How should I structure a collaboration for my game, show, or film concept?

Start by setting your frame of mind and assume success. Write down the deal including expectations and compensations, consider seeking professional help for drafting the agreement, and be specific about the work involved, including tasks and deliverables.

What is the first rule for a successful collaboration?

The first rule is to write down your deal. Having something in writing is crucial as it forces both parties to discuss expectations and understand each other’s perspectives. It also serves as a reference in case of any discrepancies in the future.

Should I consider hiring a professional for drafting the agreement?

Yes, it’s a good idea to seriously consider paying someone to help you with the agreement. A professional can help record not only the things you’ve discussed and agreed upon but also bring to light important aspects that you might not have considered.

How can I ensure the collaboration delivers what's expected?

Be specific about the work. Clearly define tasks and deliverables, and make compensation dependent on delivering those expectations. As a creator, you are essentially buying the partner’s help and vice versa. Make sure there is a mechanism for accountability if the partner doesn’t follow through.

What should I focus on when defining the work in the collaboration?

Focus on being clear and specific about what you expect from each other. Define the scope of work, including tasks and deliverables, and make sure that compensation is dependent on delivering on those expectations. If any upfront payment is made, ensure there is a mechanism for getting it back if the partner doesn’t follow through.

Business Relationship Structure – Options and Development

You’ve got a fantastic concept for a game, a show, a film – and you want to work with your friends or another game development or production company to get it made. Or, the shoe’s on the other foot and you’re the friend or other game development or production company approached by the creator.

How Do You Forge the Perfect Partnership for Your Project?

This has been front of mind for me for a couple of reasons: some recent work that I’ve done sorting out the consequences of a relationship that wasn’t particularly well structured early on; and an excellent blog article by Bob Tarantino on “Optioning Film or TV Rights in a Book”.

Why Is Seeking Help Crucial to Transform Your Concept into Reality?

From the creator’s perspective, you need help if the concept is going to ever be more than an idea. Depending on how much you’ve already done, you might need writers, artists, developers, music, licensees, financing, production, distribution, and a hundred other components, to get you from where you are now to the release of your product and the fame and fortune you so rightly deserve – but you have little or no money to pay for it.

What Are the Essential Components Needed to Launch Your Project?

From a friend’s perspective, or the perspective of another game dev or production company (we’ll call them all the partner) you want a piece of the action – an opportunity to participate in a great concept, and you’re willing to take some financial risk (cash and/or sweat equity) to get it.

Why Should You Assume Success from the Start?

If you are going to assume that the concept will never amount to anything then why bother with it at all? Move on to something that you believe in.

What’s the Importance of Documenting Your Agreement in Writing?

Assuming that you will be successful leads to three rule. First rule – write down your deal. In almost every case, something in writing is better than nothing in writing, and in those cases where the written deal doesn’t match your intentions and leads to a worse result, it’s just as likely to be bad for you as for the other side. At the very least, writing down your deal forces you to talk about your expectations and to listen to and understand the other side’s.

Why Should You Consider Hiring a Professional to Craft Your Agreement?

Yes, I appreciate that this is completely self-serving. Still, you might be perfectly capable of recording the things you’ve discussed and agree upon, it’s all the other things – the important things you didn’t even think about – that can make this a great investment. No one cares about the lack of a good agreement if the concept goes nowhere, which might be irritating if you’ve “wasted” cash on having one written, but it won’t be nearly as irritating as spending tens of thousands of dollars (or tens of millions – think Winklevoss twins) fighting about and settling a dispute when the concept becomes a media product and that media product is a huge success.

How Can Being Specific About Roles and Responsibilities Save You Headaches Later?

This is particularly important if you are the creator. I’ve seen a lot of deals in which partners are given a third or half of a concept, or a company holding the concept, for “help developing” or “help producing”. Then, the partner doesn’t deliver. It’s easy to define compensation (a percentage or a $ value) but, as anyone who has ever tried to define the scope of work in a service agreement will know, it’s a lot tougher to define the tasks and deliverables. Take the time to do it right. Be clear about what you expect of each other and make the % or the $ compensation dependent on delivering on those expectations. If you have to give/pay something up front, make sure there is a mechanism for getting it back if the partner doesn’t follow through. In a very real sense, as a creator you are buying the partner’s help. As a partner, you are buying the creator’s continue involvement. The fact that the payment is contingent on success doesn’t change the fact that it must be earned – which you can only know if you took the trouble to define the work and to write it down.

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Edwards Creative Law is Canada’s Entertainment Law Boutique™, providing legal services to Canadians, and international clients who partner with Canadians, in the Film & Television, Music, Video Games and Apps, Publishing and Literary industries.

For more information or to set up a minute Discovery Call with one of our entertainment lawyers please feel free to Contact Us.

* This blog is for general informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. Please contact Edwards Creative Law or another lawyer, if you wish to apply these concepts to your specific circumstances.

Business Relationship Structure – Options and Development

Do You Have a Concept for a Game, Show, or Film?

How Do You Forge the Perfect Partnership for Your Project?

Why Is Seeking Help Crucial to Transform Your Concept into Reality?

What Are the Essential Components Needed to Launch Your Project?

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Why Should You Assume Success from the Start?

What’s the Importance of Documenting Your Agreement in Writing?

Why Should You Consider Hiring a Professional to Craft Your Agreement?

How Can Being Specific About Roles and Responsibilities Save You Headaches Later?

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