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Gregg Ramer
Of Counsel at Paul Hastings
Gregg B. Ramer is an Of Counsel attorney at Paul Hastings, a prominent international law firm based in Los Angeles, California. He specializes in entertainment law, leveraging his extensive experience in the industry to provide legal services tailored to the needs of clients in this sector. Ramer has a notable background, having previously worked with prestigious firms like Loeb & Loeb before joining Paul Hastings.
Education and Background
- Juris Doctor (JD): Ramer earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, equipping him with a strong foundation in legal principles and practices.
Professional Experience
- Entertainment Law Expertise: Ramer has built a reputation as a highly experienced entertainment attorney, focusing on various aspects of media and entertainment law. His work involves advising clients on legal matters related to film, television, and other media ventures.
- Recent Ventures: In September 2024, he launched his own entertainment law firm, Ramer Entertainment Law, aiming to cater to the specific needs of clients within the entertainment industry.23
Contact Information
Ramer's office is located at:
- Address: 1999 Avenue of the Stars, FL 27, Los Angeles, CA 90067
- Phone: (310) 620-5752
His professional profile can also be found on platforms like LinkedIn, where he highlights his career achievements and services offered.1
Highlights
LAWYERS AND THE SIDE-HUSTLE
Long ago, my father (a pretty successful lawyer) told me: Lawyering is service. You don't get rich in the service business. What you should shoot for is comfortable. Comfortable means that in any given year, you have a choice whether to take the family on a vacation or buy a really nice new car. And that you have enough in the bank so that you could pay the same day for anything you put on a credit card.
Pretty good stuff, and while I know plenty of lawyers who do pretty well, in fact, really well, for the most part (and I mean most) lawyers will never be client rich. Big firms can charge $2,000/hour for top lawyers; ask any lawyer if they'd be willing to pay that.
So one of the things not a lot of people talk about is the side-hustle, and it's far more ubiquitous than you might think. In order to supplement an otherwise 'merely' comfortable living, a fair number of lawyers will engage in some entrepreneurship and aggressive investing. Some go super-traditional, and buy some rental properties. Some are closet day-traders, playing the markets. Quite a few open businesses you wouldn't expect, from yoga studios to clothing/accessories, to home improvement to social media and tech ventures.
Economically, it usually makes sense, both to diversify your portfolio and expand what may be a limited source of income (albeit, lucrative and 'comfortable' by my father's definition of it). Sure, some fail, and that's the price of trying. But lawyers are better than most at recognizing and mitigating risk, so I would put them in the upper percentile of the successful side-hustle.
Psychologically, it may make even more sense. Lawyering is a stressful job, and while it can certainly feel rewarding (a grateful client here, a bonus there), as often as not it's a grind. A 'comfortable' grind, I grant you (okay, that sounds wrong, but I'm leaving it there), but a grind nonetheless. So some side-hustles are, setting money aside, a 'relief.' An exploration of other avenues and what-ifs. Larks. Feel-goods because they can bring a regular feeling of success that may otherwise be denied on a day-to-day basis. Or they can fill a need (I knew one judge who, in his off-time, beta-tested video games).
Side-hustles are everywhere, and are for most lawyers the only way they can afford other lawyers if they have to. But more importantly, they can provide much-needed relief. A breath of fresh air. A level beyond 'mere' 'comfort.' So I encourage it...to the extent it doesn't adversely affect your firm or clients, go forth, have fun, prosper.
MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING - LOAN-OUTS
Some thoughts on the 'pending doom' awaiting tens of thousands in California, as the hapless Employment Development Department moves to destroy the tax-haven loan-out corporations employed (pun intended) by workers in the entertainment (and other) businesses.
Let's back up: for decades, many individuals have sought a tax advantage by creating a company and being 'employed' by it for tax purposes, with said company being 'engaged' in turn by studios (et al.) who need not make payroll contributions (which are the ostensible responsibility of the loan-out), for the win-win. Want a subtle piece of evidence? No responsible studio (et al.) will let talent use an LLC as a loan-out...it must be a classic corporation (S or C), or the jig is up.
First the bad news. This has been something that has been examined, scrutinized, analyzed, colonoscopied at the State and Federal levels for a long time. Every now and then, noise is made that loan-outs will be axed for all intents and purposes to deal with tax evasion, and yes, there are some rules that already exist in that regard. So far, they have generally been respected. Or tolerated. Or something. That MAY be ending, but we've heard these noises before. Part of the trigger in California is a massive budget shortfall, and the EDD may be going down this road in that light, making it more possible than usual that they may follow through in order to squeeze funds out of poor, suffering, incorporated actors, writers, directors and the like.
Now the better news. This is not likely to happen. As usual. The 'victims' of the governmental assault on, well, screwing the government (just a little, though), are not going to sit idly by. Guilds and unions, studios, advocates of individual rights...they're not gonna take it. And they aren't. The pushback is hard, and the leverage behind it is massive. The EDD could cause even more employment, people and productions out of state, and that would far outweigh the relative benefits of 'ignoring' the loan-out fiction, and in the end there is no way California will let that happen.
I don't know this to be true, but I strongly suspect that every now and then an eager beaver wakes up to all of this and says, "Hey, there's some money here! I'm the first genius to find it! Why have we been allowing this?" At which point someone more seasoned says "Shut up, stupid. This is how it works, and without it, we lose more."
Kind of reminds me of a film back in the day with a budget line-item of $50,000 for 'miscellaneous' that some low-level B.A. pointed at and proudly preened at saving the production some money. At which point, said B.A. was dressed down harshly by someone higher up who pointed out that the cast really needed their cocaine. "Shut up, stupid."
Consult your accountant or tax attorney for more detail, if you're having trouble sleeping. Or, if you never want to sleep again. Depends how this goes.
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Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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