From the course: Contracting for Creatives

Welcome

- As a creative, you don't get to just be a creative. We all have to deal with business issues. My name is Seth Polansky, and I'm here to help creatives of all types navigate the murky waters of contracts. Over the past several decades, I've negotiated contracts with or on behalf of record companies, production companies, freelancers, and both the United States and foreign governments. In addition to operating my own practice, I regularly provide pro bono services to several artists' rights organizations, including Art PACT. Not only am I attorney, but for the past 20 years, I've been an audio engineer. So I come at this not just as a lawyer, but as a creative. In this course, I'll address the various types of contracts that you as a creative are likely to see throughout the course of your career. We'll start off with a basic introduction to contracts, then we'll go into what a nondisclosure agreement is and what to look out for. Next we'll tackle work for hire and contractor agreements and how to negotiate them for your business. Then we'll talk about what should go into your proposals, quotes, and statements of work, and how to negotiate licencing agreements for your creative works. Finally, we'll talk about the risks or gotchas common to all types of contracts and agreements. But before we begin, here is ye olde obligatory legal disclaimer.

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