence have solidied her reputation as an expert in her eld, making her an indispensable force within the industry.

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49MUSIC and FILM & TVMusic Agreements for Film and Television: A Deeper Dive Nadja Webb is Executive Vice President, Programming Business Operations for BET Media Group. In this role she handles strategic operations for the programing groups for all of the BETMG platforms including BET and VH1 linear, digital, BET’s direct-to-consumer OTT platform, BET+, and the newly formed BET Studios. She also manages Physical Production, Business and Legal Affairs for BET as well as oversees the global Music Strategy team and music businesses across the Paramount Global cable channels. Immediately preceding this role, Nadja was Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Programming Operations and Business and Legal Affairs for BET where she oversaw all Programming Operations functions in support of the Scripted, Unscripted and Music & Specials Programming business units, and all Business and Legal Affairs for BET. Nadja has extensive transactional experience across multiple media platforms including, television, music and digital. Her expertise is in structuring and negotiating complex deals, analyzing risks and developing creative solutions to business challenges. Nadja previously held various roles within legacy Viacom Media Networks, most recently as Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel overseeing the BALA team that supported MTV, MTV2, mtvU, VH1, Logo, CMT and BET. Prior to joining Paramount Global, Nadja was Senior Counsel at Atlantic Recording Corporation, Counsel at Sony Music Entertainment Inc. and an Associate at the law rm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. She received a law degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelors of Arts from Wesleyan University.Tanya Perara is an experienced legal and business executive who has focused her career on music and intellectual property transactions.Her legal career began with the international law rm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP representing a variety of individual and corporate clients in litigation and transactional matters. She later transitioned to Interscope Geffen A&M Records, a division of Universal Music Group, initially as in-house counsel, and over a term of 13 years, rising to the level Senior Vice President, Emerging Business and Revenue division, collaborating with Interscope Geffen A&M artists to develop business ventures generating diverse revenue streams.In 2012 she joined NBCUniversal, and currently leads Music Business Operationsacross Universal Pictures, Telemundo Media, Universal Studios Group’s international and domestic productions, NBC Entertainment’s network, cable and streaming platforms, and for Universal Destination’s & Experiences global theme parks. Ms. Perara is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School. She is thePresident of the Board of Trustees for the Center for Early Education, serves on theboard of directors for USA for Africa.Michael Dyson (Counsel, Music Business and Legal Affairs at NBCUniversal) is a dedicated and seasoned attorney known for his work in the television and lm-music spaces. Handling music considerations ranging across a broad variety of production types, including both sync and audio-only consideration relating thereto, Michael has quickly established his place in the industry. In addition to his music and legal backgrounds, Michael has an educational and professional background in software engineering, starting his career at the intersection of software and music as a consultant for I.B.M.

