Meet the NMR Staff

Art Neill

Founder / Executive Director

Joined NMR in: 

October 2005

art@newmediarights.org

Art is the founder of New Media Rights, and practices public interest law in the areas of internet, intellectual property, privacy, and media law. He writes about legal issues for creators and small businesses as a Contributor at Forbes.

Art is also a professor at California Western School of Law teaching the courses Internet & Social Media Law (primarily focused on Internet, Intellectual Property, licensing, and online publishing law) as well as an Internet & Media Law Clinic.

In 2011, 2013, and 2015 Art was appointed as a member of the Federal Communication Commission's Consumer Advisory Committee, where he served as Co-chair of the Broadband Working Group.  In 2014, Art was named to the Fastcase 50, which honors the law's smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, & leaders.

Click here to learn more about Art, including publications, interviews, and presentations.

Erika Lee

Assistant Director

Joined NMR in: 

May 2015

 

Erika is the Assistant Director at New Media Rights, where she works with creative professionals and small businesses in preventative transactional legal matters. In addition to providing one to one legal assistance in entertainment, intellectual property and privacy law matters, Erika also develops educational resources for New Media Rights and engages in public policy advocacy in regulatory proceedings at the Copyright Office. 

Erika received her J.D. from California Western School of Law, and her B.A. degree in English from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. During law school, Erika worked for New Media Rights as an intern and student fellow before spending a semester in Los Angeles working in the business and legal affairs department of Shout! Factory, a multi-platform media company. While obtaining her undergraduate degree, Erika worked for four years in the marketing department of a large performing arts center in Madison, Wisconsin, where she assisted in programming projects and events that engaged local communities with the arts, and promoted national Broadway and non-Broadway touring productions.

Click here to learn more about Erika, including publications, interviews, and presentations.

Cristina Meisterling

Student Fellow

Joined NMR in: 

January 2023
Cristina is a second-year law student at California Western School of Law. Prior to attending law school, Cristina received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Law from California State University, Northridge. After that, she worked in healthcare for a couple of years before landing a job with a growing San Diego law firm. 
 
Cristina joined New Media Rights because she is passionate about making intellectual property law more accessible, and helping local creators protect their works. Apart from school, she enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her two sweet dogs Lucy and Leia.

Alyssa Kucera

Student Fellow

Joined NMR in: 

August 2023
Alyssa is a second-year student at California Western School of Law with a passion for arts and entertainment law. She is a San Diego native and graduated from University of California San Diego with a degree in Sociology. Prior to law school, she worked as an event photographer and marketing manager. 
 
Alyssa is excited to combine her passions for the arts and law while working at New Media Rights. She enjoys working with local artists and creators to help protect their work and fulfill their creative goals. While in law school, Alyssa serves as the VP of Entertainment for the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Cal Western's newspaper, the Commentary. In her free time, she enjoys shooting and developing film photography and spending time with her husband, her dog Moose, and her cat Ripley.

Deanna Maayaa

Student Fellow

Joined NMR in: 

August 2023

Deanna is a second-year law student at California Western School of Law. Before attending law school, Deanna received her B.A. in Communications with minors in Film and Video Production and International Relations from UC San Diego. After graduating, she worked for Pigment in San Diego and interned for a California state representative.  

Deanna is excited to join New Media Rights to merge her two passions of the arts and the law and help facilitate greater accessibility to legal resources for artists. Deanna also serves as a member of the film selection committee for the San Diego Arab Film Festival. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, trying new restaurants, going on walks, and spending time with her friends, family, and cat, Figaro. 

Gabrielle Mark-Bachoua

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

January 2024

Gabi is a second-year law student at California Western School of Law. Prior to entering law school, Gabi earned a B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Philosophy from UC Davis. She also spent time teaching English in Mexico and working at a binational non-profit in San Diego. Gabi is thrilled to serve the New Media Rights mission and protect and empower local creatives. In her free time Gabi enjoys reading, baking, and playing basketball.

Carlos Cuevas

Legal Intern

Joined NMR in: 

January 2024
Carlos is a second-year law student at California Western School of Law. Before attending law school, Carlos received his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Law & Human Rights, and a regional focus in Latin America from the University of Oregon. After graduating, he worked at the public defender's office, and a boutique employment & labor law firm in Portland, Oregon. 
 
Carlos is excited to combine his interests in the arts and law while working at New Media Rights. During his undergraduate studies, Carlos developed professional interests in journalism, tech, and film through extracurriculars and elective courses. While in law school, Carlos serves on the board of the Student Intellectual Property Law Association as Patent Committee Representative and works at a firm specializing in securities class actions. In his free time, Carlos enjoys hiking, reading and casually practicing his Spanish on a foreign language learning app.