Hello friends,
I'm in the process of acquiring insurance policies for my video business. I've had several quotes, but I have some questions for the group.

I'm looking for general liability insurance and coverage for my equipment.

One provider is telling me that I need "Professional Liability" insurance. They say that if I do any videos that are used for marketing, I could be liable if there are any false statements in the materials. I had not heard this from any of the previous companies that I got quotes from.

Does anyone else have this? Does this sound legit to you or are they just trying to make a buck off of me? Thoughts? If anyone has had a good experience with their business insurance provider, please don't hesitate to send me a recommendation.

Thanks!

Josh

The usual thing is to print a disclaimer on the DVD label and sleeve, saying something like .. the producers of this program take no responsability whatsoever, for any claims, assertions or results, made by the manufactureres of the products advertised, recommended, demonstrated and shown in the DVD.

Or print anything that will get out of the clutches of that provider, don't answer any calls and watch for cars parked outside late at night.

Cheers.

One provider is telling me that I need "Professional Liability" insurance.

First of all, this provider is in the business of selling insurance, so of course they want to sell you more.

He's talking about "Errors and Omissions" or "E&O" insurance. He's correct that it will protect you from damage if your work causes financial harm to another. It's a must for insurance agents, real estate agents, brokers, architects, attorneys, etc. In my opinion, it's not necessary for video producers. It's also stupid expensive.

In general, E&O insurance usually doesn't come into play until you start producing stuff at the network level, and then they usually require it.

Some large businesses will require that you have a substantial ($1-$2 million) general liability policy, in case you knock a lightstand over onto the nuclear core control panel, or something...and for your gear, an inland marine policy is usually the way to go to insure camera gear.

I have gotten the liability coverage thru The Hartford for about $350/year before, and have a current inland marine policy for $65K worth of gear, plus a $25K rental policy for around $900/year.

Thanks for the tip, Bill. That's a lot like what I'm looking for.

I called the Hartford (liked the look of their Property/Liability Bundle) and spoke with them for awhile.

It was going well until she noticed the "Live Events" on my website. She says live events don't constitute a "controlled environment" so they may not be able to insure me.

What? They'll insure construction companies and railroad contractors but not a video production business?

This is getting really annoying.

check RVNuccio. They insure video, photogs, DJs, even the event itself. It's all online but the policies are explained pretty well. Decent pricing and liability is $2MM.
I've been using them for about 5 or 6 years and while I can't say anything about how they are AFTER a claim since I filed any, I've been happy with them.

www.rvnuccio.com

Thanks for the tip, Bill. That's a lot like what I'm looking for.

I called the Hartford (liked the look of their Property/Liability Bundle) and spoke with them for awhile.

It was going well until she noticed the "Live Events" on my website. She says live events don't constitute a "controlled environment" so they may not be able to insure me.

What? They'll insure construction companies and railroad contractors but not a video production business?

This is getting really annoying.

Make sure they understand you are shooting while attending live events, that you're not organizing, sponsoring, or hosting live events.

Finally found someone who understands what I do. TechInsurance had no issues and gave be a quote in less than 24 hours. Cheaper than most of the others too. The policy is through the Hartford, which is kind of funny considering the trouble I had there earlier.

Anyhow, two thumbs up to TechInsurance.

Thanks for your help, everyone!