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50SPORTSInvesting in Professional Sports FranchisesDerrick Heggans is a sports and entertainment business industrialist. He is the Founder and CEO of Shepherd Park Sports Properties, a consultancy focused on supporting diverse individuals interested in team ownership and advising controlling owners of sports teams interested in adding limited partners to their portfolio. In Shepherd Park’s rst team sale and purchase transaction, Heggans worked with Atlanta Falcons controlling owner Arthur Blank and his team to add four (4) black Limited Partners to the Falcons’ ownership group, including U.S. Olympic icon Dominique Dawes and Hollywood Film producer Will Packer. Heggans is the Founder and CEO of Global Sports and Entertainment Business Academies (“GSB Academy”), a private education provider for those interested in pursuing careers in sports and entertainment business. He previously served as a faculty member at Georgetown University in their “Sports Industry Management” program and as Faculty Champion of the Sports Management Fellows Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, Smith School of Business. Recently he served as Senior Advisor to the President of the NFL’s Washington Football Team.Heggans served as the sports segment lead for President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, working with the White House and U.S. Department of Education. Prior to that, Heggans served as Managing Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, a research and education-focused think tank. During his time with the National Football League, he served in various legal and business affairs roles. Working in the Ofce of the Commissioner, he assisted the Media Department, NFL Films, and NFL Productions in negotiating, structuring, and administering contracts; served as chief business affairs counsel for implementation of the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl and other NFL special events; served on the Super Bowl Policy Committee and negotiated League Sponsorship Agreements.Prior to the NFL, Heggans worked at Advantage International (now “Octagon”) as an NBPA-certied player agent in the basketball division, negotiating NBA team deals and endorsement deals for clients including Grant Hill and Kenny Smith.A native and resident of Washington, DC, Heggans graduated with a B.A. from Duke University in 1992 and received a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law in 1998. He is a member of the New York State Bar. Max Siegel, renowned sports and entertainment executive became the fourth CEO of USA Track & Field in May 2012. During his tenure, he has led USATF to nancial growth, programmatic evolution and inclusive representation that are unprecedented in the Olympic family, generating over $600 million in revenue and expanding the USATF annual budget to a record $40 million.Siegel’s achievements at USATF further complement a more than 30-year track record of competitive success in sports and entertainment. He had successful stints as President of Global Operations at DaleEarnhardt Inc. where he sold tens of millions of dollars in sponsorship; and as Senior Vice President at Sony/BMG and President of Zomba Gospel, Tommy Boy Gospel and Verity Records where he led one ofthe most protable divisions in the Sony BMG system.As the owner of Rev Racing since 2010, Siegel has led NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity (D4D) program to recruit and develop more multicultural and female talent to the sport, advancing it from a edging effort into a competitive force on the racetrack, producing stars such as Bubba Wallace and Nick Sanchez.He serves as a member of the board of directors of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), a member of the NASCAR Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, the PointsBet Diversity Council, the Board of Trustees at Martin University and the Brebeuf Jesuit Prep School in Indianapolis. Formerly, he served on the boards of USA Track & Field and the USA Swimming Foundation.The rst African-American to graduate with honors from Notre Dame Law School, Siegel is an accomplished author of three books and a lm producer. He is a native of Indianapolis and currently resides there with his wife and three children.

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51SPORTSInvesting in Professional Sports FranchisesKitan Irukera, prior to Dynasty Equity, was an investor at Sixth Street, a global investment rm, where he evaluated and managed investments in sports, media, entertainment and technology. While at Sixth Street, Kitan worked on investments in the San Antonio Spurs and Legends Hospitality. Prior to Sixth Street, Kitan was an Analyst at J.P. Morgan in its Leveraged Finance investment banking group, where he worked on numerous technology, media and telecom transactions, including the acquisition nancing for the Miami Marlins. Kitan also volunteers at SEO and serves as an advisor to GreenHouse Capital Africa.Kitan received his B.SC. in Applied Economics and Management and graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University.Global Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentJoseph K. West is Trial Partner, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Ofcer and a Member of the Partners Board at Duane Morris LLP. West is an experienced trial lawyer having successfully handled hundreds of matters to conclusion in jurisdictions throughout the country. He manages Duane Morris’ comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program and he chairs the rm’s DEI Consulting Practice. He is an internationally recognized authority in DEI, having worked, lectured and written extensively on the subject. He is the inaugural recipient of the Chambers Lifetime Achievement Award for Equity and Inclusion. West was awarded the National Bar Association’s (NBA) Champion of Diversity Award, the highest DEI specic award issued by the National Bar Association, as well as the Cora T. Walker Corporate Partnership award, a recognition by the president of the NBA for his outstanding contributions to the entire organization. In 2024, he was inducted into the Tulane Law School Hall of Fame and Savoy Magazine named him one of the nation’s 100 Most Inuential Lawyers. Prior to Duane Morris, West was Associate General Counsel and Head of Global Outside Counsel Management at Walmart Stores Inc.; President and CEO of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association; Assistant General Counsel in the Litigation Group of Entergy Corporation; and spent over 13 years as a litigator and partner in Louisiana.In addition to serving as co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, West also served as Chair of the ABA Council for the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar. West is a member of the Xavier University of Louisiana Board of Trustees. He was recently played by Laurence Fishburne on stage in New York in the play “Like They Do In the Movies” which portrayed his real-life heroics during Hurricane Katrina.

