I found a freelance journalist online who wants to help me with a documentary. There is no money yet, but it seems like it could turn out to be profitable.
I don't want to get started on it before we both are clear about who gets what and who owns what.
What kind of contract is appropriate for this?
All the work I've done before this time has been on a job as an employee or subcontractor but I'm on my own now and see that I really need to brush up on my business skills.

Michael

Hi Michael,

I'm sure you'll get several different responses on this and a lot of opinions, but it is ultimately worth the money to actually consult an attorney on this type of issue. I cannot address this specific type of contract and its contents from experience as I have not had to deal with anything lke that, but the attorney I hired to draw up my standard design contract was VERY thorough (he thought of a LOT that I hadn't) and was very reasonably priced (I paid $500 for it then a few years ago). While it may be a bit hard to choke down that cost at first if you are just getting started, I can assure you it can (and probably will) save you a lot of hassle and frustration down the road.

Chris,

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out some lawyers.

Michael