Even Small Productions Have Big Risks

Many think that operating a small or short term production has little or no risk. The fact is, operating a small production has just about the same risks as any other operation.  Employees can still sue you, your production can become delayed, third parties can claim copyright issues, and more. 

Entertainment liability risk is very real for small firms and it is important to have an entertainment insurance program that addresses these issues.

To protect a small production firm from potential lawsuits, entertainment liability insurance is necessary. Policies vary greatly, and they cover different classifications of risks for varying costs.

Entertainment Liability Insurance

·         Bodily Injury - Bodily injury to a third party.

·         Property Damage - Damage to a third party’s property (equipment building etc.).

·         Cast Insurance - Reimburses the production company for any extra expense necessary to complete principal photography of an insured production due to death, injury or sickness of any insured performer or director

·         Personal Injury - Injury to the mind or emotions, as opposed to an injury to property.

·         Products & Completed Operations - Liability arising out of products you sell or business operations and services conducted, excluding professional services.

·         Premises - Covers liability arising out of injury to third parties while on your premises.

·         Professional Liability – Covers legal liability and defense for the production company against lawsuits alleging unauthorized use of title, format, ideas, characters, plots, plagiarism, unfair competition or piracy. Also protects for alleged libel, slander, defamation of character or invasion of privacy. This coverage will usually be required by a distributor prior to release of any theatrical or television production.

·         Umbrella - Provides excess liability over primary auto and commercial liability policies.

The staff at John Hart Insurance has over 60 years combined experience in the field of entertainment insurance.  We focus exclusively on understanding the unique needs of motion picture, television, video, music and theatrical companies.  This knowledge base allows us to structure an insurance program specifically for each client that will be a balance of the best coverage and most economical solutions to help them manage the risks inherent to their unique businesses.