Christine Lepera

Partner

Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp

Lepera has been a major force in the music world, protecting artists from accusations of plagiarism. In recent months, the veteran attorney won copyright infringement cases for Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group for the song “Levitating,” and Timbaland and other defendants for the songs “Paper Chase” and “Toe toe” She also successfully resolved producer Dr. Luke’s nineyear legal battle with singer Kesha and won a preliminary injunction for Daryl Hall, preventing his longtime musical partner John Oates from selling his half of their jointly held assets without Hall’s consent. You can’t copyright AI art … or can you?: “The wrinkle is going to be whether a person or some persons are involved in it, adding creative input such that their creative expression is part of what the content is,” she says.

These two Bryants might not be related, but they form a formidable team. Last year, Frontain Bryant gained programming oversight of Lifetime, a female-centric destination for non ction and true-crime programming that had a hit with the explosive “The Prison Confession of Gypsy Rose Blanchard” series when it launched in January. Both women served as exec producers on the three-night series, which drew nearly million viewers in its rst month; the network, now celebrating its th anniversary, is working on a follow-up focusing on Blanchard’s release from prison. Bryant spearheaded Lifetime’s “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” which dominated social media when it premiered. Coming soon: The pair are expanding the Biography brand with ve new docs tracking the careers of some of hard rock’s biggest stars and unveiling a second season of Lifetime’s “Janet Jackson” miniseries.

Mentors always matter: “I still look to my longtime mentor Fred Berner,” Frontain Bryant says. “He developed the lm ‘Maestro’ for many years and seeing him attend the Oscars was inspiring.”