A shout-out to the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel (AMEC)

AMEC (here) is the Association of Media and Entertainment Counsel, which was created to advance the professional development and to recognize the achievements of in-house legal counsel within the media and entertainment industry. It's a marvelous organization for networking and education, and I'm looking forward to attending the 2008 Counsel of the Year Awards out in LA this coming January. Here is the list of nominees (and, yes, I really am tickled to death that I'm among 'em):

COUNSEL OF THE YEAR

David C. Friedman
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Summit Entertainment

Andrea R. Hartman,
Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel
NBC Universal, Inc.

Claudia Teran
Senior Vice President
Fox Cable Networks

PWC DAN BRANDHORST MEMORIAL DEALMAKER

Neil Klasky
Vice President
Fox Networks Group

Kristin McQueen
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Business and Legal Affairs
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

Frank H. Smith
Senior Vice President Business & Legal Affairs
AFG / Walden Media

RISING STAR

Relani Belous
Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs WW Television Distribution
MGM

Jeff Friedman
Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs
Reveille

Caroline Jasmine Vranca
Executive Director, Business & Legal Affairs
Yari Film Group, LLC


SPORTS COUNSEL

David Cohen
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Sterling Mets, L.P. (New York Mets)

Ethan Orlinsky
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
Major League Baseball Properties

Bobby Sharma
Vice President & General Counsel, NBA Development League
National Basketball Association

TECHNOLOGY, NEW MEDIA AND VIDEO GAMES

Linda Bagley
Managing Vice President and Counsel
The Walt Disney Company

Elizabeth Matthews
Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel
MTV Networks

Clarissa Weirick
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution

LABOR, EMPLOYMENT AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE

Sheldon Kasdan
Vice President and Senior Labor Counsel
NBC Universal

Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
Executive Vice President
Major League Baseball

Stuart Tenzer
Senior Vice President
William Morris Agency

HOSPITALITY/LOCATION-BASED ENTERTAINMENT

Danielle Bernthal
Assistant General Counsel, Six Flags, Inc.

Scott McLester
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Wyndham Worldwide Corporation

PUBLIC SERVICE

Nancy B. Rapoport
Gordon & Silver, Ltd. Professor, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

David Sherwyn
Associate Professor of Law, Cornell School of Hotel Administration & Academic Director, Center for Hospitality Research, Cornell University

EXCELLENCE IN BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT

David Matlin
Vice President, Legal Affairs
Home & Garden Television (HGTV)

David B. Stern
EVP, General Counsel & Head of Business Affairs
Key Brand Entertainment, Inc. (dba Broadway Across America)

OUTSTANDING MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW FIRM

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Loeb & Loeb LLP

Thanks, AMEC! It's an honor to be included in this list!