For an independent filmmaker, qualifying for a tax credit is only part of the financial picture. The next question is often more practical: How can the production turn that credit into usable funds? New Jersey now has a purchase mechanism that pays 95% of the value of certain eligible... read more
Choosing a home for your production company can feel unimportant when New Jersey and New York are separated by a mere river. A filmmaker may shoot in both states, hire talent throughout the region, and work with vendors on either side. Legally, however, the entity still needs a place... read more
Building substantial wealth can create exposure. Business ownership, investment properties, professional activities, personal guarantees, and family circumstances may each present different risks. Protecting what you have accumulated requires more than moving money into a particular account or creating an entity. Effective asset protection for NJ high net worth individuals... read more
A film production can bring dozens of people together for a project that lasts only days or weeks. With such a temporary schedule, paying crew members as independent contractors may seem practical. New Jersey law, however, does not base worker status simply on how long someone remains on set.... read more
A producer negotiates hard with an agent, lands a good deal, and sends it to counsel to paper. Half of it cannot go in the contract, because the union agreement the picture is shooting under does not allow it. It happens after the handshake, when taking a term back... read more
A producer posts a role early, when the budget is still a hope. Six weeks later the financing settles lower, the production picks its union agreement, and the number that works is well below the number on the posting. Then an agent writes: the breakdown says $600. Is a... read more
By Jay V. Surgent, Esq. The revenue agent who spent eight months asking for receipts stops calling. No closing letter arrives. Then two special agents from IRS Criminal Investigation appear at your door, show badges, and say they are looking into possible criminal violations of the tax laws. Why... read more
By Jay V. Surgent, Esq. Two agents knock at seven in the morning. They show credentials, name their agency, and ask whether they can come in for a few questions. Or they hand you a search warrant and walk past you into the house. Agents come early on purpose.... read more
A director finishes a picture and wants to thank someone. An actor who did not get the part but stayed generous about it. A friend whose story gave her the idea. A teacher. She writes a line for the crawl: Special Thanks to Dana, whose story inspired this film.... read more
A production designer calls the town, gets the film permit packet, fills it out, and signs it. She writes her own name on the line that says authorized representative, because she is the one doing the work and somebody had to sign. The town issues the permit. The picture... read more
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