Tulane Entertainment & Sports Law Conference celebrates 5th year
Tulane Law’s 5th annual Entertainment & Sports Law Conference, in conjunction with the Tulane Center for Sport, brought some of the top names in the industry to the Uptown campus, in-person, April 11.
The conference panelists discussed legal issues in the changing landscape of sports as well as in the entertainment and film industries, and culminated with a traditional crawfish boil and networking reception.
“The last two years have resulted in monumental changes in the entertainment and sports industries, and it was the perfect time to examine the legal issues shaping both industries today and in the future. We’re excited to have a forum here at Tulane to do just that,” said Prof. Gabe Feldman, the Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law, Director of the law school’s Sports Law Program and Co-Director of the Center for Sport.
Among the speakers was law alum Mike Tannenbaum (L'95), founder of the 33rd Team and an ESPN Front Office Insider, who took part in a panel on the changing dynamics of the sports industry. Tannebaum, who has been an executive with the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, spoke about the changes in the sports industry, especially with collegiate athletes and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) issues.
“I’m always honored to come back to Tulane Law and share what I’m seeing in the football industry," Tannenbaum said. "I look forward to this conference in particular each year, and it was a pleasure joining a great lineup of speakers. My family and I have been proud to support Tulane Sports Law for many years and have been glad to see this conference quickly become a destination event.”
Ty Thomas (L'01).
Tyrone "Ty" Thomas (L'01), Co-chair of the Sports and Entertainment Practice at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, took part in the panel with Tannenbaum and told students and participants to "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" with the never-ending changes in the industry.
"From top to bottom, there were great insights from highly accomplished folks in the industry who were willing to have open conversations about their experiences," said Thomas of the annual conference. "It was an honor to be part of the program. The growth of the conference has been fantastic and it is now an event of note on the sports and entertainment law calendar."
Lawyer to the stars and Tulane Law alum Kevin Yorn (L’90), founding partner of the Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Entertainment Law Firm, was one of the conference organizers and took part in a panel discussing the changing world of the entertainment industry and how a modern law practice meets the demands of the post-COVID era. Feldman joined Yorn as an organizer and led a panel on the biggest trends in the sports industry and their legal implications.
a television studio and streaming networks including
HBO, Sony, and Amazon executives (L-R) Julie Nguyen,
Karen Tatevosian and Dan Scharf.
Along with Yorn and Feldman, the other conference organizers were Jeff Frost (L’89), President of Sony Pictures Television Studios; and Tim Francis (L ’84), Counsel, Sher Garner, who has worked with artists and athletes including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Hampton, Wynton Marsalis and others. Frost and Francis also took part in panels over the course of the day. Academy Award- and Grammy Award-winning producer Robert Fyvolent (A&S ’84), joined Francis on a panel on modern film productions.
Frost said New Orleans is the perfect place for a conference on the entertainment industry, and he is proud to be a leader in organizing it each year.
“I'm very proud of how quickly the Conference has grown in terms of prominence and stature. I was particularly impressed by the caliber of talent the Conference attracted this year," said Frost. "Most importantly, I'm excited about how the Conference has elevated Tulane and New Orleans within the entertainment law domain.”
View the 2022 program details here.
Each year, the conference explores powerful forces disrupting and remaking the sports, entertainment, and creative industries and has rapidly become a go-to event for industry leaders.
“We’re excited to bring some of the most influential figures in the entertainment industry to Tulane to discuss the dynamic changes reshaping sports, media and entertainment,” said Tulane Law School Dean David Meyer. “New Orleans has long been an engine of creativity in music, art, film, and entertainment broadly, and it’s fitting that this important conversation should take place here.”
