LAW 5839: Law, Entertainment and Social Enterprise Practicum - 2164

Law, Entertainment and Social Enterprise Practicum
Class Term:
Spring Term 2015-2016
Catalog Number:
5839
Class Number:
25613
Class Schedule:
Wednesday
11:30 am -
12:20 pm
Room:
LAW 118
Professor(s):

Professor

Type:
Practicum
Credits:
2 (1 Contact, 0 Field)
Graduation Requirements:
Professional Skills
Priority:
Limited Enrollment - 3rd Year Priority
Full Year Course:
No
Category:
Standard Courses

Additional Information

As a practicum, "Law, Entertainment and Social Enterprise" will include both 700-minute classroom component and 52 hours of field work.
Topics Covered will Include: The creation of a social enterprise corporation; the negotiation and drafting of strategic alliances; the fair use and protection of intellectual property; and the research and drafting of a Private Placement Memorandum (“PPM”).
Case Study: In 2003, the Steeltown Entertainment Project (“Steeltown”), a nonprofit 501(C)(3) organization, was formed to convene the first ever Pittsburgh Entertainment Summit, which brought together a number of prominent Pittsburgh-affiliated entertainment professionals and organizations. Over the past ten years, Steeltown has continued to connect these local and expatriate entertainment resources to: Identify entertainment content and talent; Incubate entertainment projects; and Invest in entertainment products. To achieve its mission, Steeltown has worked with a number of key local partners working in the entertainment field, including: Family Communications, a family entertainment production company founded by Fred Rogers; Pittsburgh Filmmakers, an educational and artistic organization dedicated to training and supporting filmmakers; and WQED, Pittsburgh’s public television station. Steeltown plans to launch an entertainment investment fund, which will invest in commercially and socially significant entertainment products produced in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Equity for this fund will be raised through a PPM directed at private, government and foundation investors. Although Steeltown has made great strides towards achieving this mission, it continues to be limited by the need for affordable legal assistance in confronting various complex issues. This course will provide students with an opportunity to work with entertainment, business and legal professionals in helping to research and draft a PPM, which will help to resolve Steeltown’s need for financing.

Grading Details

Evaluation will be based on class participation, supervising attorney feedback, and a final, collaborative and annotated draft of a PPM needed to launch the an entertainment investment fund.

Description

Law, Entertainment and Social Enterprise (“LESE”) will expose students to the legal knowledge, skills and roles entailed in the representation of a social entertainment enterprise. Students will gain a broad understanding of the operations of the entertainment industry and the intellectual, corporate and securities matters that permeate the industry. We will specifically use a case study of the Steeltown Entertainment Project ("Steeltown"), a local social entertainment enterprise that is dedicated to building a socially and commercially significant entertainment sector in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The course will involve cross-disciplinary and experiential learning and immersion opportunities. In LESE, students will acquire substantive knowledge, practical skills and role models needed by lawyers representing a social entertainment enterprise (“SEE”). Students will learn about social enterprise, entertainment, intellectual property, corporate and securities law. Students will work closely with practicing lawyers who represent or volunteer for the Steeltown Entertainment Works and other social entertainment enterprises in Southwestern Pennsylvania such as WQED, Family Communications and Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Students will gain a broad understanding of the business operations and legal needs of various social enterprise entertainment clients in the industry, including but not limited to incorporation, strategic alliances, licensing and venture capital.

Law, Entertainment and Social Enterprise Practicum