2026 Entertainment and Media Law Conference — March 19, 2026

Moderator — Robyn Aronson, Robyn Aronson Law, PC

Prior to founding her own practice, Robyn was the head of business affairs for Disney+’s unscripted, documentary, and variety programming (both domestic and international), where she negotiated deals for features and series around the world. Previously, Robyn led the business and legal affairs team for Netflix’s original documentaries group: negotiating and drafting deals, managing production legal, and handling IP- and rights-related issues. 

More recently, as a solo practitioner, Robyn has provided business and legal services on original series and features for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, ESPN+, Paramount+, and Apple TV+.

Sarah Fowler, SAG-AFTRA

Sarah Fowler is senior deputy general counsel at SAG-AFTRA, the union representing approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. She is an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and a lecturer in law at USC Gould School of Law, where she teaches a course on the intersection of labor law and the entertainment industry.

Anke Strijbos, Brinkhof 

Anke is a partner at Brinkhof and specialising in media, copyright and information law, with a particular focus on audiovisual rights,platform regulation and AI. She also has experience in privacy law and IT. Anke combines legal precision with a deep understanding of technological reality. The area of law she has registered at the Netherlands Bar is intellectual property.

Lisa Callif, Donaldson Callif Perez 

As a Founding Partner of Donaldson Callif Perez, Lisa Callif is the go-to attorney for all things clearance. Lisa specializes in representing independent producers and production companies in all aspects of content creation, including equity financing, production, and distribution with extensive experience in fair use, copyright, and personal rights issues.  

Moderator — Jeff Hermes, Media Law Resource Center

Jeff Hermes currently serves as one of two Deputy Directors of the Media Law Resource Center, where he focuses on digital media law issues. Jeff previously served as the Director of the Digital Media Law Project at Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, where he led multiple initiatives to provide free legal resources in response to the needs of independent journalists and online media ventures.  

Dale Cohen, UCLA School of Law

Dale Cohen is Director of Documentary Film Legal Clinic at UCLA School of Law, where he leads a group of student-clinicians providing pro bono legal services to documentary filmmakers. He also teaches News Media Law in the Digital Age. His research interests include media, entertainment, and communications law.

Dale also serves as Special Counsel to FRONTLINE, the award‐winning PBS documentary series where he counsels and leads the news team and producers on legal issues and ethical standards. His extensive experience as a media lawyer, litigator and news executive includes positions at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, NPR, Cox Enterprises, Inc. and Tribune Company. Dale was also a litigation partner at the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (now Denton's) in Chicago.

Rose Ehler, Munger Tolles & Olson

Rose Leda Ehler is an experienced litigator, focused on high-stakes disputes for clients across the entertainment and tech industries. She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in every stage of litigation, including bench and jury trials. She has particular expertise in copyright, trademark and defamation law.

Her commitment to delivering exceptional legal services and achieving favorable outcomes for her clients has earned her accolades and a strong reputation with clients, colleagues and competitors. In 2025, Rose was ranked Band 4: Media & Entertainment: Litigation by Chambers USA.

Aaron Moss, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP

Aaron Moss is a partner in MSK’s Entertainment, Intellectual Property, and Litigation practice groups, where he represents the owners and users of creative content in copyright, trademark, right of publicity, idea submission, and contractual disputes. He has also successfully argued high-stakes First Amendment cases before district and appellate courts nationwide, defending media clients against defamation, invasion of privacy, and other attempts to restrain speech.

A. J. Thomas, Jenner & Block

A highly accomplished media and entertainment litigator, Andrew J. “A. J.” Thomas focuses his practice on copyright, trademark and right of publicity matters, First Amendment cases, and complex business disputes. A. J. has secured victories, some precedent-setting, in jury trials and appellate proceedings across the country for many of the world's largest media and entertainment companies, entertainers, publishers, and advertising agencies.

He has litigated a variety of media, entertainment, and complex commercial cases and handled more than 50 appeals, representing clients in state and federal trial courts, circuit courts, and before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jonathan Segal, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Jonathan Segal is an attorney with a passion for digital and traditional media, who has worked on award-winning productions in film, television, and the interactive space. His practice naturally focuses on intellectual property, communications, First Amendment, and other issues that affect the companies and technologies that make what we watch, amuse and delight us, and inform all of our worldviews. Jonathan fights for content creators if things go awry, defending against the full array of claims that arise from content production and distribution.

