Paralegal Careers in the Entertainment Industry
Introduction into the High Paying Entertainment World

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Your Paralegal Career and the 'LAVC Edge' Option
A Look at the 'Xciting' High Paying Entertainment Industry
by Jonathan Arnold, Esq.
Lead Paralegal Academy Instructor
Upcoming New Director LAVC Extensions April 2018

You've chosen your career path: Paralegal; you've chosen the school best suited to give you that career start: LAVC; now, have you considered the 'Career Field' that can offer some great opportunities? In this article we will highlight one such option of consideration, the Entertainment Industry.

Attending LAVC for Paralegal studies (as well as our outstanding HR Career Courses), gives you the 'LAVC Demographical Advantage'. You are in the center of one of the most complex but highest paying areas of law in the world: the Entertainment Industry. Why? The LAVC Demographical Advantage or as they say in TV AD marketing, ADI (Area of Demographical Influence). You're within a short driving distance of the Entertainment Capitol of the World, and the Movie Studios and Broadcast TV Centers, all right here at your doorstep in Southern California. In the upcoming months we'll be covering this field in a little more depth highlighting how you can consider this as a rewarding financial career potential. Let's give a unique look into being a Paralegal in the Entertainment Industry and get you thinking on how to maximize your value in this interesting and 'entertaining' area of legal practice, be it seeking that desired position at a major firm or going it alone with your own 'PL for Hire' i.e.; PL/LDA Document Processing, Business.

So let's take a look and consider this Intro into the Entertainment Industry or a 'Trailer' as the term is used in Motion Pictures. Interestingly, you could probably say, my 'Intro' came from my father Newt Arnold, who worked as an assistant director and actor on such projects as The Godfather: Part II, The Abyss, Bloodsport and numerous other films and television programs.

Complex...but Considerable Opportunities

First off understand that there are both numerous and complex aspects of Entertainment Industry, such as copyrights, script submissions, distribution and licensing functions, internet and digital usage, artist contract matters, SAG/AFTRA, WGA, DGA elements, agency and publishing matters. Plus a multitude of categories of interests and values within the Entertainment Industry, including the Music Industry with Artists rights, BMI, ASCAP, Publishing rights, performance rights, Sync rights, Mechanical rights, "this right, that right, and on and on, etc. But, this article, like the rest of our Creative Advanced Tips, is to get you thinking, not 'throw you into' litigation/research.

The Business Insight and Familiarity

Let's see how much you already know or are familiar with without stopping to look it all up, you're not going to be able to ask a job interviewer to pause while you do a search on your Smart Phone. They want to know 'your' experience and familiarity" to get a perceived insight on your potential value to the firm. Your resume gets you the interview, it's up to you to boost your odds of getting hired.

So let's cover a few of the basics and take a short inside look at just a few Categories of the Entertainment Industry. Copyright for example is a common part of the Entertainment Industry. Are you aware that copyright begins basically from inception, from the first word you lay down to the last, either for a script, the first Musical bar or lyric you compose, the first stroke of the Brush of an Art piece, etc., either on a computer, in pen, in pencil on paper or even a napkin. In other words, your actual copyrights' arise when you place your original creative works into a fixed format. This is true regardless of whether you officially file with the Copyright Office or mail a copy to yourself, your creative material is 'your creative material'. However, an important word on the latter, mailing yourself a copy in lieu of officially filing it leaves you with a very limited opportunity for financial remedies, but that's for another article.

The Music Industry Insight

Here's an example for you. Many still think that if you only use-(sample) 'up to' four bars of a piece then it's ok. Wrong! This is a myth that can cause a lot of headaches for your client if you allow them to operate under that dangerous and rumored guideline. In fact, the determination may very well lie somewhere within the legal interpretation of the song on a factor involving' personality' of the original author/tune and how it's used and it's conception of possible plagiarism of another tune, etc. Ok, so you say based on that then a good rule is that if it sounds too close to the original, then it is! Well, Not Quite! Take the Landmark case of Fogerty v. Fantasy Records, from the United States Supreme Court. John Fogerty was the singer/songwriter with Credance Clearwater Revival, he wrote and performed almost all of the songs for CCR at the time, actually you might say Fogerty was CCR, Fantasy Records was the Label CCR was signed to and holder of the Publishing Rights. Without citing the detailed case law, not the purpose of this article, this was actually a very 'interesting and entertaining' legal suit. It involved two specific songs. One from Fogerty before his breakup with CCR and the other from Fogerty after he left the group on his own. Fantasy sued Fogerty claiming violation of one of Fogerty's songs as being the 'Same Music' to a newer song of his 'after' he left CCR. Here's the 'entertaining' part for you. Fogerty was prepared. The first thing he did was to bring his guitar into the courtroom and play/sing both songs, by doing this he accomplished two things, introduce a 'creative' factor 'Personality', basically 'Entertaining' the jury with a free concert and the second and maybe the strongest defense for him, he produced a copy of both songs layered on top of each other showing that only 'One' note overlapped.