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52Rick C. Wade is Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Outreach at the United States Chamber of Commerce - the world’s largest business organization. He provides counsel on policy issues affecting America’s private sector and develops initiatives to help the business community expand its relationships and impact across diverse audiences. Following the murder of George Floyd, he created the U.S. Chamber’s Equality of Opportunity Initiative to advance private sector and public policy solutions that help to close opportunity gaps across America. He also helps to lead the U.S. Chamber’s Advance with Africa program which aims to promote Africa’s commercial prole, strengthen relationships across the Diaspora, increase U.S. exports and investment, showcase tools to support new market entrants, and foster commercial opportunities for businesses in the United States and Africa. He recently hosted American Business Celebrates Team USA to not only celebrate the accomplishments of our country’s Olympians and Paralympians, but also to connect them to corporations that can support their current and post-sport career goals and entrepreneurial interests. Before joining the Chamber, Rick was President & CEO of The Wade Group, a communications and global business development rm. Previously, he was Senior Adviser and Deputy Chief of Staff for former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Ambassador to China Gary Locke. He was also Special Commerce Envoy to the Caribbean; oversaw private sector initiatives in Haiti following the 2010 devastating earthquake; and led trade missions around the world. A former executive at Hoffman-La Roche and Blue Cross Blue Shield, Rick was a member of the Democratic National Committee and Senior Adviser for the 2008 Obama for America campaign. He currently serves on the boards of USA Track & Field, National Forest Foundation, Urban Alliance, and Folks Center for International Business. Rick received his B.S. from the University of South Carolina and M.P.A. from Harvard University and was awarded honorary doctorates from Benedict College and South Carolina State University. He has received numerous awards for exemplary leadership and public service.Global Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentDeborah Ababio, described by The Evening Standard newspaper as “Mr. Porter’s secret weapon” and the “power behind the throne” at British Vogue, has been a formidable force in the fashion industry for over two decades.Former Global Entertainment Director at Conde Nast for Vogue, she oversaw talent acquisitions across global covers, features, and video content. As the Executive Assistant to Edward Enninful OBE, visionary editor-in-chief of British Vogue, she played a pivotal role in creating record-breaking covers, diverse features, and talked-about global events.Deborah has collaborated with iconic brands like Cartier, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Dua Lipa, Victoria Beckham, Sienna Miller, Beyonce plus many others. She has managed the iconic Zandra Rhodes and renowned fashion photography duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, working on projects with Madonna, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gucci, Versace, Givenchy, Lancôme, and editorials for Vogue, Elle, W Magazines, and more.Deborah remains a force in the fashion industry, offering her expertise as a powerhouse connector, cultural taste-maker and consultant, providing you with the opportunity to now work with her personally.

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53Global Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentAmma Mensah is a London-born Ghanaian entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Reign, the world’s rst Africanluxury rum brand. Since its 2023 launch in Accra, Reign has swiftly gained global recognition, becoming a multi-award-winning sensation celebrated by both industry leaders and consumers across Africa, Europe, and the USA.The Reign journey began in 2020 when Amma returned to Ghana to take over one of West Africa’s largest organic farmsand distilleries, producing sugarcane, cashew, rum, and brandy. Within her rst two years of leadership, she sold over30,000 litres of rum, halved the company’s losses, and raised the wages of African farmers by 50%.Beyond her success with Reign, Amma’s career is rooted in a decade of impactful social innovation work within the UK’sinner cities. Between 2010 and 2019, her work in the social enterprise space garnered multiple awards and recognition from key gures, including then-UK Prime Minister, David Cameron. Her extensive client and partnership portfolio includesglobal powerhouses such as Barclays Bank, Aviva, Google, and Munich Re. In 2019, Amma was selected for the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program(IVLP), an honor shared by more than 500 current and former world leaders. Amma’s leadership extends beyond business; she serves as the youngest board member of UnLtd, a £150M fund supporting social innovators across the UK. She is also a sought-after speaker, having lectured at Cambridge University, the UK Houses of Parliament, and TEDx. With a powerful fusion of commercial acumen and deep-rooted social purpose, Amma is leading Reign to fulll its mission: “building a community where everyone feels royal.”Roger L. Patton is a distinguished graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Currently, he is an esteemed entertainment lawyer and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California, leading his own practice under the banner of the Law Ofces of Roger L. Patton. His practice offers a comprehensive range of legal, business affairs, and strategic business development services across all areas of entertainment and new media.ACA represents a diverse roster of talent, including Grammy Award winner Tyla and BET Award winner Nasty C, and is dedicated to showcasing African entertainers on the global stage. The agency recently launched its lm and television production arm, with its award-winning feature lm Fight Like A Girl, starring its client Ama Qamata of Netix’s Blood & Water. ACA’s portfolio further includes Africa Creative Publishing, Exodus Records and the Africa 1 Gaming League.Before co-founding ACA, Mr. Patton served as General Counsel and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Hidden Beach Recordings, an independent record label and experiential entertainment production company in Los Angeles, recognized for launching the career of singer/songwriter/actress Jill Scott. In this role, he oversaw all legal and business affairs while driving new business ventures and strategic partnerships.Earlier in his career, Mr. Patton was a partner at the prestigious Beverly Hills entertain-ment law rm Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Diemer & Klein, where he represented top-tier recording artists, producers, actors and production companies, including Babyface, Snoop Dogg, En Vogue, TLC, the Wayans Bros., the Hudlin Bros. and Chris Rock. His extensive experience also includes serving as Chief Entertainment Counsel for former President Bill Clinton’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, where he negotiated all entertainment and media agreements for the inaugural events.

