ENTERTAINMENT & ARTS LAW ATTORNEY IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

We see and hear from celebrities every single day—on our phones, on our television screens, or in person. The constant spotlight surrounding individuals in the entertainment industry means that legal issues are bound to arise, from the infringement of intellectual property rights to a breach of a performance contract.

If you work in the entertainment industry, you know how important it is to continue cultivating your craft and moving forward. You also know how difficult it can be when an inevitable legal dispute comes knocking at your door, especially when all eyes are on you.

WHAT IS ENTERTAINMENT LAW?

It takes talent, hard work, and a bit of luck to make it in the entertainment industry. However, it also takes business savvy. Trusting the wrong information—or the wrong people—can be the difference between success and failure. Even the most dedicated individuals often feel at the mercy of venue managers, promoters, and impersonal corporations. That’s where we come in.

From independent film to reality television to Broadway theatrical productions, Andresen & Associates works with financiers, producers, talent, crew, and related persons and entities on a broad spectrum of business and legal needs unique to the entertainment industry. We offer a broad scope of services for performing artists and professionals in the entertainment industry, including:

• Cast and crew agreements

• Investment and equity agreements

• Entity structure and formation

• Union and guild membership

• Talent attachment

• Sponsorship and distribution agreements

• Intellectual property matters

Don’t rely solely on your own instinct and intuition to develop your brand and grow your business. At Andresen & Associates, we take entertainment and arts law seriously in order to help you make the right choices for your personal and financial future.

Any party to a contract or production involving entertainers or other public figures may need the skilled counsel of an entertainment attorney. Clients nationwide seek our services in these areas of entertainment law in particular:

PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS

As a business, having a performance contract in place ensures that performers are aware of their obligations, as well as your expectations. Alternatively, if you are a performer, when you receive your performance contract, it is important that your rights and obligations are clear. The importance of contractual relationships within the entertainment industry cannot be overstated, as a range of consequences can arise out of any breach of a legally binding contract.

We help you navigate every element of contracts involved in a performance. With your long-term interests in mind, our attorney drafts and reviews performance contracts, publicity agreements, and more. If venues breach performance contracts and refuse to pay entertainers for the shows they perform, we protect their right to payment. If entertainment equipment is damaged by a transportation company or a performance venue, we protect our client’s right to repaired or replaced equipment.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

In the entertainment world, it is the realm of an intellectual property attorney to apply copyright and trademark law to books, film, music, television, theatre, video games, and more. It is our job as entertainment lawyers to protect your unique brand and business identity from competitors by preventing any unauthorized use. The protection of intellectual property in the entertainment industry is a hot topic, but at Andresen & Associates, we help you cut through the noise, focusing solely on your goals and interests as an artist.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS

If you are an employee in the entertainment industry, it is important that your employment agreement specifies your rights and obligations to your employer. In addition, artists, individuals, and businesses must also understand the extent of their contractual obligations. Entertainment and arts attorneys can help you navigate disputes involving employment agreements, including compensation, benefits, and duration of employment.