Transactional Drafting Tips for Pandemic-Era Entertainment Agreements

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniable effect on the entertainment industry as a whole. As counsel to production companies, writers, producers, directors, and actors, entertainment attorneys have had to expand their traditional approach to transactional issues to address pandemic-specific issues and cater to a new way of working in the the film, television, and digital industries. This program is designed to help attorneys incorporate pandemic era best practices into their development, production, and talent agreements to address the ever-evolving landscape in which clients must now work and create.

This program will benefit attorneys working with a broad spectrum of entertainment professionals. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Effectively utilize force majeure clauses in entertainment agreements
2. Discuss the structure of option-purchase agreements
3. Analyze the implications of an extension of an option period due to the pandemic, and best practices for drafting option extension language
4. Discuss the traditional purpose of theatrical commitments in distribution agreements, and the forced reassessment of such commitments 
5. Decide whether to include theatrical commitment language moving forward
6. Explore new forms of "live" stage productions that have developed since the emergence of the pandemic, and best practices for drafting clauses in writer and option-purchase agreements to address novel performance platforms
7. Discuss the COVID-19 Production Safety Agreement