Personal Narrative: The Sonoran Desert

“Whatsoever things are true…”

The Sonoran Desert is a magical place where springtime flowers bloom and die, but desert weeds know no end. It was there, in the sweltering heat of southwest Arizona, long before I could even comprehend the meaning of the word, that I had an epiphany. Eight years-old, immersed in the collected works of John Grisham, I voraciously consumed tales of common men overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to persevere in spite of tremendous obstacles. Perhaps it was the immense desolation or simply the innocent naivety of a child, but his words gave me the courage to dare to dream dreams others deemed not possible. So enraptured was I that my interests in tennis, advanced mathematics and tae-kwon-do soon found themselves shuttled to dormant recesses of my brain. Hoping to squelch what he was sure was nothing more than a childhood infatuation; my father took me to the movies to view an adaptation of one of Grisham’s novels. And as I sat in air-conditioned bliss,
This fact became all too evident during production of my first feature film which proved to be a grueling endeavor fraught with legal obstacles. I soon discovered that even blessed as I am with an innate ability to multi-task, a law degree was an essential missing element I lacked in order to make order of the often disordered world of film production. Negotiating contracts with individuals, corporations and unions and explaining the mitigating effects of tax incentives and risk to investors; these are but a few aspects of the film industry for which an entertainment law perspective is vital. With the knowledge gleaned from studying law at a top-level institution like Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, I will overcome these obstacles and realize my ambitions while strengthening my skills as a dealmaker, producer and ultimately a studio