CONTRACTS
All entertainment contracts are subject to some level of negotiation regarding the business points and at least some of the legal terms. There are many different types of contracts involved in development, production, and distribution of films and television programs. Your entertainment attorney is intimately familiar with all phases of film, television and theater production from soup to nuts – from development and writing through financing, production and distribution. This expertise will include contracts with the studio or network, for rental of office space and equipment, production locations, insurance and production liability issues, agreements with individual talent, crew, and guilds, merchandising and product placement, privacy, promotion, censorship, and copyright and trademark issues. Your attorney’s expertise will provide the best protection for you and your project, thereby minimizing expenditures and maximizing fees and potential profits. The collective bargaining agreements set minimum standards, but an experienced entertainment attorney with knowledge of the guild agreements will be able to negotiate more favorable terms for you beyond the guild minimum. Your attorney will have contacts throughout the industry and knowledge of many types of contracts in addition to the guild agreements. This knowledge will allow your attorney to make the best deal for you the client because your attorney will know the similar types of deals available from your employer and other companies and how best to structure your deal.