Louise Cummings ’98 - On the Go
How do you combine a passion for the arts, a degree in the law, and a flair for networking? If you’re Louise Cummings you start not one, but two companies and then juggle them coast to coast.
How do you combine a passion for the arts, a degree in the law, and a flair for networking? If you’re Louise Cummings you start not one, but two companies and then juggle them coast to coast.
Her companies, The Cummings Law Group PC and 301 Entertainment LLC, represent clients ranging from actors to hip hop artists to NFL players. A typical day, if indeed any is typical, might find her reviewing a recording agreement for a musician before pitching a new feature film script for a screenwriter. She has coordinated such diverse media events as Converse’s Dwayne Wade sneaker launch and an NFL-sanctioned Super Comedy Week at Super Bowl XL.
Transactional legal documents, tax benefits, film financing, management team building, cross promotion, talent placement, the list goes on and on. Louise has managed, through her legal background and tenacious networking skills, to build a clientele in both the entertainment and pro-athlete worlds. She now spends the winter and spring in Los Angeles during the awards and pilot seasons, then returns to New York for the balance of the year, with monthly trips back and forth to keep in touch.
She has to be able to change hats as quickly as her clients’ needs change. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Louise has always been a self-starter. As a student at Rivers, she started a diversity club sophomore year and organized a variety of projects with the members. “I was urged to try many things: drama, jazz singing, cross country, soccer,” she said during a recent interview. “Rivers was such an encouraging environment.” During her time at Rivers, she racked up an impressive array of accolades: the Parents’ League Prize (1996); the Harvard Club Prize (1997); and the Alcaide Spanish Prize, the Faculty Prize and Cum Laude Society (all in 1998).
At Georgetown Louise graduated early with a double major in psychology and Spanish, dean’s list honors, and membership in National Hispanic Honors Society. She worked as a legal assistant for a high profile defense lawyer before heading off to Howard University’s School of Law. While at Howard she started 301 Entertainment as a professional marketing and consultant firm and began networking, a process made easier by internships with the NFL Players Association and top sports agents and furthered by her membership in the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. She earned her J. D. in 2005. After a year with the New York firm Kaye Scholer as a corporate and finance attorney, she set off on her own.
Louise recently joined the Alumni Council Financial Aid Committee. “I am very happy to be on the committee. I would like to get more involved in admissions and help bring an even more diverse student pool to Rivers,” she said. “Rivers is the place where everything started for me. I’d like to see others have what I had.” She also took part in a panel discussion at a recent Rivers networking dinner, sharing her experiences at Rivers with current students and parents.
Despite being constantly on the move, she still finds time to travel. “I’ve been to London, Spain, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, St. Kitts, all through out the U.S.,” said Louise. “Next year, I am looking forward to seeing more of Europe.”
Her goal in life? To be the talent in front of the camera, not negotiating behind the scenes. Last year she actually had a taste of being on screen in a Lifetime interview show called Spotlight 25 which focused on the concerns and opinions of twenty- something women. Eventually Louise would like to host a show like The View, the Emmy award winning ABC daytime talk show.
“I’ve always had a personal interest in television. I would love to be in front of the camera, with a show where I can actually comment on the content and have some impact on the viewers.” Oprah, move over. Here comes Louise.
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Her companies, The Cummings Law Group PC and 301 Entertainment LLC, represent clients ranging from actors to hip hop artists to NFL players. A typical day, if indeed any is typical, might find her reviewing a recording agreement for a musician before pitching a new feature film script for a screenwriter. She has coordinated such diverse media events as Converse’s Dwayne Wade sneaker launch and an NFL-sanctioned Super Comedy Week at Super Bowl XL.
Transactional legal documents, tax benefits, film financing, management team building, cross promotion, talent placement, the list goes on and on. Louise has managed, through her legal background and tenacious networking skills, to build a clientele in both the entertainment and pro-athlete worlds. She now spends the winter and spring in Los Angeles during the awards and pilot seasons, then returns to New York for the balance of the year, with monthly trips back and forth to keep in touch.
She has to be able to change hats as quickly as her clients’ needs change. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Louise has always been a self-starter. As a student at Rivers, she started a diversity club sophomore year and organized a variety of projects with the members. “I was urged to try many things: drama, jazz singing, cross country, soccer,” she said during a recent interview. “Rivers was such an encouraging environment.” During her time at Rivers, she racked up an impressive array of accolades: the Parents’ League Prize (1996); the Harvard Club Prize (1997); and the Alcaide Spanish Prize, the Faculty Prize and Cum Laude Society (all in 1998).
At Georgetown Louise graduated early with a double major in psychology and Spanish, dean’s list honors, and membership in National Hispanic Honors Society. She worked as a legal assistant for a high profile defense lawyer before heading off to Howard University’s School of Law. While at Howard she started 301 Entertainment as a professional marketing and consultant firm and began networking, a process made easier by internships with the NFL Players Association and top sports agents and furthered by her membership in the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. She earned her J. D. in 2005. After a year with the New York firm Kaye Scholer as a corporate and finance attorney, she set off on her own.
Louise recently joined the Alumni Council Financial Aid Committee. “I am very happy to be on the committee. I would like to get more involved in admissions and help bring an even more diverse student pool to Rivers,” she said. “Rivers is the place where everything started for me. I’d like to see others have what I had.” She also took part in a panel discussion at a recent Rivers networking dinner, sharing her experiences at Rivers with current students and parents.
Despite being constantly on the move, she still finds time to travel. “I’ve been to London, Spain, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Jamaica, St. Kitts, all through out the U.S.,” said Louise. “Next year, I am looking forward to seeing more of Europe.”
Her goal in life? To be the talent in front of the camera, not negotiating behind the scenes. Last year she actually had a taste of being on screen in a Lifetime interview show called Spotlight 25 which focused on the concerns and opinions of twenty- something women. Eventually Louise would like to host a show like The View, the Emmy award winning ABC daytime talk show.
“I’ve always had a personal interest in television. I would love to be in front of the camera, with a show where I can actually comment on the content and have some impact on the viewers.” Oprah, move over. Here comes Louise.
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