Former Warner Bros. executive joins Gould School
John Schulman is concerned his USC students will be smarter than he is.
“I’m always worried that they’ll know all the answers, that they’ll be miles ahead and I won’t be up to speed,” said Schulman, who will head USC’s new entertainment law program that opens next fall.
“No-nonsense” · Known around Hollywood as a straight-talker, John Schulman will head Gould’s new entertainment law program. - Mike Lee | Daily Trojan
But even in classes filled with second- and third-year students, Schulman’s USC Gould School of Law colleagues say it’s unlikely he will be outstripped.
Schulman retired from Warner Bros. last year after spending 25 years as general counsel and
executive vice president. He brings a weighty resume and a mile-long list of connections to Gould, said Robert K. Rasmussen, dean of Gould.
Schulman, who joined Gould in early August, has built a reputation in Los Angeles, he’s been called “straight-talking,” “no-nonsense” and even the “Jack Nicholson of the law world” during his time in the business.
“John really is a legend,” Rasmussen said. “Everyone knows John. I never cease to be amazed when I mention John’s name that no matter who I’m speaking to, they know who he is and they adore him.”
Rasmussen said he couldn’t imagine starting the new entertainment law program without Schulman’s influence. Students have already contacted him about taking classes in the program, he said, because Schulman’s reputation and resumé precede him.
“We always dream of hiring someone with talent and experience like John’s,” Rasmussen said. “There would not have been the level of enthusiasm without him at the helm.”
Schulman hopes to create the “best entertainment law school in the world,” blending lecture, hands-on learning and his own extensive experience into an in-depth look in how the entertainment industry intersects the legal world.
During Schulman’s years at Warner Bros., he launched, staffed and built the company’s legal department from the ground up. He worked on multiple
high-profile cases, including a case against Francis Ford Coppola that claimed breach-of-contract over the production of Pinocchio.
At one point, he oversaw roughly 150 people within the department. Those people, Rasmussen said, respected him highly.
“My alums who have worked at Warner Bros. say he was a great leader and a great trainer,” Rasmussen said. “And we know that translates well into the classroom.”
Until next fall, Schulman will work closely with professors within Gould, the USC Marshall School of Business and the USC School of Cinematic Arts to develop a curriculum focused on teaching law students how the entertainment industry intersects the legal world.
“It’s essential to me to have the support and involvement of people like Elizabeth Daley at the film school, people at the business school, they’ve all got to be involved to realize this program the way we envision it,” Schulman said.
Rasmussen said the spirit of collaboration at USC has made the path to cross-curricular planning between Gould, Marshall and SCA an easy one.
“The strength of USC is that we are completely willing — excited, actually — to be interdisciplinary, and that way we can reach across divisions that often are insurmountable at other universities,” Rasmussen said.
Law students will still come out with a J.D. in law, but with an emphasis on entertainment law, Schulman said. Courses within the program will be available starting next fall.
“I hope our classes teach them some more practical aspects of the entertainment industry and how it applies to law,” Schulman said. “I’ve seen a lot of problems that I hope tomorrow’s lawyers can anticipate, but I think these kids are current and up-to-date, and they’re going to be telling me what to do.”
The classes will emphasize tax and business law, Rasmussen said.
Schulman said the way the program will be structured also has yet to be decided, but he knows students who aren’t specializing in entertainment law will still be able to take classes.
“Right now, you can take a civic procedure class, even if you don’t want to be a prosecutor,” Schulman said. “This is much the same.”
Henrietta Wong, a first-year law student, said Schulman’s experience attracts her to the program.
“He brings real world expertise into the classroom,” Wong said. “I think it’s really exciting to have such a successful person from such a specialized field in the law school.”
Schulman is the most recent in a string of entertainment executives to come to Gould; Michael Grizzi, vice president of legal affairs for Paramount Pictures, Jeff Schneider, senior vice president of business affairs and general counsel for Lifetime Television, and Jonathan Stern, who provides legal council for Red Bull energy drinks, all teach at the school as well.