Now think about that, rule against him on that one and there would only be one legal song in the world. Can you imagine that, no matter what radio channel you turned to, what music store you went into, what online Music site you visited you could only find one song? The court sided in his favor. Look it up, it's considered a landmark case in music and is most interesting. So, why didn't I mention what those two songs are? Isn't that what you're supposed to be doing as a Paralegal Career Student, studying? So, research the case of Fogerty v Fantasy, a landmark case and watch an in-depth interview with Fogerty on exactly how he did it..."it's Entertainment."

Know How to 'Pitch'

That's just one example of Entertainment Industry as it relates to Music. What about other areas such as understanding how to draft Submission or (Pitch) stories to a major Studio. This is something of great value many Entertainment Law Firms engage in for clients who have story ideas, book adaptions or screen plays they've written and wish to submit them for consideration. If your interviewer quizzes you on it would you know how to answer? Why is this significant? Well one solid reason is referenced back to 1988 pertaining to the Motion Picture 'Coming to America'. See the Movie or hear of this one? It involved the Buchwald v. Paramount case. Basically this was the subject of a claim of a stolen script idea. Result; Buchwald was able to demonstrate a favorable 'preponderance' of evidence between his story treatment and Paramount's. Again, an interesting 'case' research lookup. So how did this affect the Entertainment Industry? Well prior to this legal case one could often simply submit their pitch idea to a studio without legal representation and have a chance at review. However, the Buchwald case was a major factor that changed that luxury. Try that one today with a major studio and you'll liable to get a cold letter tied to a brick dropped on your house by a carrier pigeon stating that they do not accept 'Unsolicited Material'. Here's the value for you seeking a career in the Entertainment Industry, as in order to even have a chance to get your script/material, etc. reviewed by a Major Studio you need the credibility of having it submitted by an 'Entertainment Law Firm'. Maybe Entertainment Industry Law Firms should send Buchwald a thank you card for that. So how does this concern a PL at an Entertainment Industry law firm, well 'familiarity' with it is one, but that's a 'Creative' subject for another article, bring it up in class if the timing is right and we'll address it for you.
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Interesting Cases to Discover

While there are far too many other interesting ones to highlight here in this article, such as the Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. "dancing baby" case involving a parent videotaping their child dancing to 0:29 seconds of a major artist's song on the internet or Jessica Simpson getting sued for posting a Paparazzi pic of herself, this article is not intended as a 'case law' encyclopedia, but a highlight introduction 'trailer' to Entertainment Industry for you.

'Expert Foundation Case'
Jonathan Arnold  - Entertainment Legal Expert - 6:47

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In summary, one of the main purposes we've always incorporated in our Advanced and Articles and Tips is to give your Career a 'Creative' Boost others don't offer, by urging you to expand your 'Creative' thinking. Here is a Tip to illustrate that even though you may not have had experience in any of the examples listed, you can look more 'Entertainment Industry' qualified and at the very least, exhibit a sincere and even vested interest in the field of Entertainment Industry by studying, let's say 'Familiarizing' yourself, on a variety of Entertainment Industry legal cases and areas.

Start with a few Famous ones and look for some unique cases and categories, like the sample highlights mentioned. Then when it comes down to your PL and LDA-(highly recommended support for PL), begin drafting your resume adding a 'creative' supplement to it others most likely won't, such as:

Familiarity and Interest with Entertainment Law (a sub-title in your Bio)
List cases you've studied and find unique in the following fields such as:

Motion Pictures (Film)
Copyrights and the scope of Fair Use
Screen Plays - Adaptions - Treatments – Book Adaptions – Publishing Rights
Broadcast TV
National Commercial Advertising
Digital Licensing
Internet Distribution
Music Distribution
*Some categories of Entertainment Industry can be very complex, such as Music for example. Protected works of music are one of the most restricted and licensed and yes, often legally vague of them all, and' sometimes structured that way by the courts, 'on purpose'.

Make this a 'one-page' in Synopsis form, an 'Addendum/Addition' to your Bio if you will, and you’ll definitely have an advantage over other job applicants seeking to work in the Entertainment Industry!

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We'll show you everything you need to know about becoming a PL and our fantastic LDA Bonus Course, now it's your turn focus on the 'Field' you want to apply it in. Now with your Accredited PL/LDA and showing that you're highly 'Familiar' and interested in a wide variety of Entertainment Industry legal field categories, you will now have an 'Xtra' Edge', and 'Creative Edges' are one of the values of our articles we provide here on the THORNHILL Legal Field Careers site for our LAVC students.

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* ACS WASC collaborates with organizations such as the California Department of Education, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Council of International Schools, and the International Baccalaureate.

Written in collaboration with: Bob Schott
Actor-Producer-Director with over 28 Years in the Entertainment Industry
Who's Who in America and the World 2006-2017

 

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