The 2024 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, held at USC on Saturday, October 19, delved into the latest industry trends and the transformative changes affecting business structures.
Co-hosted by the USC Gould School of Law and the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the one-day continuing legal education program was titled “Strike It Rich or Strike-Out: Entertainment’s New Era.” The highlight of the luncheon was a tribute to Bruce M. Ramer, Institute Chair, for his contributions since 1972.
Jeffrey Cole, CEO of the Center for the Digital Future and a research professor at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, opened the day with an in-depth presentation on emerging trends and developments within the entertainment sector.
“I’m bullish on the future of entertainment, including traditional television and cable. Right now, we’re in a Darwinian mode. We’re seeing change. We’re going to see tremendous consolidation, winnowing out,” said Cole. “And all of a sudden streaming’s looking a lot like cable, and cable was the thing we were trying to get away from.”
During the luncheon, Institute Vice Chair Mary S. Ledding presented Ramer with a special honor, recognizing his dedicated service for decades. Ramer, renowned for his assertive and impactful work as an entertainment attorney — and famously linked to the shark named “Bruce” in Jaws, courtesy of his longtime client, Steven Spielberg — accepted the honor after attendees watched a video compilation of his iconic luncheon interviews with industry giants including Norman Lear, Byron Allen and Bob Iger.
Following the tribute, Jeff Cole joined Bruce Ramer for an engaging Q&A session that extended Cole’s morning discussion on entertainment industry trends.
The morning sessions featured several insightful panels, including “Artificial Intelligence: Innovations and Regulations in the Entertainment World,” which examined the current applications of AI and the landscape of emerging regulations; “The Intersection of Sports and Entertainment: Valuing Sports Properties through Media Rights and Beyond,” a discussion on the legal and business aspects of monetizing live sports; and “The Globalization of the Record Industry,” which explored evolving standards in talent acquisition, business affairs, and deal structures to help artists thrive in a global marketplace.
Afternoon breakout panels offered in-depth discussions on various topics, such as safeguarding clients’ personas, the independent film sector, strategies for leveraging fan engagement to build modern recording artist brands, profit participation and royalty audiences, and the growing issue of incivility within the legal profession.
“I think you take every single moment of authenticity that’s happening in real time with your talent, and then so long as they’re in lockstep with you on it, you go and you try and figure out is there something larger to do with this,” said Ikenna Ezeh, Partner, Brand Partnerships at WME.
USC Gould School of Law offers continuing legal education opportunities for professionals who want to learn and network with leading experts in their industries. A fixture of the Los Angeles legal community since 1948, USC Gould Continuing Legal Education hosts six annual conferences for professionals at every level to learn from, and network with, the biggest players in entertainment, estate planning, business, tax and intellectual property. To learn more, visit or subscribe at gould.usc.edu/cle – and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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