CIMA Presents: Canadian Artists Performing in the United States – What You Need to Know
CIMA Presents: Canadian Artists Performing in the United States - What You Need to Know
Date: April 22, 2025
Time: 1:30PM-3:00PM (EST)
Venue: Virtual
Register Here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qdLOg2iRRz2ZgQ7E4LwCXA#/registration
Shifting enforcement practices, particularly at the border, and the overall political climate coming out of the United States has caused some Canadian artists and their teams to cancel U.S. tours and shift travel plans. Many more are concerned and confused.
Please join CIMA's President & CEO, Andrew Cash, for a virtual town hall with guests Lee Clark (Attorney at CoveyLaw), Will Spitz (Attorney at CoveyLaw), and Liana White (Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Musicians), to help us get a clearer picture of what to expect at the U.S. border and beyond.
Registrants are also encouraged to complete CIMA’s survey on the U.S. market. This will help us guide both our programming and advocacy on behalf of you in the coming months and years. Click here to submit your responses.
Speakers:
Lee Clark (CoveyLaw)
Lee Clark is an arts immigration attorney based in Brooklyn, New York. With a wide-ranging background in queer nightlife, and eviction defense, Lee’s work is rooted in client agency, advocacy and community support. As an associate attorney at Covey Law, Lee’s current work focuses on visas for artists coming to the US to perform. Outside of work, Lee obsesses over pop music, and his dog Chicken.
Will Spitz (CoveyLaw)
Will Spitz leads CoveyLaw’s performing arts division, focusing primarily on preparing O and P visa petitions for artists entering the U.S. temporarily to perform. He also provides pro bono services to foreign artists and arts professionals as a volunteer attorney at Tamizdat, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that promotes international cultural exchange. He has presented and moderated panels on artist mobility issues at conferences including Amsterdam Dance Event, South by Southwest, Folk Alliance International, M for Montreal, Mundial Montreal, Indie Week, Mondo, CMJ, Ireland Music Week, CINARS, Breakout West and the American Immigration Lawyers Association ACES Conference. Will is also a musician who has played in various rock and electronic bands, as well as in the New York Balinese gamelan ensemble Gamelan Dharma Swara.
Liana White (Canadian Federation of Musicians):
Liana White is the Executive Director of the Canadian National Office of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/CFM), serving the interests of professional musicians and the labour movement for almost 30-years. Since the start of her career, Ms. White has overseen cross border matters for artists and possesses vast expertise on the United States artist visa process. Ms. White also actively advocates for artists in the way of lobbying government on matters of importance to artists, negotiating agreements, and mentoring musicians at all stages and in all aspects of their career.