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54Global Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentGlobal Commercial, General Legal PracticesThe Diaspora Means Business – Connecting with Africa Through Sports, Fashion & EntertainmentSegun Aluko is an associate in the Entertainment, Technology and Advertising and Corporate Practice Groups in Sheppard Mullin’s Century City ofce.Segun’s practice focuses on providing legal counsel to clients across the value chain of the entertainment industry covering development, production, distribution and other forms of exploitation. He also counsels the rm’s entertainment and technology clients on corporate matters related to mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital, private equity, and corporate nance.Segun regularly advises companies like Amazon Studios, Disney Television Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Sun Distribution, Komixx Entertainment, Skydance Sports, Campanario, and Yellow Films on development, rights acquisition, production services, and overall and rst look agreements, licensing and distribution agreements, and other entertainment matters. He’s also advised celebrities like Troy Aikman, Jared Leto, and Erin Andrews on brand partnership, endorsement, and venture capital deals as well as venture funds on equity nancing deals. Segun started his legal career as an associate at the prestigious Nigerian full service law rm – Aluko & Oyebode – where he represented clients on corporate matters related to mergers and acquisitions, project nance, and general commercial transactions as well as commercial arbitration and litigation.Segun received his LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, LL.M. (Master of Laws with Entertainment, Media, and Intellectual Property Certicate) from USC Gould School of Law, and M.B.A. (Master of Business Administration with specialization in Finance and Entrepreneurship) from UCLA Anderson School of Management.Segun is also a licensed attorney in Nigeria and a public speaker at events that provide capacity building for artists, talent, and in-dependent producers in the entertainment industry. Segun was recently named to Variety magazine’s Hollywood’s New Leader class of 2022.Walter Baddoo is Co-founder & General Partner at 4DX Ventures, a leading Pan-Africa focused venture capital rm on a mission to connect people, ideas and capital to create a thriving African continent, and a vibrant global community. 4DX has backed some of the most iconic compa-nies in Africa’s burgeoning technology ecosystem with multiple category leaders in sectors including the Creative Indus-tries, Fintech, E-commerce, Connectivity, Logistics, Healthcare, Automotive and Food & Beverage. The rm maintains ofces in New York, Accra, Nairobi & Cairo. Prior to founding 4DX, Walter was a Vice President in Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Equity Group in New York & San Francisco. Walter was born and raised in Accra, Ghana and is a graduate of Tufts University with a B.A in International Relations & International Economic Development.

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66We proudly support BESLA's mission of advancing the excellence ofprofessionals of color and opening new pathways for minority law studentsLita Rosario-Richardson, Entertainment Law Practice Chair and BESLA Board of Directors301-231-0931 | lrosario-richardson@shulmanrogers.comServing Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC | ShulmanRogers.comPROUD TO SUPPORTthe Black Entertainment andSports Lawyers AssociationLita Rosario-Richardson J. Darrel Barros Todd PilotAkerman is proud to be a Silver Sponsor for BESLA 2024!Advancing Excellence700+ Lawyers, 25 Oicesakerman.com©2024 Akerman LLP. All rights reserved.Akerman proudly supports the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association and honors its work to advance inclusion in the law, sports, media, and entertainment industries.From the complexities of purchasing a professional sports franchise, to the negotiation of broadcasting rights and arena development, to litigating disputes regarding the enforceability of deal terms controlling the delivery of episodic content, Akerman’s Sports and Entertainment lawyers deliver sophisticated, comprehensive counsel informed by decades of industry experience. Learn more at Akerman.com.Barbara EdwardsPartner, Corporate212 259 8706barbara.edwards@akerman.comKanika D. CorleyTeam Leader, Sports and Entertainment Sector Team213 688 9500kanika.corley@akerman.com

