Television & Film
The film and television industry has undergone dramatic changes due to the array of new digital media platforms available to deliver content such as cinema, TV shows, sports, and news. Today, more than ever, production companies and distributors need business savvy attorneys to structure effective deals. Similarly, actors, directors and screenwriters are faced with new legal challenges in obtaining fair compensation for their work.
The Hay Law Group works with actors, producers, screenwriters, directors, and more on a wide range of issues related to television, film and digital media production. We have extensive experience with business entity formation, the state incentive process, guild compliance issues, copyright registration, rights clearance and negotiating talent agreements. We also serve as legal counsel to production companies by negotiating and preparing critical contracts that can help move a project forward in a manner that is consistent with the production budget.
We routinely review and prepare a variety of contracts, including:
- Work for Hire Agreements
- Location Agreements
- Master Use Licenses
- Producer Agreements
- Extra Releases
- Composer Agreements (Film/TV Score)
- Director Agreements
- Writer Agreements
- Merchandising Agreements
- Product Placement Agreements
- Personal Appearance Releases
- Talent Agreements
- Co-Production Agreements
- Production Service Agreements
We also negotiate and prepare agreements related to the production and distribution of film and television content. In addition, we provide development services related to obtaining rights to existing stories, such as books and scripts, through option agreements. Similarly, we arrange work for hire agreements for adaptations by screenwriters and secure depiction rights for stories based on real people and actual events.