Event Summary

WALA Creative Entrepreneurs Series @ Compass Atelier 2

(Legal Issues for Creative Entrepreneurs)

A series for creatives of all kinds who want to take the next step in their professional career by creating their own business. Explore the basics of forming a business for your creative endeavors, from deciding whether to incorporate as a non-profit or for-profit entity, to understanding copyrights and trademarks, to contract and negotiation skills, and finally to taxes and leases.

The series comprises six sessions to be held on consecutive Tuesdays, starting Tuesday March 6, 2018 and continuing through Tuesday, April 10, 2018 from 7pm - 9pm at Compass Atelier 2 in Rockville, MD.

Register for individual sessions by selecting from one of the dates below.

The series is free for WALA members, and $20 per workshop for non-members.

The complete series includes:

• Session #1: Tuesday, March 6, 2018 ~ Business Formation

Presentation and Q & A with:
Hardeep Grover

This Session Covers:

• Overview of Business Entities
• Types and Organization
• Management and Control
• Liability Protection
• Tax-Related Issues
• Business Agreements
• Shareholder and Membership Agreements
• Employment and Independent Contractor Agreements
• Non-Disclosure Agreements
• Non-Profit Entities
• Types
• IRS Form 1023 for Tax-Exempt Status
• Common Mistakes for Entrepreneurs

Hardeep Grover is an attorney with Tresquire, a solo practice where he focuses on helping start-ups and small businesses navigate legal hurdles. Hardeep began his practice immersed in the start-up culture of San Francisco, and developed his expertise as counsel to restaurants, theater, and film production companies in New York. Having returned to his hometown of Washington, DC, Hardeep now works with creative entrepreneurs in the technology, entertainment, and food & beverage industries. Barred in CA, NY and DC, he works with clients in all three jurisdictions, striving to help people bring their visions to fruition. In addition to his role on the education committee of the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, Hardeep is also President-Elect of the South Asian Bar Association of Washington, DC. Hardeep received his BA in Economics from George Mason University, and his JD from The George Washington University Law School. In his spare time he enjoys playing with wild yeast fermentation, and he dreams of one day owning a Rotovap and a cheese cave.

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• Session #2: Tuesday, March 13, 2018 ~ Copyright/Trademark Protection & Use

Presentation and Q & A with:
John D. Mason

This session covers:

• Copyright Registration
• Fair Use
• Works Made For Hire
• Trademark
• Rights Management
• Creative Commons
• Licensing
• Protecting your creations

John D. Mason of Copyright Counselors, LLC is an art, entertainment and intellectual property attorney, and literary agent. He is based in the Washington DC/Maryland area. His practice focuses on copyright and trademark transactional matters, litigation, publishing and media issues, contracts, and commercial matters. He works with writers, artists, filmmakers and people and companies in creative industries to protect, promote and exploit their work. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Mason is adjunct faculty teaching Entertainment Law at UDC Law School, past adjunct teaching Art and the Law at George Mason University, Board President of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, and past Advisory Board member of the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington. His email is jmason@copyrightcounselors.com and his firm website is www.copyrightcounselors.com.

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• Session #3: Tuesday, March 20, 2018 ~ Contracts/Licensing

CANCELED DUE TO INCLIMATE WEATHER

RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 24, 2018

Presentation and Q & A with:

Karl W. Means, Counsel, Miles & Stockbridge

This session covers:

When is a deal a deal?

- Offer
- Acceptance
- Consideration

What can you license?

- Ownership
- Contract considerations
- Royalties

What Happens If Someone Fails?

- Remedies
- Deadlines
- Indemnification
- Governing Law
- Limitations on Remedies

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• Session #4: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 ~ Tax Strategies

Presentation and Q & A with:
Benjamin Grosz and Benjamin Takis

“Pursuing your art as a business can be daunting, and one of the biggest challenges is understanding the tax laws. Between the many types of federal and state taxes that apply to your business, it is easy to make a mistake that can set back your business for years.”

“Benjamin Takis and Benjamin Grosz, both having active experience in the arts in addition to practicing as tax attorneys, will provide an overview of the federal income tax, a guide to the different business structures you should consider, as well as more advanced federal tax issues relevant to artists in the Washington, DC area.”

Benjamin Takis is the founding attorney of Tax-Exempt Solutions PLLC, a law firm specializing in tax, corporate governance, employment issues and business transactions for non-profit organizations and social entrepreneurs.” Since beginning his practice in 2006, Ben has devoted his career to representing non-profit organizations and tax-exempt entities. Ben honed his skills as an associate at the premier Washington D.C. labor firm Bredhoff & Kaiser and the leading employee benefits boutique Groom Law Group. At Bredhoff and Groom, Ben represented some of the largest pension funds, health care trusts, and labor organizations in the country, along with public charities, lobbying groups, trade associations, and other non-profit organizations of all types and sizes.

Benjamin Grosz is an associate with Ivins, Phillips & Barker, where he advises clients on a broad range of federal income, estate and gift tax planning matters, as well as employee benefits issues. Before law school, Ben started his own financial planning business. Prior to that he was a business manager at Capital One Financial Corporation, where he developed strategy and analysis for its credit card and banking businesses. His experiences in starting his own financial planning business and developing business strategy for Capital One help him understand the needs of clients ranging from entrepreneurs to large corporations. Although lacking the talent to be a professional artist, Ben spent years singing with various choirs and has had the privilege to sing at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap, and the good fortune to participate in a singing “tour de France” with one of his college choirs.

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* Session #5: Tuesday, April 3, 2018 ~ Negotiation Strategies

Presentation and Q & A with:
TBA

“In business and in our personal lives, we are constantly needing to negotiate and collaborate with other people - people whose interests differ from our own. Success in our lives therefore can hinge on how well we engage in these necessary interactions with others. This program offers attendees tips and tools for being a successful negotiator and collaborator.” – Sandra Sellers

Learn:

• Fundamentals of interest-based negotiations and avoiding the zero-sum game,

• The power of language in negotiations

• What mediation is…and is not

• When to consider facilitated negotiations,

• How to facilitate meetings and avoid breakdown and deadlock, and

• How to plan, prepare for, and participate in negotiations.

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• Session #6: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 ~ Grants

Presentation and Q & A with:
TBA

This Session Covers

• The basics of understanding grants
• How to make the most of your grant
• How to properly manage your grant
• How to adjust to business changes and shifts that impact your lease and/or grant

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• Session #3 (rescheduled from March 20) Tuesday, April 24, 2018 ~ Contracts/Licensing

Karl W. Means, Counsel, Miles & Stockbridge

This session covers:

When is a deal a deal?

- Offer
- Acceptance
- Consideration

What can you license?

- Ownership
- Contract considerations
- Royalties

What Happens If Someone Fails?

- Remedies
- Deadlines
- Indemnification
- Governing Law
- Limitations on Remedies

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Event Details

• Date

  March 6, 2018

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• Time

  7:00pm - 9:00pm

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• Venue

  The Compass Atelier 2
  12276 Wilkins Avenue
  Rockville, MD 20852