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70TRAILBLAZERAWARD RECIPIENTIn 2013, Brock Akil developed her rst one-hour drama for BET, Being Mary Jane, further cementing her ability to tell powerful and engaging stories that speak to women through honest, true-to-life reections. Her work put BET scripted series on the map for the rst time ever with back-to-back hits gleaning formidable audiences. She has continued this legacy with recent projects, including The CW’s Black Lightning and OWN’s Love Is__, where she made her directorial debut. Beyond her work as a writer, producer and director, her peers have consistently recognized Brock Akil as a leader in the industry. In 2019, she was honored with the prestigious Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award by NATPE for exhibiting extraordinary passion, leadership, independence, and vision through her contributions to television. In 2017, she was inducted into Northwestern’s Medill Hall of Achievement, and received the distinguished Northwestern Alumni Medal — the highest honor bestowed upon alumni by the Northwestern Alumni Association. In the early 2000s, Brock Akil served on her rst board to help Center Theater Group at a pivotal time of transition— nding the successor to CTG Founder & Artistic Director Gordon Davidson to would build on his great legacy while broadening CTG’s reach to more diverse audiences. She recently joined the Advisory Board of Shero’s Rise in 2020, and continues to be an annual benefactor of Amazing Grace Conservatory and Debbie Allen Dance Academy. Alongside powerhouse industry peers Felicia Henderson, Gina Prince Bythewood and Sara Finney Johnson, Brock Akil endowed the Four Sisters Scholarship at UCLA in 2005.In 2021, Mara expanded her passion for non-prot work andstarted her very own non-prot writing residency in Los Angeles, the Writers’ Colony. The Writers’ Colony is a launching pad for the next generation of Black screenwriters. It is a place for them to write, to belong, and to nd their voice. Brock Akil resides in Los Angeles and is married to fellow writer/ producer/director Salim Akil. They have two sons, Yasin and Nasir.MARA BROCK AKIL has written and produced over 400 episodes of television, leaving her mark on Hollywood. Her groundbreaking body of work includes the television series Girlfriends (2000), a witty and honest exploration of the multi-faceted nature of Black womanhood. During its eight seasons on-air, it was one of the highest-rated scripted shows among African-Americans ages eighteen to 34.Brock Akil then developed the spin-off series, The Game, which premiered in 2006. A quick fan-favorite, loyal watchers launched a social media campaign to save the series upon its cancellation, resulting in BET’s decision to renew the series and to develop additional episodes. When season four premiered in 2011, the series exceeded all expectations, drawing in 7.7 million viewers and becoming the most-watched scripted- series premiere ever on ad-supported cable. It continued on for a total of nine seasons, earning praise throughout its run for its verisimilitude and authenticity.MARA BROCK AKIL

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73HCBU SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTSFrancis Aggrey, is a Juris Doctor candidate at Florida A&MUniversity College of Law. He has a deep passion for Intellectual Property, Entertainment, and Sports Law, which stems from my upbringing in New York City, where I developed a love for media, fashion, and sports. These interests have shaped my academic and professional journey, driving my commitment to advocate for creative professionals and athletes.During his time in law school, he pursued this passion by taking an IntellectualProperty class that expanded his understanding of the legal protections available to creators and innovators. He is currently furthering his expertise in a Sports Law seminar, where he is writing his upper-level writing paper on college sports in the age of NIL. In addition of his academic pursuits, he is actively involved in his law school community. He serves as the president of the Intramurals Sports Student Organization and the vice president of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society at FAMU College of Law. These leadership roles has allowed him to foster a community of like-minded peers and contribute to the development of future legal professionals in these dynamic elds. His journey is guided by a desire to make a meaningful impact at the intersection of law, creativity, and sports.AYANA BITTER is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and a member of Howard’s SELSA. She was a 1L representative for Section 3, where she assisted in advertising upcoming SELSA events to students in her section. During her 1L year, she was also on the Center Court Conference Committee. In her 2L year, she was SELSA’s Secretary, where Ayana was responsible for communicating to the student body about upcoming events and taking notes during the meetings. Ayana assisted in all SELSA events where her help was needed, including any planning for the events, and advertisement. She was also on the Center Conference Committee my 2L year, and was on the communications committee. In this role, she communicated directly with the speakers in the Women in Sports Panel. Ayana invited the speakers to the conference, answered any of their questions, and communicated all conference logistics. Lastly, she volunteered for the Washington Area Lawyer for the Arts in their contracts workshop. JAYLYN FAIR is a third-year law student at Southern University Law Center with a keen focus on Entertainment Law. Her goal is to represent and advocate for her com-munity while building a career in the vibrant eld of entertainment law.Before entering law school she gained over three years of experience as a forward-thinking Operations Specialist in the entertainment and fashion sectors Her role involved optimizing project goals and outcomes, resolving complex problems, and delivering innovative strategies. Her background in Public Relations allowed her to cultivate valuable relationships and enhance organizational performance effectively.Jaylyn graduated from Southern University A&M College in 2020 with a degree in Mass Communication, which laid the groundwork for her transition into the legal eld. She is passionate about using her legal educa-tion and professional experience to make a meaningful impact in the entertainment industry.

