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Want distribution? Got E&O?
FEATURE STORY:
WANTING DISTRIBUTION? GOT E&O?
By Rachel Galvin
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You may have never heard of this "E&O," but it could stop you from selling your film.
What is it? Errors & Omissions Insurance aka Personal Liability Insurance. Without it, most distributors won't look at you.
Why? Because they are afraid of lawsuits. This insurance protects you and, ultimately, the distributor from lawsuits stemming from anything and anything you may not have predicted. Is Coca Cola flashed for ten seconds on the screen? Oops. There is a lawsuit possibility. Is there music in the background? Oops. Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society so needing to protect yourself is sometimes needed.
The Tricky Part: Now the tricky thing is that E&O insurance costs money, and not only that, but in order to get it, they may need to see your insurance paperwork... you know, the insurance you were "supposed" to take out in order to film in the first place? Yeah, that insurance. Tricky, yes. Impossible, no. Check around. Do your homework. Call insurance agencies and ask about E&O. Do they offer it? How much is it? What do they require? Once you buy it, how quickly does it become effective? Does it cover the person purchasing the rights to the film down the road? Etc.
Please report back to I.S. and tell us your findings.
This is one part of a series of articles I will be doing on distribution so stay tuned! Look under FORUM at the Distribution Guide which lists a ton of distributors! Need Marketing? Also look under FORUM for Marketing Tips.
WANTING DISTRIBUTION? GOT E&O?
By Rachel Galvin
-----------------------------------------------------------
You may have never heard of this "E&O," but it could stop you from selling your film.
What is it? Errors & Omissions Insurance aka Personal Liability Insurance. Without it, most distributors won't look at you.
Why? Because they are afraid of lawsuits. This insurance protects you and, ultimately, the distributor from lawsuits stemming from anything and anything you may not have predicted. Is Coca Cola flashed for ten seconds on the screen? Oops. There is a lawsuit possibility. Is there music in the background? Oops. Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society so needing to protect yourself is sometimes needed.
The Tricky Part: Now the tricky thing is that E&O insurance costs money, and not only that, but in order to get it, they may need to see your insurance paperwork... you know, the insurance you were "supposed" to take out in order to film in the first place? Yeah, that insurance. Tricky, yes. Impossible, no. Check around. Do your homework. Call insurance agencies and ask about E&O. Do they offer it? How much is it? What do they require? Once you buy it, how quickly does it become effective? Does it cover the person purchasing the rights to the film down the road? Etc.
Please report back to I.S. and tell us your findings.
This is one part of a series of articles I will be doing on distribution so stay tuned! Look under FORUM at the Distribution Guide which lists a ton of distributors! Need Marketing? Also look under FORUM for Marketing Tips.
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