How to Make the American Dream a Reality?
Spotlight on the artistry of artist visa lawyer, Elektra Yao.
You may or may not be aware of the fact that many of the artists we love are foreigners. For example, musicians such as Stromae, Justin Bieber, or Shakira, actors such as Nicole Kidman, Salman Hayek, or Natalie Portman, fashion designers, architects, dancers, chefs, directors, writers… All of them had to obtain what we call an “artist visa” to be able to perform, work and create in the United States and live their American Dream.
Elektra Yao is no stranger to the procedure. She is one of the top specialists in this niche area of entertainment immigration. She has helped numerous artists obtain the highly regarded “O1 visa”, from advising to constituting a very specific, yet demanding file, and presenting it to immigration officers.
Today, rather than focusing on the work of artists, we’d like to put the spotlight on an essential role acting “behind the scene”, and introduce Artist Visa Lawyer Elektra Yao and her journey to becoming the artist's visa specialist immigration lawyer that she is.
With offices in NYC and NJ, Elektra can be defined as multicultural. Her parents are from Italy & Cote D’Ivoire, she has completely fluent in Spanish, French, and Italian, & she has lived, learned, and performed internationally in the US, the EU, and Africa.
Greatly inspired by her grandfather who was a judge, Elektra’s path to becoming a lawyer wasn’t traditional, which offered her a unique perspective to assist the artists that she represents and keep their work on a significant and life-changing path.
She studied film in college and performed musical theatre in NYC before expanding into TV and documentary filmmaking. She worked in production at MTV, and The Style Network, she produced and directed two documentary films that were screened in Austin, TX, and NYC.
After working behind the scenes, Elektra Yao attended the Lewis and Clark Law School, with the initial idea of becoming a producer. But then, grew on her an undeniable desire to work as a lawyer in an international capacity.
So not only does she understand the language her clients speak, but she also understands the cultural and artistic landscape of where they come from and what they envision for their future while enriching the cultural and artistic landscape of the US.
Being a lawyer is also an art form of its own, despite the perception we may have of the profession: it’s about the art of architecting a petition.
“The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) will be contrived to decide on them. Just as my artist clients notify accounts with their artworks, my profession as their attorney is not only to report their story but to vigorously advocate for them so they can continue their artistic narrative in the US.” -she says.
Creative analysis, curiosity, problem-solving, and extrapolating the meaning and importance of artists’ works are the chores of a good entertainment-immigration lawyer such as Elektra. Her artistic background allows her to strategically craft a strong petition to USCIS to secure the O-1 artist visa and Green Cards for her clients as she undergoes exhaustive investigations of the facts and the client’s options, leading to the successful out-of-the-box solutions for them.
What an exciting and rewarding job!
Not every lawyer is equipped to face the challenge and workload. Not to speak about handling and communicating with artists!
Elektra Yao’s weapons are discipline, dedication, and determination. She understands each client as a person, their short-term and long-term creative goals, and their mission as artists.
Her key to success is good communication, client cooperation, and thorough investigation.
Over the years, Elektra Yao has performed with entertainers, musicians, chefs, dancers, visual artists, jewelry creators, textile designers, fashion creators, scenic, visual, writers, PR specialists, and producers! Her client base consists of a large cross-section of professionals in the arts that is continuously expanding.
Record labels, modeling agencies, production companies, individual artists, and creatives from South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and many other countries, keep her journey and travels well alive and rich, from her office in NYC.
So if you’re an artist, keep in mind that it's important to always produce great work. It doesn’t matter how large or little, or prestigious the task is. Producing great work is the foundation for an excellent reputation and an American dream of your own.
Follow Elektra Yao’s channel where she shares her experience and advice:
Author bio: Fanny Hulard is an independent publicist, music proficient development, multi-talented artist, publicity strategist, and creative. She has a long musical career, from being awarded musician to Grammy member music professional, she is also a writer, video director, painter, and educator.
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