Legal Question in Entertainment Law in Massachusetts
Submitting Screenplay
Hello,
My situation:
I have recently completed a screenplay and sent out queries to various production cos. I�ve received interest, however they require an 'Entertainment Rep' to submit for liability purposes.
My question:
How much can I expect to pay an attorney for the services? And furthermore, how would I verify an attorney�s credentials?
Thanks.
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Submitting Screenplay
You are looking for more of an agent than an attorney. While I do entertainment law, I do not act as an agent. The Submission has to come from someone who the studio or production company will accept.
If you have interest from a producer, studio or someone like that and they have asked that you have an attorney submit it to them, any attorney familiar with the process can do it. However, if you require someone to shepard your project you need an attorney who will act like a representative.
There are some that do that. I know of no Massachusetts firm that is a real "hollywood" entertainment law firm.
If you have more questions, please feel free to contact me.
Re: Submitting Screenplay
You should consult the Writer's Guild for excellent resources, including how to find and select an entertainment agent. The standard rate, I believe, is 18%. Here's a useful link to relevant info or you. Feel free to contact me for additional help with this.
http://www.wgaeast.org/index.php/articles/article/c144/