Tulane Entertainment & Sports Law Conference April 5-6 is packed with speakers, industry brass
Tulane’s Entertainment & Sports Law Conference takes place April 5-6 and will bring some of the top names in the industry to Tulane Law.
One of the premier events for lawyers, executives and VIPs from the sports and entertainment industry, the event will run over two days and will include some of the industry’s top practitioners and at least one surprise guest.
“The Tulane Entertainment & Sports Law Conference has grown at a remarkable rate and has become a fantastic anchor for our sports and entertainment initiatives for both the Law School and the Center for Sport in just its seventh year,” said Tulane Sports Law Program Director and Conference organizer Professor Gabe Feldman.
“We’re excited to see it grow into a destination event and build a regular place on the industry calendar for both the entertainment and sports worlds in such a short time," Feldman said. "We’re really proud to have this asset for our students and alumni, who share a marked interest in these two rapidly changing industries.”
(center) took part in a mock deal negotiation.
Day 1 of the Conference will be a lunchtime conversation with an entertainment industry VIP, led by alum Jeff Frost (L’ 89), President of Bristol Circle Entertainment and former president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.
Day 2 of the Conference is headlined by another keynote conversation, this time in the sports realm, between three figures who have reached the very top of the NBA and NFL executive ranks: R.C. Buford, CEO of Spurs Sports & Entertainment, Trajan Langdon, General Manager, New Orleans Pelicans, and Tulane Law alum Mike Tannenbaum (L ’95) Founder, The 33rd Team, who formerly was the New York Jets’ General Manager and Miami Dolphins’ Executive Vice President.
Tannenbaum, a longtime mentor to Tulane Law students and a regular presence at the Conference, is a member of the Tulane Sports Law Advisory Board and a steadfast supporter of Tulane’s top-ranked Sports Law Program.
The annual Tulane Entertainment and Sports Law Conference brings together many of the most influential lawyers and executives in the entertainment and sports industries to discuss the dynamic changes reshaping them. It has become one of the premier events for lawyers, executives and VIPs from these two fast-evolving industries that are inextricably connected by similar legal standards.
In past years, the Conference has hosted major names from the NFL, NBA, MLB, and major sports enterprises, Academy and Grammy Award winners, and representatives from college sports, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, ESPN, Amazon, Netflix, Sony Pictures, SiriusXM and others. In 2023, more than 200 attendees were on hand at the 6th Conference with more than 40 high-profile speakers and a keynote conversation with actor and Breaking Bad star Jonathan Banks.
Jointly hosted by Tulane Law and the Tulane Center for Sport, the event is organized by Tulane alumnus Kevin Yorn (L ’90), founding partner of the Yorn Levine Entertainment Law Firm, which represents superstars like Alicia Keys, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Sudeikis and others; Frost, the president of Bristol Entertainment; Tim Francis (L ’84), an attorney with the Sher Garner firm who has worked with artists and athletes like Stevie Wonder and Lionel Hampton; and Feldman, the Director of the Tulane Sports Law Program.
In its 7th year, the Conference topics will offer 10 panels over two days, with topics including a look back at the recent Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes, developments in high-stakes dealmaking, the impact of streaming on the industry, and chats about sports and new advances in technology, and the legal issues in promoting, operating and producing major music festivals, among other topics.
Day one of the conference, April 5, will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a reception hosted by the Venable firm; on day two, April 6, it will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., ending with a lunch sponsored by the Tulane Freeman School of Business