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74HCBU SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECIPIENTSAlliah Harrison is currently a third-year student at the North Carolina Central University School of Law in Durham. She is an accomplished author, trailblazer, and known for her creative ingenuity. Her interests include Sports and Entertainment Law, Technology Law, and Intellectual Property Law. Prior to attending law school, Alliah obtained her B.A., in Psychology from North Carolina State University with a minor in African Studies and Criminology. She was also an accomplished gymnast both before and during college, earning honors such as Junior Olympic Qualier, State Bar Champion, WCGA Academic All-American, Caterpillar Scholar-Athlete, ALL-EAGL Academic Honoree, and ALL-EAGL Athletic Honoree. In addition to her time as a student-athlete at N.C. State, she served as the Student-Staff Liaison for PackUnited Social Justice Working Group.Alliah recognizes that athletics forever has a place in her heart and aspires to continue working in sports to help athletes achieve success. She is the author of The Playbook: Keith Turner III earned an undergraduate degree in Sports Administration, where they developed a passion for the sports industry. Before pursuing a legal career, they worked with the Houston Texans as a Community Relations Coordinator, where they honed their skills in outreach, event planning, and fostering relationships within the community. These experiences deepened their interest in the intersection of sports, law, and entertainment.Currently, Keith is a dedicated law student at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, actively pursuing a career in the sports and entertainment legal eld. Their commitment to leadership is evident through their roles as Vice President of the Student Bar Association and Digital Content Editor for the law review. In these capacities, Keith has spearheaded initiatives that enhance student engagement, promote inclusivity, and foster professional development among peers. Their enthusiasm for the legal aspects of sports and entertainment, combined with their leadership experience, positions them as a dynamic future attorney in this specialized area. Post graduation, Keith has accepted an offer at O’Melveny & Myers to start his legal journey as an associate. The Ofcial Guide From Student-Athlete to Navigating the Real World. She aims to help athletes create sustainable life habits and recognize that their talents reach beyond the eld. Alliah also enjoys tness, traveling, and creative direction.

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75BMW ULTIMATE ACHIEVERCHICAGO REGIONAL WINNERHannah Bessette is a rst-generation law student hailing from Haverhill, Massachusetts. She earned her bachelor’sdegree in political science with a minor in Latin from Howard University. She is currently a second-year law student at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. Hannah's passion foradvocacy and community organizing is what led her to pursue a law degree. In previous roles she has served as the Director of Sustainability and Community Partnership for a shoe company, where her role was to invest in and create philanthropic opportunities to support. In that role, Hannah was able to begin the company’s carbon offset program, establish a scholarship for students pursuing the arts, speak on career panels at local schools, and create an initiative called “Sole to Sole: Kenya”. This project began when she learned of a need for rubber soled shoes in two Kenyan school districts that were affected by a parasitic sand ea. This parasite would often handicap students, hindering their ability to attend school. Over the course of a year, Hannah helped raise over $10,000, and partnered with the LifeStraw team based in Nairobi to provide 1,735 pairs of rubber soled shoes along with medical treatment to these two school districts. She continues to try to feed back into her community in law school as well and in her home state. She is humbled to serve as the Black Law Student Association President and serve as a board member for a Montessori school based in her hometown. Hannah looks forward to nding more ways to support the new home she's found in Chicago.

BESLA 2024 ANNUAL CONFERENCE DIGITAL JOURNAL

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