Dealmakers & Law: Inside Modern Entertainment Contracts with Alison Finley

What really happens after the signatures hit the page?
In this episode of Let’s Brief It, we step beyond the casebook and into the conference rooms where modern entertainment deals are shaped. Hosted by Howard Law 1L Byron D. Brooks (MoSoul), this conversation examines how contracts move culture, allocate power, and determine ownership in today’s global entertainment industry.
Joined by Alison Finley—Partner at Pierson Ferdinand and a seasoned entertainment executive with over 25 years of experience—we break down the legal architecture behind record deals, publishing agreements, licensing, branding, and cross-industry IP transactions. From negotiating leverage to balancing creative ownership with business imperatives, this episode offers an inside look at how real-world dealmaking works.

Designed for law students and early-career professionals, this episode bridges doctrine and practice, showing how black-letter law becomes strategy, and how effective entertainment lawyers move from knowing the rules to shaping outcomes.
Please note, the positions and opinions expressed by the speakers are strictly their own, and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers, nor those of the D.C. Bar, its Board of Governors or co-sponsoring Communities and organizations.
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