Talent Agreements and the New SAG-AFTRA Rules and State Laws Governing AI-Generated Digital Replicas

Deborah Henderson is General Counsel at Pixomondo, the award-winning VFX and virtual production studio owned by Sony Pictures. At the intersection of entertainment and emerging technology, she oversees all legal operations, including, advising on IP strategy and Gen AI adoption.

With over 20 years of experience across studio and independent production, Deborah has held senior positions at Disney, Paramount, Insurrection Media, Zodiak, and Red Bull Studios. Her expertise spans scripted and unscripted content, platform innovation, and global dealmaking. She played a key leadership role in the sale of Pixomondo to Sony and continues to work closely. with creative and technical teams to navigate the evolving legal landscape of digital media.

An Emmy-nominated producer and a longtime advocate for innovation in media, Deborah holds degrees from Columbia Law School, University College London, and Carnegie Mellon University. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Television Academy, and the California Bar.

Russell Wetanson currently serves as Senior Vice President of Entertainment Labor Relations and Lead Negotiator for NBCUniversal with entertainment guilds and unions for agreements applicable to all platforms (i.e., linear, film, streaming). In this role, he also advises NBCUniversal business units regarding legal issues arising out of industry-wide collective bargaining agreements, including talent deals, residuals obligations, screen credits, and day-to- day production challenges. Wetanson has appeared as a legal commentator and reporter for various entertainment and news programs. Wetanson received his B.A. in Politics with a Minor in Spanish Literature from Brandeis University and his J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Mr. Trattner is a named partner and board member of the entertainment boutique law firm, Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein, where he represents actors, writers, directors and producers in the motion picture and television business. Mr. Trattner graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1990 with a B.A. in history and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from Berkeley Law in 1994. He has also been interviewed and quoted in numerous entertainment trade publications on the state of the film and television business, with a particular focus on issues surrounding talent representation and artificial intelligence.

Matt Blackett works within the management group of SAG-AFTRA Legal Department, working with its General Counsel, Jeffrey Bennett, and others to oversee and lead the union’s legal operations. Matt manages the union’s associate general counsel, counsel, case managers, and legal support staff, leading the union’s grievance and arbitration process and strategy.

In addition to his management responsibilities, Matt oversees the Legal Department’s staffing of the SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating processes, personally staffing the negotiations for the TV/Theatrical agreements, the Commercials Contract, and the Sound Recordings Code, and indirectly advising many others. Matt works with the union’s executive leadership on the union’s Artificial Intelligence strategy, is legal counsel to the union’s Los Angeles Local, and represents the union in arbitration and litigation before various bodies.

Outside of work, Matt lives in the southwest region of Los Angeles and splits his time between playing ice hockey, taking care of his dog, Henry, and binge-watching television shows with his wife—Matt maintains that they would do quite well on The Amazing Race, given the chance…

Tammy Brandt is an Executive within the Chief Corporate and Strategy Counsel at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Brandt is based in the Los Angeles office and oversees all corporate legal matters, including M&A, compliance, intellectual property, government relations, and governance.

Before joining CAA, Brandt served as Chief Legal Officer and Head of Business and Legal Affairs at FaZe Clan, a digital-native lifestyle and media platform rooted in gaming and youth culture, where she negotiated and led a transaction whereby FaZe Clan became a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ via a SPAC transaction in July 2022. In December 2021, Brandt was appointed by B Riley Financial to its board of directors (RILY).

Prior to FaZe Clan, she was Chief Legal Officer at Dreamscape Immersive, a virtual reality company. Previously, she served as Chief Corporate Counsel at Fortune 100 company, DXC Technology, and General Counsel at cloud software company, ServiceMesh, Inc.

She currently serves as a member of the Lambda Legal West Coast Leadership Board and was a board member of the Cayton Children’s Museum from 2018 to 2022.

Brandt received her Bachelor of Science in Economics and Business Administration from Bluffton University, and Juris Doctorate from Notre Dame Law School.