ENTERTAINMENT LAWYERS MICHAEL DONALDSON & LISA CALLIF TALK FILM & FAIR USE

Michael C. Donaldson is an entertainment attorney who has been fighting for independent filmmakers for over 30 yrs. which has made him an expert at the art of negotiation. He is the founding partner of Donaldson & Callif, a Beverly Hills law firm specializing in entertainment & copyright law, with particular emphasis on the representation of independent film producers. As President of the International Documentary Association, he negotiated with the cable networks to prevent the wholesale migration of credits from the screen to the internet by organizing and leading the Documentary Credit Coalition. Michael is a much lauded author and sought-after public speaker, as well. He is the author of Do It Yourself! Trademarks & Copyrights, released in 1995 and Clearance & Copyright, used in 50 film schools and winner of three national book awards.

Lisa Callif, named by Variety as one of The Best & The Brightest (2011), is an entertainment attorney whose focus is on representing indie filmmakers in all aspects of their filmmaking, including development, production & distribution. Lisa does a significant amount of clearance work for documentaries as well as being one of the few attorneys in the entertainment industry to represent live theaters. Lisa has worked on such films as “Invisible War” (Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary, Sundance 2012), “Inside Job” (Academy Award® winner 2011), “Insidious” (from the producers of Paranormal Activity), “How to Die In Oregon” (Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary, Sundance 2011), “I’m Still Here” (starring Joaquin Phoenix), “Teenage Paparazzo” (starring Adrian Grenier), “Waiting for Superman,” “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” (Academy Award® nominee 2010).