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Entity caught up with "Keeping up With the Kardashians," lawyer Dani Wassel.

“I decided really early in law school that I wanted to go into entertainment,” says Dani Wassel, VP of Business and Legal Affairs at Bunim/Murray Productions. “I have always been more of a creative type, so I thought if I wasn’t going to make a living creating art, maybe I could make a living helping others make art.”

Today, Wassel’s decision to go into entertainment law has paid off. With a hefty client roster of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Best Ink,” “The Real World” and “The Challenge,” she oversees the day-to-day legal and business matters for these award-winning unscripted TV shows.

ENTITY sat down with Dani Wassel, the woman behind the scenes, to uncover the truths about the entertainment industry and how to survive its competitive nature.

“During law school, as soon as my course load allowed me to, I started interning everywhere I possibly could. I worked at a music label, a production company, a television network, a boutique entertainment law firm,” she recalls. “I got around.”

As she recounted her internship experience, she also reflected on the idea networking. It was a must for Wassel but she had a love-hate relationship with the career booster. Not too keen on the “fake/trying too hard aspects of the industry” or how she describes, “I would LOVE to pick your brain about your path to success!” Wassel did have her fair share of networking and taking people to lunch. However, she claims, “It’s just not for me.”

Rather than taking the aggressive route of networking, Wassel encourages young aspiring entertainment lawyers to get as much experience as they can.

“If you’re still in school, try to get internships for class credit,” she advises. When applying for internships or jobs, here are some of her hiring secrets and tips: “We like resumes that show a passion for entertainment. Make sure there are no typos on your resume. That is such a pet peeve of mine. And then, assuming your resume is (typo-free) and shows entertainment experience, it’s just about the right personality fit.”

Regardless of Wassel’s shaky relationship with networking, she plowed her way to the top, starting at a small boutique entertainment firm in Beverly Hills straight out of law school to supervising three attorneys and one rights manager at Bunim/Murray Productions as one of their VPs.

“I’ve had to prove myself,” Wassel reveals. “Mostly to the creative execs and producers I work with. It’s been important for the creative execs to see me not as their enemy – not as a lawyer who says NO all of the time – but as a member of the team, and someone who will brainstorm creative solutions in light of business and legal risks.”

As Wassel grew from associate to executive, she had to build a relationship of trust with producers to assure them they were working together to create the best content possible. “Hopefully without being sued …” she adds.

But once all the legal orders are in place, Wassel gushes on the rewards of seeing her work come to fruition.

“The most rewarding part of my job is undoubtedly working in the field with the producers and being one of the many people who get their hands dirty, so to speak, to produce a TV show,” she says. “When we have a higher rise production (e.g. if we are shooting at an international location where producers can’t easily call when there’s a problem) then we often send a production attorney on-site to assist.”

Traveling in the field, being on set and working with producers are all some of the perks and glamorous aspects of being a successful entertainment lawyer.

“Whenever I travel in the field, it blows my mind how hard all of the producers and crew work 24/7,” she recounts.  “It’s incredibly inspiring to see firsthand how all of the legal jargon and contracts come into play in the real world. When you’re running around to various locations, handwriting changes into a contract and counter-signing five minutes before cameras start to roll, you learn a lot about risk analysis and what’s really important. And then you happen to be doing that in Thailand or Cuba or Armenia!”

When Wassel is not traveling she is “sitting at a desk, negotiating and drafting,” as she explains. This contradictory image of the woman working in an office leads to many misconceptions about working in entertainment law. When these misguided perceptions are brought up, Wassel immediately turns to sarcasm as she laughs, “Are there misconceptions?”

And then, in all seriousness, she touches on the stereotype that all Hollywood outsiders and observers hold.

“My life is nothing like the show ‘Entourage,’ but I also don’t do talent representation,” she breaks the truth down with a hint of optimism.

The stereotypes that are true however are the aspects of the job that Wassel finds most challenging.

“It’s most challenging to negotiate with the screamer-type lawyers and agents. I really, really despise working with the type of representative who uses bullying tactics to (try to) get their way,” she says. “The kind of person who starts screaming the second you get on the phone. I am so much more of a carrots versus sticks negotiator, so it really kills me when representatives are just assholes, for lack of a better word.”

And then there is the absence of perspective when it comes to “the big picture” in the entertainment industry.

“Big picture…there are so many things in the world to scream about,” she reminds us. “Gun violence. Systematic racism. Homophobia. Why are you screaming at me about your client getting a private dressing room? It’s challenging when people don’t put what we are doing into perspective.”

However, the big picture can also apply to gender discrimination in the workplace – especially in the entertainment industry. While Dani Wassell admits that the gender gap is a real and unfortunate reality for so many women, she admits that she has never felt discrimination first-hand as a woman. She also does not believe that she would be making any more money in the position that she is in if she were a man.

She claims she has never felt discriminated against for being a woman and credits working for a progressive company “with many female and LGBTQ executives” for her equal treatment, although she does point out that there are not many people of color in executive roles at the company.

“It’s an undeniable reality that most of the entertainment industry is dominated by straight, white men,” she speaks out. “So, while I’ve been incredibly fortunate, I think other women working in the entertainment industry, particularly women of color, have had very different types of experiences.”

As she reflects back on her days in law school to her current position as a VP, Dani Wassel confirms she has no regrets.

“I wouldn’t have done anything differently,” she proclaims. “Why look back? I do fantasize about working on more passion projects in the future – art that changes the way people think and gives voice to underprivileged communities. But for now, I also understand the importance of guilty pleasure reality TV. Current events are dark as hell right now … I think the public appreciates some well-edited unscripted escapism.”

Edited by Gabrielle Sobel
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