Kevin Vick, Jassy Vick Carolan LLP

Kevin Vick is a litigator with more than two decades’ experience representing clients in the entertainment, media, technology, fashion and other industries.   His trial and arbitration experience includes successfully defending motion picture companies and talent agencies in jury and bench trials.   Kevin also has represented Broadway producers and sports agencies in arbitration on both the plaintiff’s and defense sides.   His appellate experience includes successful representations of major technology, media and entertainment clients, as well as individuals.   Kevin litigates defamation, anti-SLAPP, copyright, Section 230, trademark, publicity rights, idea submission, and invasion of privacy matters, as well as business disputes involving breach of contract, trade secrets and partnerships.   Kevin also provides pre-broadcast/pre-publication content review.

Kristel Tupja, Audiochuck

Rebecca Siegel, TIME

Rebecca Siegel is a seasoned legal professional with extensive experience in business affairs and intellectual property across the media and entertainment sectors. Currently serving as Vice President, Business Affairs & Associate General Counsel at TIME, Rebecca provides legal and business counseling to various content-based divisions. Prior roles include Deputy General Counsel at MediaLab, where Rebecca managed the in-house legal department and negotiated agreements for content development and distribution, and Vice President of Legal at Genius, where Rebecca led legal operations during a period of rapid growth. With a strong background in litigation and advisory roles at firms like Pryor Cashman LLP and Cahill Gordon & Reindel, Rebecca has represented major clients and handled complex legal issues in the entertainment industry. Educational credentials include a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law and dual Bachelor's degrees in Business Administration and Telecommunications Management from the University of Florida.

Mark Humphrey, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

Mark C. Humphrey is a partner in Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp's Litigation Practice Group. Mark’s practice focuses on commercial litigation with an emphasis on contractual and commercial disputes, video games, entertainment and intellectual property.

Prior to joining the firm, Mark was an associate at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae LLP.  While at Early Sullivan, Mark gained experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including trial, motion practice, oral argument, discovery procedures, negotiating settlements, and appeals.

Emma Smizer, Frankfurt Kurnit

Emma C. Smizer is an associate in the Interactive Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit. Variety included Ms. Smizer in their Dealmakers of 2023 “Up Next” list. She is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional in U.S. data privacy laws (CIPP/US).

Ms. Smizer advises clients ranging from independent video game developers to leading AAA publishers, offering legal support across a wide array of transactional matters. Her practice is dedicated to supporting clients throughout the entire game production lifecycle, from initial development through post-launch. She frequently supports clients in intellectual property licensing, advertising, co-branding, monetization, and publishing and distribution matters. In her role, Ms. Smizer also works closely with attorneys in traditional entertainment and data privacy to provide holistic legal solutions for the complex demands of the interactive entertainment industry.

Moderator — George Freeman, Media Law Resource Center

George Freeman is Executive Director of the Media Law Resource Center, a non-profit trade association supporting the media in legal matters.  Before that he was Of Counsel to the law firm of Jenner & Block. 

For 31 years he was the chief First Amendment lawyer in the Legal Department of The New York Times, leaving as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel in 2012. At the Times, he counseled the company’s newsrooms, was primarily responsible for the newspaper’s and company’s litigations. He was at the forefront of numerous high-profile First Amendment cases, including Judy Miller’s resistance to a subpoena in the prosecution of Scooter Libby and the defense of The Times in a libel case brought by quarterback Ken Stabler; the Times newspaper didn’t lose or settle a libel case for dollars during his tenure. 

Jessica González, Free Press

Jessica is co-CEO of media advocacy organization Free Press. She’s an attorney and activist at the intersection of racial justice, media, technology and democracy. She aspires to instigate positive cultural change, a more informed electorate and a more harmonious existence for all people in the U.S. by opening channels of communication so that all people can access accurate information and tell their stories.

She regularly appears as an expert witness before Congress and in the media, with press appearances on the BBC, CBS, CNN, The Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, NPR, The Washington Post and more.

Meg James, Los Angeles Times

Meg James is a senior entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times. She was the lead reporter for The Times’ coverage of the deadly “Rust” shooting on a New Mexico film set in 2021, work recognized by the Pulitzer Prize board as a finalist in breaking news. A member of the Company Town team for two decades, James specializes in covering television, corporate media and investigative projects. She previously wrote for the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post. A native of Wyoming, she is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Columbia University.

Ari Meltzer, Wiley Rein

Ari draws upon his experience in the areas of regulatory policy and compliance, transactions, and litigation, to provide clients with a holistic approach to their legal needs. He represents clients on some of their most important strategic matters, including mergers and acquisitions, significant rulemaking proceedings, and government investigations.

Ari works with clients to maximize the business potential of digital distribution technologies. He advises clients on spectrum monetization and policy, satellite, and cable distribution (including retransmission consent agreements and market definitions), and advertising matters.