Spaghetti on the Wall Episode 126 with Micheal Arata

Michael Arata has spent his life in the New Orleans legal community, entertainment community, and local sports community. As a lawyer, he has represented clients in federal and state courts around the country and in some of the nation’s largest environmental mass tort class action cases, tax refund class actions, large-scale maritime losses and complex commercial and construction litigation. Michael also was instrumental in the creation and passage of Louisiana’s successful film tax credit program and has represented film producers, studios, financiers and other entertainment and sports industry clients for over 25 years. He was elected as Chairman of the State Bar Association Section on Arts, Entertainment and Sports Law and has been a frequent lecturer and guest speaker at countless seminars, law school classes, trade group meetings, church groups and other community and professional gatherings, including the Louisiana Bar Association, New Orleans Bar Association, the Society of Louisiana CPAs, the Rotary Club, the New Orleans Film Commission, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development Office of Entertainment Development, Tulane Law School, Loyola Law School, University of New Orleans, Delgado University, De La Salle High School, Metairie Park Country Day School, the JAG School, and many others. Michael has also had a lifetime of work in the entertainment and arts community, producing award winning films, theatre productions and television shows. He has produced over 25 films, appeared as an actor in over 60 films (and as stuntman when he can), and produced and acted in dozens of live theatre productions. He has led and served on the boards of numerous non-profit theatre projects and charitable organizations, and continues to do so. Michael is a graduate of Tulane University, where he was a starting member of the Tulane Football Team. He is a graduate of Tulane University School of Law, where he was a founding member of the Tulane Sports Law Society and a member of the Environmental Law Clinic. Known as "Coach Arata", Michael Arata has coached countless New Orleans-area kids in football, baseball, soccer and track over the past 35 years. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Tulane T-Club, the former letter-winnner's association at Tulane, and FTW Collective, Tulane's Name, Image and Likeness collective. He is Chairman of the USATF Masters Combined Events Subcommittee, which hosts the annual national indoor and outdoor masters track and field championships. Michael Arata is married to Emily Sneed Arata, former Deputy Mayor of the City of New Orleans, who serves as a senior executive at Ochsner Foundation Hospital. They have two boys, Gabriel and Rocko.#leducentertainment #spaghettionthewall #podcast