Galvis & Co. has represented performers and recording artists, as well as several well-known social media influencers with heavy digital followings in a variety of creative, lucrative, and brand-building deals, including podcast deals and brand partnership ventures.

Our goal is to bring brands and busy influencers together in fun, productive deals that keep influencers working while hiring brands get the benefit of increased, targeted exposure to their products or services as a result.  Let us help you by making sure you are complying with important federal laws and special influencer laws, so you and your brand, influencer, or company can maintain a productive, on-going relationship that benefits both parties.

We can also help you with:

• Influencer contracts
• Brand ambassador contracts
• Submission Agreements
• Personal Services Agreements
• Podcast Deals
• Exclusive Music Recording Agreements
• Publishing, Co-Publishing, and Administration Agreements
• Producer Agreement
• Songwriter Agreements
• Work for Hire Agreements
• Talent Management Agreements
• Sports Management Agreements
• Publicity Services Agreements
• Attachment Agreements
• Other Music & Film/TV-related agreements

FAQs about social media & entertainment contracts and other common DIY mistakes:

Q: “I am a social media influencer with a large following and I have been approached by a major brand to participate in an ad campaign. The brand has asked me to submit other samples of my content to them, but they asked me to sign a submission agreement before sending anything or they won’t even look at it. What is a submission agreement and do I have to sign it?”

A: If you want the job, likely yes. A submission agreement is a document most major brands and companies use to protect themselves when reaching out to social media influencers they are interested in partnering with. Because the brand or company wants to hire you based on your social media following and the quality and attractiveness of the content you have been posting, their marketing teams will likely want to see more of your work, or they may commission some content from you that shows them what you can do for their particular marketing project or to attract their target audience. Most often, these brands or companies do not want the responsibility of a) sending back any content you send them once they are done looking at it, and b) they do not want to be legally responsible for anyone using or copying the content you send them after they’ve seen it, regardless of whether they hire you. How do they protect themselves from getting sued by you if you see your content somewhere else and are able to link the “leak” back to them? They make you sign a submission agreement, in which you promise NOT to sue them if this happens. There is always a risk of leaks when content is being exchanged between parties, but if you are careful and make the investment of hiring an experienced attorney to read the submission agreement before you sign it, this agreement could be only the first step toward a long, lucrative relationship with a great company or brand. For more information on this issue or if you need help with a social media influencer agreement like this, feel free to send us a message with your questions using our Contact Us page.

Q: “I am a freelancer who regularly works with brands and social media influencers. I offer creative content services to other companies/clients. When I get hired for a project, should I just send my clients an invoice or do I need to send them a written contract?”

A: Remember this phrase: “if it’s not in writing, it never happened!”. We sadly often see cases with clients who have performed services like graphic design, videography or photography, audio services, and even live performances and entertainment services, and never got paid, while the person or company that hired them has stopped answering or returning the freelancer’s emails or text messages. Just because you are a freelancer or small business does NOT mean you do not have to protect yourself and your business with a written contract for the services you are providing. A written contract does not have to be long, but it can legally save you if a customer or client decides to hire you and then not pay you. An invoice is only a bill for services; it is NOT a contract. A contract generally requires signatures by BOTH parties BEFORE any work or services are performed or delivered. Having a written contract protects the freelancer or small business providing the goods or services AND protects your customer or client because the contract will spell out exactly what you are providing, what their legal obligation is (to give you what you need to do the work they need you to do and to PAY you), the price for your time and services, any deadlines, and what the consequences are if you or they do not do their part or honor their portion of the agreement. New York City also offers freelancers the “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act, which helps get freelancers and small businesses paid for services rendered, but you will not be able to benefit from this important legislation because it requires – you guessed it – a written contract for services! For more information on this issue or if you need help getting paid for the work you did for another social media company or influencer, feel free to send us a message with your questions using our Contact Us page.

Q: “I am a music producer and I have been asked to produce music for a marketing campaign for a new clothing line. They have a series of videos on Instagram, YouTube,and their website and want fresh, new music to use in their videos and ad campaigns. Do I need to send them a contract, and if so, is my work as a producer considered a “work for hire”?

A: We hear this question very often and we love the opportunity to counsel musicians and music producers who are being hired to make music for all kinds of companies, projects, and campaigns. We believe music to be an essential form of content, so we want to make sure our clients know exactly what their rights are, and what the rights those hiring them are, so that they can form lasting working relationships with the potential of short and long term revenue income. If you are a songwriter, artist, music producer, or musician, and you have been asked to compose original music for an ad campaign, music video, or commercial, this request would be referred to as a “commissioned work” (because someone is asking, or commissioning, you to create something for them). Commissioned works can be original music, or they can involve pieces or “samples” of other people’s music. In either case, a written contract is necessary to deal with some of these underlying issues, as well as to set important terms like payment, credit, who has or gets what rights to what music, etc. Generally, a commissioned work will fall under the “Work for Hire” category because you will be working for someone else in a quasi-employer/employee capacity. Anything you write or produce while working on the hiring company’s dime theoretically belongs to the hiring party, and they will expect you to sign a document that reflects this so they can protect their rights as such.

If you are a performing artist or songwriter and you have been offered a songwriting deal, production deal, recording contract, or publishing deal, these rules may change quite significantly in these situations. NONE of these scenarios should be entered into with ANYONE without a signed agreement, and those parties who are interested in offering you one of these opportunities will likely hand you a written contract before you begin working together. Once they do, we strongly recommend you DO NOT sign these kinds of agreements without the guidance of an experienced entertainment attorney. These contracts can be very long and complex, and the promises you are making in these kinds of agreements can affect your creative career for many years. Also, it is almost impossible to get out of these deals once you sign them, so you will want to make sure you are very sure of what each contract says and exactly it is that you and the other party to the contract are legally obligated to do – and what happens if either of you can’t or choose to no longer do what you promised to do. For more information on these issues, or if you need help with any entertainment-related agreements like these, feel free to send us a message with your questions using our Contact Us page.