Posts Tagged ‘business’

18 items.

TELECLASS Making Business Easy: Business Advice for Independent Designers

by Colleen Doran on May 14th, 2011
Posted In: Blog, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Education

Guild Teleclass
Making Business Easy: Business Advice for Independent Designers

with Marcia Hoeck of Breakthrough Business

Thursday, May 19, 2011
2PM EDT(1:00 PM CDT, 12 noon MST, 11:00 AM PDT)
Registration Fee: $15 Guild Members; $25 Non Members

Registration ends May 19 at noon EDT

Be one of the first 25 people to sign up and
get a free private coaching session with Marcia.

Creative people often start businesses because they have a passion for their work, and then dive immediately into serving clients. You probably started your own business this way. But then, a little way down the road, you realized you were running a business. Now you’re caught up in trying to bring in business and keep your books and chase down payments and coordinate with vendors. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if your business actually took your stress away, gave order to the chaos, and provided you with the support you need?

In this class you’ll learn how to reduce time managing your business; spend less time chasing clients; be more creative; reduce stress; increase productivity; gain control, focus, and momentum; increase your peace of mind; and increase profits.

Join us on Thursday, May 19, 2011 for
Making Business Easy: Business Advice for Independent Designers
presented by Marcia Hoeck of Breakthrough Business

For over 25 years, as owner of Hoeck Associates, Inc., a leading marketing communications firm in Toledo, Ohio Marcia Hoeck lived what she now teaches. Because of her “quirks” (only recently identified as ADHD tendencies), Marcia found the business aspects of her work daunting. She developed simple methods to cope and saw great improvement. Now Marcia helps make business easy for other creative business owners through coaching and consulting. She often speaks in person and on teleclasses and webinars on business-building topics. Find out more at www.marciahoeck.com.


To register click here.

Courtesy the Graphic Artist Guild

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Marvel Stays, DC Moves?

by Colleen Doran on September 21st, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Culture, Comics, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Publishing

Since Marvel was bought out by Disney, rumors of a move to LA have struck fear into the hearts of New York freelancers and staff. Fear not, Marvel just signed a nine year least at swank New York offices.

Over at The Beat, rumors of an important meeting today about a move to fold DC into the arms of Warner – and California editorial offices.

Considering California work for hire laws, inquiring minds want to know how this may affect the landscape for freelancers.

Under California law, a party transferring rights a work made for hire agreement is an employee for purposes of workers compensation and unemployment insurance and thus there are a wide variety of issues related to those said matters including but not limited to the need on the part of the engaging party to have workers compensation insurance covering that party. Failure to have such workers compensation insurance is a crime under California law as well as exposing the engaging party to unlimited liability and substantial fines and penalties. And this is irrespective of whether or not there is any injury.

With the huge pool of talent in LA, DC may opt to have more work done in house by artists who would not be in a position to claim future copyright reversions or royalties. In the long run, that may be cheaper than hiring freelancers.

Just speculating. I have absolutely no inside information on this.

Discuss.

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Bloggers Bonked by Big City Tax UPDATED

by Colleen Doran on August 22nd, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Legal, Creator Resources, Money Management, Creator Resources, Publishing, Creator Resources, TAXES

Cities strapped for revenue are turning to bloggers for tax dough. Philadelphia bloggers, regardless of net income, are required to fork over $300 for a business license.

After dutifully reporting even the smallest profits on their tax filings this year, a number — though no one knows exactly what that number is — of Philadelphia bloggers were dispatched letters informing them that they owe $300 for a privilege license, plus taxes on any profits they made.

Even if, as with Sean Barry, that profit is $11 over two years.

This kind of punitive small business tax can sneak up on freelancers no matter where they live. I moved from a small town years ago when they set up a 3% tax for the self employed: a few miles away in another town, my fee was $50 a year.

Freelancers, keep a watch on zoning, and business license fees wherever you live. Expect municipalities to push for more loony laws, and to hit offenders with outrageous punitive fees. I’m betting many webcomickers aren’t keeping a watch on this sort of thing.

