Les Moonves addresses entertainment in a digital world

Head of CBS will keynote Institute on Entertainment Law and Business

—By Lori Craig

Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation, will be the keynote speaker at the USC Gould School of Law – Beverly Hills Bar Association 50th Anniversary Institute on Entertainment Law and Business on Oct. 18.

The Institute’s programming centers on the theme “Your television is ringing: entertainment in a digital world” and is designed to give entertainment industry players tips for success in the new digital landscape. Programmimg runs from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the USC campus.

Morning sessions will feature an in-depth examination of distribution platforms, guild issues and a hypothetical talent situation that involves most forms of media. Attendees will then choose from six afternoon sessions focusing on litigation, social networking, music, celebrity rights, video game deals and ethics.

Moonves oversees all operations of CBS, including the CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Stations, CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Television Distribution Group, Showtime, CBS Radio, CBS Records, CBS Outdoor, Simon & Schuster, CBS Interactive, CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Outernet and CBS Films.

The company’s approach to the digital world is an “everywhere” strategy, Moonves has said. To that end, CBS recently has acquired CNET and also has broadened its presence on the web. 

For the keynote presentation during the lunch hour, Moonves will be interviewed by Bruce Ramer, Institute chair, USC Trustee and partner in Gang, Tyre, Ramer & Brown, Inc. in Beverly Hills.

Other speakers include Chris Silbermann, president of International Creative Management, and George Cheeks, executive vice president of business affairs for MTV Networks, who will both speak on a panel for “Negotiating Talent Deals: Old and New World Templates;” Kevin K. Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group; and Harvey Levin, managing editor of celebrity news website TMZ. Additional speakers hail from Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Disney/ABC Television, Chop Shop, Bungie, Electronic Arts, Current TV and Demand Media.

USC Law students may register for a discounted rate. To register for this event, visit http://law.usc.edu/cle/entertainment. To download a brochure, click here.