Paramount, Sony Join MPA and EICOP’s Entertainment Law and Policy Fellowship (Exclusive)

Rebecca Sun
·3 min read

Paramount and Sony have become the first member studios to participate in the MPA-EICOP Entertainment Law and Policy Fellowship, the program first announced by the Motion Picture Association and the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program last fall.

Billy Davis (Howard University School of Law ’21) will join Paramount as MPA-EICOP’s inaugural Law Fellow, while Rhyan Lewis (Spelman College ’21) will join Sony as the first Policy Fellow. The fellowship is a yearlong, paid program for recent graduates of HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) to gain exposure and experience working in entertainment law and policy. In addition to mentorship, networking events and industry workshops and conferences, fellows spend six months working at the MPA’s Los Angeles and D.C. offices, followed by six months at their assigned member studio.

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Davis and Lewis first arrived in Los Angeles in May for a weeklong orientation alongside EICOP’s regular HBCU in LA program interns, before their fellowships officially launched in June with the MPA rotation.

“The fellowship program is proving every day that there is a place for everyone in the entertainment industry, regardless of background,” EICOP president and CEO Stacy Milner said in a statement. “EICOP is honored to partner with the MPA and its member studios on this unique program, and we’re proud to have kicked off the yearlong fellowship with our HBCU in LA program. We have every confidence that Billy and Rhyan will continue to thrive in this exciting next step as they head to Paramount and Sony Pictures.”

“I’m inspired by how immersed Rhyan has become in our policy efforts over the past several months,” MPA senior evp for global government affairs Gail MacKinnon said in a statement. “She’s met with studio executives, industry leaders, elected officials and even attended a film premiere in Hollywood. I’m also looking forward to welcoming our next class of Fellows and creating more opportunities for young, diverse people to enter the field of entertainment policy.”

“The Motion Picture Association is pleased to work with Paramount this year to expose our Law Fellow to the various aspects of the entertainment industry’s legal sector,” MPA senior executive vice president and global general counsel Karyn Temple said in a statement. “The Law Fellowship at Paramount will yield immeasurable benefits to Billy Davis and, moving forward, the program will help create viable pathways for aspiring young law school graduates from diverse backgrounds to flourish within the entertainment law industry.”

For the second half of their fellowship, Davis and Lewis will now move to Paramount and Sony, respectively.

“We are thrilled to welcome Billy Davis into the Paramount community as the first inaugural MPA-EICOP Law Fellow,” Paramount executive vice president and general counsel Allison Gray said in a statement. “This Fellowship program enhances Paramount’s ongoing mission to expand the pipeline of opportunity across our vibrant and creative industry, and we look forward to participating in a program that creates access, awareness and an understanding of entertainment law for a new generation of executives.”

“The government affairs team at Sony Pictures Entertainment is delighted to receive Rhyan Lewis as the first-ever MPA-EICOP Policy Fellow,” Sony evp of global external policy and external affairs Keith Weaver said in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with her on both legal and policy issues, to help best position her for the career path on which she embarks. We are also proud to participate in this first-of-its-kind fellowship program, which reflects Sony’s commitment to expand opportunities for all communities and build an industry that represents us all.”

Applications for the 2023-24 year are now open at the Fellowship portal at the MPA website.

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