When I lived in a city condo, my neighbors spied on me to see if I used the condo dumpster to take out business-related trash. One neighbor confronted me:

“What are you doing at that computer all day?”

“What are you doing looking in my window?”

Neighbors have been known to report self employed persons for running businesses from their homes. Cross your t’s, dot your i’s.

This blogger tax has scary free speech implications. I wonder if it could be challenged on that basis. As I recall, where I used to live, writers were exempt from business license tax due to free speech concerns.

Because I am an idiot, I forgot the links.

Philadelphia City Paper
Philebrity

EDIT: There is conflicting info in some of these posts. A couple of the taxed blogs seem to have NO ads.

And double EDIT: The city might want to think twice before declaring all these hobbyists new businesses. Because the hosting fees, internet connections etc suddenly become TAX DEDUCTIONS.

And triple EDIT: Yes, I know I use the terms tax and license interchangeably, mostly because I know a license is just another form of tax.

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The Truth is Out There

by Colleen Doran on August 12th, 2010
Posted In: Creator Resources, Agents/managers, Creator Resources, Art How-To, Blog, Creator Resources, copyright/trademark, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Education, Creator Resources, Legal, Creator Resources, Money Management, Creator Resources, Publishing, Creator Resources, TAXES, Creator Resources, Time Management

…or you could just keep reading my blog.

Just kidding.

Tad Crawford’s books are full of legal info with handy forms.

If I would just stop putting this stuff on a blog for free, I might be a richer woman. Working for tips kind of sucks. But every time I stop one of you from running over a precipice (I’m looking at you, iUniverse,) I can’t help but feel like my time on this blog has been worthwhile.

I hug you all.

c

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Theft, Fraud, and Forgery: Cultural Property Crime in the U.S. and the FBI Art Theft Program

by Colleen Doran on June 3rd, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Education, Creator Resources, Legal

When: Thursday, July 22nd, 2010, 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Where: Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, New York 10019

Description:
Art crime is a multi-billion dollar endeavor that affects collectors, dealers, galleries, museums and artists world-wide. The FBI has investigated these crimes for many years, and five years ago established the Art Crime Team to develop a cadre of Special Agents trained specifically in art crime investigations. Although spectacular thefts from major museums capture the headlines, most art thefts in the U.S. are residential burglaries and art fraud is even more rampant. This talk will cover federal jurisdiction, elements of the U.S. criminal statutes, international treaties and conventions, as well as case studies of recent investigations. Basic strategies for protection of collections will also be covered.

Lecturer:
Bonnie Magness-Gardiner
Bonnie Magness-Gardiner is Manager of the Art Theft Program at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Art Theft Program was established after the looting of the Baghdad Museum in 2004. Dr. Magness-Gardiner coordinates the work of 13 special agents assigned to various geographic regions, and manages the National Stolen Art File. She received her Ph.D. in Near Eastern Archaeology from the University of Arizona. After teaching archaeology for five years, she entered government service as program manager for the Archaeology Program at the National Endowment for the Humanities then became a program manager for the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress. For eight years she was the Senior Cultural Property Analyst for the Department of State, implementing the 1970 UNESCO Convention against illicit traffic in cultural property. She also served as the program manager for cultural heritage restoration projects in Iraq. She has been with the FBI since 2005.

Registration Fees:

VLA Member Attorney or Arts Professional: $200
Non-Member Attorney or Arts Professional: $250

Attendees must register before July 20th and be on the security list to attend. Seating is limited to 30 people. (There is an additional $25 fee if you register after July 15th.)

*3.0 CLE credits, 1 Professional Practice, 1 Skills and 1 Ethics (Approved for Non-Transitional and Transitional Attorneys)

To register and for more information, please see this registration form, or register via phone at 212.319.2787 x1. For more information please contact VLA’s Kathleen Mallaney at 212.319.2787 x12, or via e-mail at kmallaney@vlany.org.

This event is organized and sponsored by Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

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