Creators Legal registered logo

Creators Legal 101. The best contracts for content creators

Search

Popular Posts

Tags

Share

Creators-background

The world of creating has changed. Over the past twenty years, the creator economy has shifted from the ruling class of studio, network, major label, and publisher’s controlling the distribution to distribution being put in the hands of the creators.

In the past, Creators of all kinds, with few exceptions, in order to get their work out to the world they would have to go through a myriad of gatekeepers. Agencies, studios, executives, etc., etc. Of course, if they could get through the gatekeepers, they would still have to raise funds, create the content and get back through the gatekeepers to actually let them through to the consumer through whatever medium the gatekeepers controlled.

The other piece of the puzzle was of course the technology to create content. Cameras, sound and recording equipment, and of course the number of people that were required to combine all these elements were prohibitively expensive for the average creator to get things done on their own. Creators needed the money from the huge companies to actually create.

Of course, there were the truly inventive independent directors, producers, and creators of the late ’60s and ’70s that began creating on their own. Independent filmmakers and musicians began to create outside of the studio and label system. However, if they wanted to reach the broad market, they still had to go through the studios and record companies for distribution.

The rise of user-generated content sites like YouTube, Facebook and combined with the rise in the technical quality of digital cameras, and sound equipment became so good they now rival the expensive equipment has led to a revolution in Content Creating that the world has never seen.

There are now millions of pieces of content being uploaded every day direct through to consumers through distribution that no longer requires any gatekeepers at all.

This concurrence of events has led to a trillion-dollar industry. It can no longer be called the film and tv industry, or the music industry or the book industry, etc. It is now the Content Creator industry.

So, what does this all mean for Creators? Now that the gatekeepers have lost so much power and control over distribution, it is up to the creators themselves. The world of Entertainment Law has changed as well. There are more lawyers who specialize in Entertainment law than there were a decade ago. But it would be impossible for them to keep up with the levels of content being produced. Besides, lawyers are time-consuming, expensive, and slow.

So how does Creators Legal fit into all of this?

Creators Legal is the first and only D-I-Y legal tool for content creators. We are here to help democratize the content creator industry. To help content creators collaborate, protect themselves, and create content without being slowed down by traditional law. Contracts for the Creator industry are out there, they are mostly about the same. But like the other gatekeepers, they have generally been hidden behind the doors of the entertainment lawyers’ offices.

At Creators Legal, we are former entertainment and media lawyers, creators, and execs who have brought together all of our previous knowledge and expertise to create the tools necessary for independent creators and producers to create without seeking out lawyers for every piece of content.

We have tried to design our system for the current creator. Industry-standard creator contracts are organized by the type of creation. Filmmaking, Independent Music, Live Theater, Social Media, and Podcast to start. We have begun with the most common contracts that we have seen such as the Podcast Guest Release, the Media Quit Claim, the Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement, the Film Talent Agreement, or the Collaboration Agreements. We then created the tools we know we would want.

First, the formbuilder. The form builder is designed to help you draft and customize the contracts we have in our system so you can easily use them for any project that you have going. It allows you to identify the parties, who are signing the contract, whether they are individuals or companies, and the terms and conditions that cover the agreement.

The contracts generally take only minutes to complete. They are designed to be completed in the shortest amount of time possible. In that sense, Creators Legal is not just a legal tool but a productivity and innovation tool for creators.

Part of the ease of the form builder is the email for the parties that are entered into the contract. This is a required step because it will be used to easily send the contract, once it’s finished to the other side for quick signature. With the help of HelloSign (a Dropbox company), we have built a powerful, secure, and compliant, eSignature system.

Once you have completed the contract you can either save it or go right ahead and send it out. Did we say save? Yes. Creators Legal also constructed a secure dashboard – we call the Project Briefcase that every one of our users gets to use. This allows you to know only store your contracts in an organized way (we suggest by project) but allows you to see when someone the other party has opened a contract to view or has signed a contract. After it’s completed, you can keep the contract in your Project Briefcase. Keeping signed contracts is the important part – you never know when you will need it! That’s how content creators protect themselves.

When we built Creators Legal we spoke to dozens of professional content creators. And we didn’t just talk to people in one area of creating, we spoke with people from all walks of the Creator world. Actors, artists, those in live theater, ghostwriters, filmmakers, producers, directors, and on and on. If there was one common theme. Getting contracts signed and getting them stored in an organized way.

This is why we created the Project Briefcase – and it’s not just for those who buy the contract, it’s for those who sign the contracts. If you’ve signed a Creators Legal contract then you will automatically have your contract stored in your own Project Briefcase. We’ve automatically done it for you! All you have to do is create an account to access it.

So, now you know a bit more about Creators Legal and why we built it. But how can this truly help you as a content creator. Well, Creators Legal is designed to help you

1. Find the right contracts for your creative endeavor fast and know that it will be just like the one you would get from an entertainment attorney.

2. Prepare it for your unique situation

3. Send it to another person for signature and get it signed quickly with a secure and digitally compliant signature system and

4. Store it in the Project Briefcase for easy access.

We’ve done all of this in a way that can be used by anyone. From TikToker’s doing collabs, filmmakers hiring writers, influencers hiring photographers, etc., etc. We have built it. And if you don’t see what you need yet. That’s okay, it’s probably right around the corner.

We’ve also made this affordable. Contracts as low as $19.00, Bundled Packages as low as $30.00, and full subscriptions – yeah – all you can use for as low as $9.00 a month.

The average lawyer in the United States is $350 an hour, a contract from start to finish averages $6900.00 and can take weeks for a traditional attorney. On Creators Legal – you can get your contract done (most take less than 7 minutes) and you can get it for $19.00.

Yes, we are built for today’s modern content creator. Maybe someday traditional legal will catch up. We don’t think so, for now. Creators can rely on Creators Legal to protect themselves, collaborate and Create with Confidence!

Creators Legal is the first and only legal platform build just for Content Creators. Get simple, straightforward, and trustworthy creator contracts in a fast, easy-to-use platform. With a powerful guided Form Builder, a secure e-signature system, and your own personalized dashboard to store and organize all your contracts, you can get yourself protected in minutes without the need for expensive entertainment lawyers!

Want to learn more? Check out CreatorsLegal.com, where you can get single use contracts or monthly and annual subscriptions on all contracts for creators! Try us now!

Recent Posts

Do you want to leave?

You are about to leave the current page. Please note that your changes will not be saved if you are not logged in. If you would like to access the draft of your contract please login in or register before leaving this page.

creators cookie

We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic