Blog 5 - Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?

     Finding my mentor was fairly quick. My cousin's husband, Federico Blanco, is the head of the legal department for a digital media company known as The Collective. Mr. Blanco took an interest in me because to him I seemed like a, "Pedantic and assiduous kid." and I aspired to go to law school as he had. Prior to Junior year ending, I was searching for a small practitioner in the law field that was willing to be my mentor. I had not considered asking Mr.Blanco because I didn't want to bother him with the idea. However, we were having lunch one day and he inquired about the Senior project and what it entailed. Immediately after the mention of a mentor, he simply said, "Well, I could be your mentor if you'd like." and I jumped at the chance to work with him, not only because of his position at his company, but also because I knew he actually cared about my growth as a student and would take the time to teach me everything he possibly could.

2. Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why? 

     The most import article I have read has been pages 29-35 in Entertainment Law by Jeffrey Helewitz and Leah Edwards. Concepts of entertainment, especially when looked at from a legal perspective can be somewhat confusing. In this article and throughout the book, there are examples, definitions and exhibits (case studies) to reference in order to ensure a strong understanding of the material being presented in the book. In addition to aiding me in defining some legal terms and concepts, the article has also expanded my knowledge on the rules and regulations of entertainment law. For example, you use a copyright to claim ownership of a work of art or literature, but say that work was created for a company, now that company has exclusive rights to that work as well as whoever else helped make it. Consequently, a trademark is used more as a form of distinguishing a product from a similar one in the marketplace and can only represent one entity. Examples like these along with in depth explanations have greatly helped me understand the world of entertainment law in a better way.