Anything Goes : Starting a production company by Charisse D. Hobson

Thank you Richard for your response. Over the years I have directed and produced documentaries, helped with features and currently work with an agency creating corporate videos to name a few. After years of working with others and gaining experience I am looking to branch out on my own and create my own creative content in many of those previous stated components. Now, that I'm looking to create my own I'm just trying to make the best decisions going forward in establishing it.

Grow a thick skin, but you probably already know that. Anyone in an artistic and creative field has to have one. :) Find a PowerPoint template of a business plan and use that to guide you through some of the questions you need to answer to yourself. It will also help you hone your purpose behind the why.

i think you should first get as many project attached to it as possible , a track record is more important than insurance and office dues for emerging movie production company . once you have that, then every thing will move by it self , people who need to invest in you are very many but they need to know that you can manage the funds and recoup is a sure deal .

O.o - Your track record without insurance will be zero. How do you attach a project to something that doesn't exist?

@ Racheal who makes up a company ,the owner or prepaid dues ? and if you want to own, will you be owning prepaid due reciept or products made by your company ? what makes you think you have a company , speaking about it or taking you product on market ? any way its my opinion , i don't not know how its done in the USA , but i thought emerging company is all about the quality and quantity of out put on market , but thing like legal conslutancy , insurance , can only be consindered once the company is established enough to do business with other company in that very industry , other wise i see no reason for paying insurance when i have no produce to protect .

Here, it works the other way around. You assemble a team with great track records to be part of your company. Then, you get your legal ducks in a row, licenses, insurance - all the things you need to have a legitimate business, rather than play acting at one. And no investor is EVER going to back a fake company with no paperwork, or no insurance in case of equipment or human damage on what's essentially a construction site.

@ Rachael , sure , it sounds a lit bit wired there , but any way if i was looking for a production company to merge with , then its clear i can not look in the USA , why because i can not stand a gamble in business , i need a "head" which is experienced in managng funds/human resources and making top decisions so fast . some one who can always take second option if first failures to run my business

That's why you recruit them. They don't come out of thin air.

@ Rachael i thought a company can only recruit when its self statained in business /industry , what is the meaning of offering jobs to people you don't even know if you can ever be able to pay them ? and even if i was a worker , how can i accept your offer , when i don't even know what you can produce , what if you don't pay me ? how can i handle that ? unless your telling me , its pattern ship deed i'm singing against , but that can not be employee and employer contract .

but any way the only thing , i can tell Charisse , is to find a brand or company name , if you can offord reasonable office from your saving have that and trading lienses period , if not, please put your office on your bed , and start working on your documetary as writer , director , producer , i pressume you have experience in documentary production as you mentioned above once you have it on market , then conslut a legal officer on how you can handle distribution , and all workers must be able to work on low cost , then thing like their insurance can not be neccessary at that level , when the doc makes profits , then you will be ligitement business owner in your community automatically , publicity can start working then , at that level there is no one who will be forcing you to pay insurance , why because you will need insurance policy at all cost , to protect your business from making unneccessary loses .

This is how start ups and collectives operate - accomplished, talented, or both, people agree to join forces in order to complete some sort of task - be it a film, computer program, or landscaping project. There's a lot of preproduction work that has to be done before presenting a concept to potential investors, and part of that is presenting oneself as a legitimate company. This is a partnership at the beginning, not a company. Two friends, or a group of people decide to do something. Cool. If that something involves real labor, or potential hazards, they should have protection in place. Which is when the original parties go from being people involved in an idea, to forming an actual company.

? That made less than zero sense.

Charise - if you're operating as an independent contractor, and only using yourself, the simplest form is a DBA. It offers very little liability protection, unlike an LLC - where your personal assets are separate from business ones. Depending upon your focus and subjects, you may not need anything at all.

I'm doing the same thing. I actually went to the Small Business Development Center in my area and they are really helpful and free! They are walking me through the process of starting my own business. I highly recommend it!

Definitely. It's really helpful to have an expert run down the various types of business licenses - and the pros and cons of each, to figure out which option is the best for you.

Thank you so much you guys for your help! Certainly have given me more than plenty to think about and to make sure I seek and ask the right questions along the way! I appreciate you all! Thank you!!!

Charisse, I simply want to say good for you that you have the motivation and the drive to start your own company. I wish you great success. I have a script that you might be interested in. Send me an email and I'll send you a PDF.

Charisse you are getting into a biz like no other.....all's you need is a biz card and a phone. Don't buy equipment ....sell idea's. Branch off into advertising and learn media buying... it will pay your bills. good luck

@ Mark you have a point surely .

you are more than welcome! Mark does have a good point though... and if you go that route, I would recommend that you file a Fictitious Business Name form so that you make sure you are retaining ownership of your company name (and that no one else tries to use it either)!

@ Nicole good point , now that she has a business name , cards and phone [contact] besides she looking for jobs , for me she already has a business to run which will then grow in a company future to come . i just wish you the best of luck Charisse