Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down with recognized entertainment
lawyer, Mary Cavallaro. We spoke in detail about the legal side of the
entertainment industry, and some of Mary’s past experiences. Mary Cavallaro
graduated from Villanova University School of Law in 1993, and began her law
career as a national representative and a member for staff council for the
American Federation of Television and Radio Arts (AFTRA). By 2006, Cavallaro
was a partner at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, a law firm that
provides representation to broadcast media talent and other media and creative
professionals. For the past two years, Cavallaro has worked as the Assistant
National Executive Director, News and Broadcast for the screen actor’s guild,
AFTRA. Currently, she lives in Berwyn, Pennsylvania with her husband and two
children.
Miss Music Video: When did you decide you wanted to go into law?
Mary Cavallaro: “I decided to go into law when I was in college. Around
my first semester freshman year, I was studying as a biological engineering
major and decided to switch majors.”
MMV: Did you always know you wanted to be an entertainment lawyer?
MC: “Everything happened all at once. I enjoyed critical thinking and
doing research to back up arguments. And because I was studying for my
undergraduate degree at USC (University of Southern California), I was around
film students. I took an introduction to film course and quickly became
interested in the arts. It was a very natural process.”
MMV: What’s your favorite part about working in the entertainment
industry?
MC: “I love that I can use my law degree to help creative people. Most
lawyers don’t see clients and get to interactive with them on a daily basis.
Most lawyers are very technical. The entertainment industry is very much about
the people and the connections you make along the way. Working in this
particular industry is very rewarding because I get to spend my days with very
creative people.”
MMV: What’s the hardest thing
about being an entertainment lawyer?
MC: “It’s the hardest when I hear about someone losing their jobs. My
job is to make sure my client’s jobs are secure. It’s hard when I hear about a
[radio] station firing six different people, or an anchor being fired after
only 30 days on air.”
MMV: What was it like working for Montgomery, McCracken, Walker, &
Rhoads?
MC: “It was very interesting. A decent sized firm of about 200 attorneys
with a variety of backgrounds. While working there I represented creative
professionals, but I also worked with intellectual property, contracts, and
labor. I was able to learn different aspects relevant to the entertainment
industry. While working there my work changed day to day. I would spend a lot
of days on the phone negotiating contracts, for long hours that when I got home
I wouldn’t want to talk anyone. A lot of it was going over contract language,
essentially trying to get the best deals for my client’s. On the production
side, I would meet with distributors to make sure they were telling the
client’s story right, especially with reality television. It was a lot of
contract review and handholding. Client’s were looking to me for communication
and to help them get through the difficult times.”
MMV: What does your average day look like today?
“Well the first thing I do in the morning is read my emails. I am
responsible for the screen actor’s guild for AFTRA, so I oversee staff of 30
people who are negotiating contracts all over the country. I help address the issues
in the contracts to make sure there is uniformity. My main duties are reviewing
labor agreements, personal service contracts under personal agreements and make
sure they are satisfactory, all while managing a staff.”
MMV: Sounds like quite the change from Montgomery, McCracken, Walker,
& Rhoads, is there a lifestyle you prefer more?
MC: “Honestly, there isn’t really a preference. At my current job I get
to set the standard for a large group and set the bar line so we can get more
from a deal rather than less. It is very rewarding working so closely with a
team, but not more rewarding than my previous experiences. I love my job.”
MMV: Okay final question. What is the weirdest case you have ever worked
on?
MC: “Hmm… I’ve had so many that it’s hard to think of one that really
stands out. Let me preface this story with saying that so many people are
trying to get into the entertainment industry, and employers tend to take
advantage of that fact. Many employers will treat their employees less than
satisfactory, and employee’s deal with it because they know it’s a tough
industry. I had one client who was a broadcast journalist on maternity leave,
but her boss kept calling her to come into work. She had a couple weeks left to
stay home to lose the baby weight before returning to work. A few days later my
client came across help wanted ads for her position, I wont disclose how she
found these ads, but basically it was her boss’ way of telling her that she no
longer worked for them. Unfortunately for him this violates the family and medical leave act, but like I said employers assume in this industry their employees wont sue
because it could tarnish their personal image. Moral of the story, if a woman
just had a baby… leave her alone.”
I would like to
send a special thanks to Mary Cavallaro for spending time with me and answering
my legal questions.
