Staying Attached – Legal Essentials for Creators in Development

As part of the Mind Your Business strand, we're offering training in a range of areas related to business management & development, production finance, legal & business affairs, rights, and compliance, giving individuals the tools needed to thrive in their chosen field in unscripted TV. 

Whether you're a development executive, producer, creative collaborator or writer, this course empowers you to protect your ideas and ensure your ongoing involvement in the projects you help bring to life.  Learn how to safeguard your intellectual contributions before a deal is struck, avoid common pitfalls in contracts, and understand your rights when entering development agreements.

Through practical guidance on NDAs, co-creator agreements, contract strategies, and profit participation, in this course you’ll gain the tools to navigate complex deal terms with confidence and stay attached to your IP, whenever possible.  Plus, you’ll discover when and how to work with lawyers or business affairs consultants—without blowing your budget.

Ideal for emerging creators and independent producers, this course demystifies the legal landscape and puts you in control of your IP and your creative future.

This session is supported by the ScreenSkills Unscripted TV Skills Fund which invests in training for the unscripted workforce thanks to contributions from broadcasters, SVoDs and production companies.

Who it's for

Producers, Development Executives, Production Managers, Production Co-ordinators working in unscripted TV.

We generally require applicants to have at least 3 credits (unless working in a traditionally uncredited role). If you strongly feel you would still benefit from the training, please email USF@screenskills.com

We are committed to ensuring all our courses are accessible to everyone. Please email the above address with any access requirements so that we can make the arrangements you need.

What it covers

Part A – Staying Attached focuses on steps you can take to protect your creative contributions.  This includes keeping records of your work, the pros and cons of using of non-disclosure agreements and and putting the right agreement in place before collaborating with others.

We’ll explore key risk areas for producers when negotiating  - such as ‘work-for-hire’ arrangements, the absence of ‘producer lock’ provisions, and the lack of backend rights or profit participation. You'll learn essential contract negotiation strategies - licensing rather than assigning rights, ensuring fair payment if a work-for-hire is agreed, negotiating favourable terms for options, rights reversion, financial participation, and securing the right credits.

You’ll also learn about alternative protections, such as reserved rights and retaining format rights

Part B – Using Lawyers and Business Affairs Consultants. This part of the course will help you understand when to seek legal or business affairs advice, how lawyers typically work, and how to collaborate with them effectively.  It’ll also cover practical tips for keeping legal costs under control while still securing the protection you need.

Trainer:

Industry Media was founded in 2004 and was one of the first media business affairs consultancies in the United Kingdom.   It is independently owned and managed by its directors Rosemary Klein, Huw Walters and Gwenda Carnie following a management buyout from the James Grant Group in September 2018.  

As well as negotiating and completing all the contractual necessities quickly and cost effectively, we add value and commercial insight due to the volume and range of deals on which we have advised upon in the UK and internationally

We understand that the content business is all about creating good relationships.  

We bring industry experience and sound judgment to advise our clients help them structure deals, negotiate positively and make effective business decisions. 

How to apply

This session will take place online via Zoom. Click ‘get ticket’ at the top of the page and follow the instructions to book your place; you must login or register before you are able to book your place.

Our courses are popular and often book up quickly. If you are no longer able to attend, we ask you to please use the “decline ticket” function on the right-hand side of the page so that we can release your place to someone on the waiting list.