Legal Question in Entertainment Law in Maryland

It depends. If you want to simply have a "stage name" for your entertainment career/jobs, but you want to keep your birth name for everything else (driver's license, social security, etc.), there's nothing legal you need or can do.

If you decide to join an organization like the SAG, you will use your "actor name" for your SAG membership. You will fill out the application for SAG, with your real name, unless it is already taken by another actor. If you decide to join AFTRA, you will use your SAG name, as you will be listed with SAG and AFTRA under your SAG name.

Additionally, if you want to really claim the name, you can start a business using your name and then file a "trade name registration" with the county in which you live/work. For instance, you could create a company using your real name, like Jane Smith, LLC, and simultaneously file a trade name registration as "Madonna." Your business would then be known as Madonna

to the general public, but Jane Smith, LLC to the IRS, etc.

If you would like assistance organizing a company in your name and/or filing a trade name registration in your stage name, I'm happy to assist. Please feel free to email me.

Best of luck.******The above is for informational purposes only and does not create an attorney-client privilege.********