NYFA Online Learning: Congress CARES/ (Equity and) Aid for Artists

The registration for attending the live event is full now. Please add your name to the waitlist if you are interested in receiving the recording after the live session.

In response to the current Covid 19 crisis, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and Pro Bono Steering Committee of New York State Bar Association’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section (EASL) will collaborate to offer a series of free online workshops to support creative communities. Cheryl L. Davis, Diane Krausz, and Ariana Sarfarazi will present “Congress CARES/ (Equity and) Aid for Artists” on Thursday, May 21, 2020, from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM EST.

Workshop Description:

Artists have been hard hit by COVID-19 and its impact on our economy and our culture. While everyone knows that it will take a while for the general economy to recover, artists know that it may take even more time before theater, gallery, and other arts calling for artists and audience sharing the same space can be fully restored to their prior condition.

While the Federal government has allocated some funds to help support individuals through the CARES Act, New York State and City and some artist-related entities are also trying to help artists regain some portion of their lost income and opportunities. This webinar will provide an explanation of the CARES Act and the funds that are allocable to artists and other freelancers, as well as describing some additional sources of grants or other funding available for artists from New York State, City and/or private organizations.

Topics will include:

• CARES Act and lost employment: we will take you through the relevant sections of the act that relate to artists who may have lost their “day jobs.”
• CARES Act for freelancers: we will explain what relief the Act provides to freelancers and independent contractors who have lost income and opportunities due to COVID-19.
• Relief and grants available from other governments and entities; we will provide a list of NYS and City agencies and other entities that are providing grants and other emergency relief to artists.
• Tax Implications: Some tax and financial considerations to bear in mind with respect to losses you may have incurred as a result of COVID-19.

Presenter’s Bios:

Cheryl L. Davis is General Counsel of the Author's Guild, where she oversees the organization’s legal affairs, including its in-house corporate affairs, its government relations and policy initiatives, and its legal services program. In addition, she is responsible for developing a wide variety of the organization’s written positions, policies, statements, submissions to government agencies, and legal briefs, as well as participating in domestic and international public speaking engagements and conferences. She is a graduate of Princeton (A.B. English) and Columbia Universities, (M.S.J. Journalism and J.D.) She holds leadership positions in the following legal organizations: American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law (Chair of the Literary Works Committee), ABA Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Forum (Vice Chair of Arts and Museums Committee), New York State Bar Association, Entertainment Arts and Sports Law Section (Asst. Treasurer of the Section and co-chair of the Diversity Committee), Dramatists Guild Legal Defense Fund (Board member). She is also on the Executive Committee of the Authors Coalition of America.

Diane Krausz's firm, The Law Offices of Diane Krausz, represents businesses and individuals in the entertainment industry with an emphasis in theater, film, television, talent representation/negotiation, intellectual property, merchandising and production agreements. A graduate of the Wharton School and Fordham Law School, she initially practiced as a licensed CPA, and brings many of those fundamentals to her legal practice in advising clients on entertainment business ventures and talent deals. Significant prior clients include the Professional Comedians' Association. She has written many articles in leading industry publications and is the Co-Editor of Siegel on Entertainment Law, a New York State Bar Association (“NYSBA”) publication. A frequent featured speaker at professional seminars, bar associations, and universities, Ms. Krausz is also a guest lecturer at Brooklyn College’s Performing Arts Management program. Ms. Krausz served as a past Chair of NYSBA’s Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section (“EASL”) and is a current Co-Chair of EASL’s Theater and Performing Arts Committee, a long-standing member of NYSBA’s Committee on Continuing Legal Education, EASL’s representative on NYSBA’s newly-formed Cannabis Law Committee, and member of New York Women in Film and Television. Ms. Krausz has been consistently recognized as a NYMetro SuperLawyer. www.DianeKrausz.com

Ariana Sarfarazi is an associate at Cowan Liebowitz & Latman in Manhattan, where she handles a wide range of legal matters, ranging from corporate and transactional matters (including advising entertainment industry clients on various contractual and corporate issues) and litigation, mainly in the areas of copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property-related disputes. She is a volunteer attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and is an active member of the New York State Bar’s Entertainment and Sports Law Section (EASL). A lifelong lover of theater, she is also a member of EASL’s Theater and Performing Arts Committee.

The registration will be closed at 12pm EST on May 21, 2020.

Recording:

This workshop will be recorded. The recording will be shared with all previously registered participants after the session concludes, regardless of whether participants attend the live webinar or not. The recording will be posted online for 1 month, but not available for download.

Technology Requirement:

You may attend this webinar using either a Mac or PC computer (with speakers), standard phone, smartphone, or tablet device.

The Video Roundtable takes place on Zoom. It does not require registration. It will require you to download the Zoom app. Strong wifi or hard-wired Internet connection is preferred.

For additional technical questions or issues, please email at learning@nyfa.org.

This online workshop is a guide and is for general informational purposes only, does not provide any specific legal advice nor create any attorney-client relationship.