For those brave enough to seek a career as an artist, getting engagements, publicity, and building a life-long career can prove daunting – and a distraction from the real work of creation.
It is even more so when you and the market are several borders, or even oceans apart. This becomes the province of talent agencies – professionals with the skill and training to navigate the troubled waters of the creative field and connecting your talent with employment opportunities.
But choosing an agent, and the terms of their engagement can be difficult. Understanding what constitutes a fair arrangement, what actions and arrangements should be mandated, and how to measure success or failure can overwhelm the canniest creative. This is where we come in.
Engaging in an agencycontract is an involved process, not to be entered into lightly. Our attorneys are skilled at every stage of this process – from early negotiation, to drafting, to final execution – and can help you through the process.
Negotiation: Getting from an offer of representation to a binding services contract can prove tricky. While most offers are framed as “take it or leave it”, in truth you often have many more options than the other party would have you believe. If you aren’t satisfied with the terms of an offer, or just need to work out the fine-print, we can help negotiate the terms for you. This involves drawing up a list of enforceable terms, and rigorously negotiating with opposing counsel to get you the best deal you can get.
Drafting: Once you have an agreement with an agent, the deal still must be solemnized into a binding contract. Otherwise, while you may think the deal settled, it will be difficult to hold the other party to the agreed upon terms. However, getting from an agreement or offer to a binding contract can be tricky. We can help – by drafting a contract that expresses the totality of your agreement, in a form narrowly tailored to protect your interests and within the bounds of the law of the land.
Execution: Once an agency contract is negotiated and drafted, it still must be executed to become binding. While execution is usually a simple process, making deals across borders can make this process a cumbersome ordeal. Our staff works to facilitate the execution of contracts across borders, to ensure that the requisite formalities for all appropriate jurisdictions are met to solemnize your agreement and make it enforceable.
Review:We can also act on agency contracts you’ve signed with a thorough review process. We will suss out the pertinent details of your contract – translating “legalese” into clear and concise terms for you. We can also put these terms into the broader legal context – explaining just what rights are supplemented or waived away by the agreement, and how much of the contract can be enforced on either party.
Trying to go through the process of entering into an agency contract alone can prove difficult without experienced legal advice. But we are here to help.
Our offices can help with the process of drafting and entering the right agency contract for you – whether in the form of contract drafting, negotiation, or review. We also provide comprehensive consultation services – both for specific offers and overall talent advice.
At the Law Offices of Akash Kashyap, Esq., we use only the best media law lawyers available, trained and licensed in the US and India. We provide these legal services both through our Indian offices in New Delhi and Gurgaon, as well as online to key industry regions, like Mumbai.