Alexa Mignonne Whiteside

Alexa Whiteside is a distinguished and seasoned entertainment attorney who founded WAM Entertainment Law after working for over fifteen years in various roles in the industry. With a passion for supporting creatives and businesses and bringing their unique and diverse stories to the public, she provides tailored legal services to clients in the film, television, literary publishing, and digital media industries. She is licensed to practice in North Carolina, New York, and California.

Prior to founding the firm, Ms. Whiteside gained extensive experience across the entertainment sector. Her journey began in New York City, where she worked as an independent producer, unit production manager, and casting associate both during and after her undergraduate years at NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. This hands-on experience gave her firsthand insight into the intricacies and on-set realities of film and television production. Later, as an attorney at a boutique law firm in Beverly Hills, Ms. Whiteside provided comprehensive legal services to producers, distributors, and content creators. Her work spanned film, television, new media, live events, literary publishing, radio, and podcast content, offering production, distribution, and clearance legal guidance from financing through to distribution across multiple mediums, media, and platforms.

From March of 2023 until the firm’s founding, she was Vice President of Business Affairs at a production and distribution company, where she leveraged her extensive legal expertise to support production, regulatory compliance, and rights management initiatives while overseeing the company’s Standards & Practices, Programming, and Rights & Clearances teams. In this role, she provided business and legal affairs guidance for the company’s vast content library, which included over 4,500 episodes of children’s programming that aired 52 weeks a year, and collaborated with the company’s management, production, post-production, and network teams to ensure its programming complied with federal and state regulations. Additionally, Ms. Whiteside led the initial transition to industry-standard rights management software and the standardization of its copyright and rights management processes.

Beyond her legal practice, Ms. Whiteside remains actively involved in several professional and community organizations. She currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee and Chair of Nominations Committee of the Sports and Entertainment Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association, following her tenure as Section Chair, and is an active member of numerous other organizations in the legal and arts communities.

Through her diverse experiences and unwavering dedication, Ms. Whiteside continues to make a significant impact in the entertainment industry. She is a passionate advocate for creatives, ensuring their legal interests are protected while preserving the integrity of their work.