What is Backwards Engineering IP?
Elsa Ramo, Founder and Managing Partner of Ramo Law, shares insight into backwards engineering IP, best practices for screenwriters and filmmakers to protect themselves, the difference between an entertainment lawyer and agent, and so much more.
Script's video series Script Talk is back with a candid conversation with Script's EiC Sadie Dean and Elsa Ramo, Founder and Managing Partner of Ramo Law. Elsa shares her expertise on what backwards engineering IP (Intellectual Property) is, being a rights holder, representing IP, best practices in protecting yourself as a writer from contracts to copyright, and the latest trend in discovering new content creators, especially with the latest development deal Universal has implemented with selected TikTok influencers, as mentioned in Deadline earlier this month.
Plus, Elsa shares how and why she became an entertainment lawyer and why she founded the recently 501(c)(3) minted organization PEFA (Professional Entertainment Female Attorneys), and so much more.
Watch the full conversation:
About Elsa Ramo
Named to Variety’s 2022 “Legal Impact Report,” 2021 “Women's Impact Report,” 2021 “Dealmakers List,” Daily Journal’s 2022 “Top 100 Women Lawyers” list, and Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2022 “Women of Influence,” Elsa Ramo represents financiers, producers and production companies in the sale, production and/or exploitation of content from traditional theatrical release to unscripted and scripted content on Disney+, Netflix, HBOMax, Hulu, Amazon and other streamers.
Having founded her firm in 2005 on the Universal Studios backlot to enable up-and-coming filmmakers to bring their stories to life, the now bi-coastal firm has 16 attorneys and has furthered its mission by creating a Packaging and Sales department that advises and connects filmmakers across a range of budgets and production levels.
Ramo’s clients include Imagine Entertainment and Imagine Impact, Kevin Hart’s production companies Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions, Scout Productions (“Queer Eye”), Boardwalk Pictures (“Chefs Table”), Hello Sunshine, Yale Productions, Viola Davis’ JuVee Productions, The Jim Henson Company, and Skydance.
Passionate about the legal and entertainment communities, Elsa dedicates substantial time to mentoring women through various organizations; and she has become a go-to commentator and instructor on legal issues related to film financing and the entertainment market for media outlets including Variety, LA Times, Fox News and The Wrap.
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Sadie Dean is the Editor of Script Magazine and writes the screenwriting column, Take Two, for Writer’s Digest print magazine. She is also the co-host of the Reckless Creatives podcast. Sadie is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, and received her Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. She has been serving the screenwriting community for nearly a decade by providing resources, contests, consulting, events, and education for writers across the globe. Sadie is an accomplished writer herself, in which she has been optioned, written on spec, and has had her work produced. Additionally, she was a 2nd rounder in the Sundance Screenwriting Lab and has been nominated for The Humanitas Prize for a TV spec with her writing partner. Sadie has also served as a Script Supervisor on projects for WB, TBS and AwesomenessTV, as well as many independent productions. She has also produced music videos, short films and a feature documentary. Sadie is also a proud member of Women in Film.
Follow Sadie and her musings on Twitter @SadieKDean
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