Meet the Group
Antonio J. Sifre
787-413-5262
Antonio J. Sifre is a business, transactional and entertainment attorney with more than 25 years of experience in commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, securities, intellectual property, licensing, private equity, tax incentives, music, and film and television production and financing. Mr. Sifre handles the placement of tax credits and related compliance filings for his clients.
Mr. Sifre has extensive experience in the music, film and television industries, and is internationally recognized as one of Puerto Rico’s leading entertainment attorneys. He advises studios and film producers in the financing and corporate structures necessary to benefit from the incentives and tax credits available in Puerto Rico. Mr. Sifre frequently participates as a speaker and panelist in international film and television production, financing and incentives seminars. Some of his clients have been: 20th Century Fox, ABC Studios, Disney, CBS, HBO, NBC, New Regency, Relativity Media, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Turner, Warner Bros., and Universal Pictures, among others.
Mr. Sifre is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA), as designated by the Alliance of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&AA), a National Business Incubation Association Certified Business Incubator Manager, and a graduate of the UC Berkeley Venture Capital Executive Education Program.
He volunteers as Vice-Chairman of Incubadora de Empresas Creativas de Mayagüez, Puerto Rico’s first incubator and accelerator specialized in the creative and cultural industries. Mr. Sifre is an instructor of the Guayacán Venture Accelerator Exit Planning and M&A yearly workshop. Mr. Sifre has been executive producer of feature films, a music producer, and is a drummer.
Mr. Sifre holds a Bachelor in Arts in Economics from Boston College (1989) and a Juris Doctor (Cum Laude) from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law (1992).
Maritere Ysern
Maritere Ysern is an intellectual property and entertainment attorney at The Sifre Group where she combines her two passions: law and film production. Ms. Ysern has more than 10 years of varied production experience, having worked in commercials, corporate and music videos, short and feature films, and television series, including as writer and director. In 2015 she won an Emmy for Screenwriting for her work in the Telemundo television series Incógnita.
Ms. Ysern, for seven years (2009-2016), taught a course in Film Production at Notre Dame High School in Caguas, Puerto Rico. She has been a team mentor and guest lecturer at the annual short films festival “Ponte Los Cortos”, and is frequently invited to give filmmaking, production legal and copyright workshops.
Ms. Ysern holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law (2016) and a Bachelor of Arts in Audiovisual Communications with a Certificate in Film Studies from the University of Puerto Rico (2008).
Carlos R. Colón
Carlos R. Colón is an intellectual property and entertainment attorney, musician, and music producer who started his career as a founding member and keyboard player for Latin alternative group Black Guayaba. He attended Berklee College Music, majoring in Music Business and Management. In the year 2008, Mr. Colón received a Grammy Award and is also the recipient of the prestigious ASCAP Vanguard Award and is a Latin Billboard Award Finalist.
Mr. Colón represents artists from various music genres as both their business advisor and attorney—negotiating several types of entertainment contracts, including recording, digital distribution, music publishing, and producer agreements.
Mr. Colón has a BA in Marketing and received his Juris Doctor graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Puerto Rico Law School.
Michael N. Ramos
Michael N. Ramos López is an immigration, intellectual property, and entertainment attorney with over five years of experience in the legal services industry. Mr. Ramos acquired a LL.M. in Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law from the University of Miami (2019), where he was part of the team that won the “Representing a Professional Sports Franchise” Case Study Competition. He is currently focusing on the film, music and esports industries, which encompass his two main passions: entertainment and sports.
Mr. Ramos has a Bachelor in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (2011) and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law (2014). He is admitted to practice in Puerto Rico, the United States District for the District of Puerto Rico, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
Claudia Picó is the Project Manager and Executive Assistant at The Sifre Group. Ms. Picó oversees project workflow and marketing efforts, and performs research and paralegal work, including the preparation of contracts, tax credit transfer documents, and the coordination of closings.
Ms. Picó has been actively involved in the music industry for more than six years, working closely with executives from various companies in the industry, including Sony Music Entertainment Puerto Rico, ASCAP, and The Recording Academy.
Following her passion for both marketing and music, Ms. Picó spent time in New York City working at Superfly, a creative company that curates culture through experiences, where she immersed in the production and programming of live music events and helped create award winning campaigns for some of the most recognized brands in the world, including Adobe, Citi, and Bose.
Ms. Picó holds a Master of Music in Music Business and Entertainment Industries from the University of Miami (2017) and a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and a Certificate in Business Communications from the University of Puerto Rico (2014).
Rafael J. Toro
Rafael J. Toro is a law clerk at The Sifre Group. Mr. Toro is interested in pursuing a legal career in intellectual property and business law. Mr. Toro supports the team with research, contract drafting, entity formation, licensing, and intellectual property matters.
Mr. Toro has experience working as a legal clerk for Honorable Judge Daniel R. Domínguez for the United States District Court of Puerto Rico and for a medium law firm specializing in labor, corporate and tax law. He has also been editor of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law Business Law Journal and patent examiner in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Mr. Toro holds a Bachelor of Science in History from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2017), and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law.
Alejandra Carrión
Alejandra Carrión is the Administrative Assistant at The Sifre Group. Ms. Carrión provides support with administrative, research, paralegal, bookkeeping, and tax advisory matters. Before joining The Sifre Group, she worked as production assistant in several local film productions.
During her Senior year at Notre Dame High School in Caguas, Puerto Rico, she enrolled in a film class which sparked her interest in the film industry. She participated in “Festival Ponte los Cortos” with a short film that earned her a trip to Los Angeles as part of the 2018 JetBlue All Stars team, where she had the opportunity to meet with key industry players at 20th Century Fox, Universal, and UCLA, among others.
Alejandra is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Accounting combined with Film Digital Production at the University of the Sacred Heart. She is the Business Administration School Representative at the Student Council and the Founder and President of the Accounting Students Association at the university.