Licensed and Insured
 

I used to have the words Licensed and Insured on my website, I took it off because it kinda took away from the artistry of my site, but I'm wondering now if prospective clients would appreciate knowing prior to contacting me, I suppose I could put it in the "About Us" page.

Licensed for what? Never knew you needed a license for anything related to filmmaking unless you were a teamster driving one of the trucks. Personally I wouldn't mention it because I don't see it's relevant.

I suppose some locales may require a general business license. No client has ever asked me if I'm insured (of course, I am.)

If you are going to have it on your site, I'd certainly bury it somewhere like the "about us" page.

Well, our locality requires us to have a license, tax purposes and all.

And I remember the 'insured' question being on that list of questions theknot lists for brides to ask companies. Just thinking out loud, thanks for the input guys.

General business license then? Then certainly in that case, since it conveys no impression about your professional abilities, I wouldn't bother mentioning it. It would just be assumed by any potential clients that you've covered your bases with the tax people anyway, if they even think of it at all. I'd only mention that sort of thing if it was a license that required some test of competancy, like a plumbing contractor for example, or if the nature of your business was such that being bonded might be a signifigant factor, like if you specialized in legal depositions or in making security-training videos for banks.

Steve is spot on. There's no need to list the license save for an organization requiring to see its validity (say, a city or federal organization), and that needn't happen on your site. As for the insurance, it's a selling point. Place it in your "when we work for you, here's what happens" type page. I have a full production insurance package that allows for riders where necessary, and my clients are reassured that--God forbid--if one of my tungsten burst and sends shards of glass that burn a room down, they're covered. At least, for the first 2 million. Same with E&O insurance.

The OP didn't mention his business, but if he's using his website to attract clients then it absolutely makes sense to mention "licensed & insured". Not because it's relevant, but because it gives him an air of legitimacy, a definite advantage in a field flooded by amateurs and fly-by-night operations. People shopping for his services will have no doubt heard horror stories about unreliable or shady operations - this little tag might assuage their fears.

Marketing 101.


J.

I'll acknowledge that. At the expense of a few bytes, no less. I'd say as long as it's not dominating your copy, what does it hurt? I don't have it listed, and clients are put off by that. It's all where you're at and who you're filming for, I suppose.

Good idea. Because shady operators would never lie about their legal and/or insurance status. :)

I'm quite the opposite of the type of the people you're talking about. When I see a website making superfluous claims, I get suspicious.

Just a general contribution to the discussion, but I've carried commercial insurance for more than 15 years. In that time I'd used it exactly twice - once when shooting in an empty university stadium and once when videotaping in a large commercial factory.

There was about a nine year period when I paid the premiums but NEVER had the need to pull a certificate of Insurance for a client.

Then for reasons known only to the cosmos, in the past 3 months, I've had to pull FOUR separate "proof of insurance" certificates in order to be allowed to participate in jobs where clients wished to make use of my services.

The longer you're in practice, the better you do, and the larger jobs and clients you do work for, the more likely it is that someone will ask you for formal proof of adequate insurance.

It was nice to know that when the question came up, all I needed to do was make a phone call to my agent and that question got instantly taken off the playing field.

FWIW.

That's like refusing to see a doctor who displays diplomas on his wall...

Superfluous to the guy with a $2,000 camera, or to the location owner with 200 guests and a $500,000 property?


J.

I'm planning a shoot in the fall. The unions and owner of the location won't let me work without $1 million liability insurance.

The pros and people who work with them get suspicious when you DON'T show proof of insurance.


J.

Good point. I think I'll photoshop me one of those doctor diplomas and quadruple my income.