In this episode, I had the incredible opportunity to interview Gabe Levine from Matchstick Legal, a top-notch attorney specializing in representing creative businesses. Gabe brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table, making this a must-listen episode for anyone in the creative industry.

We dive deep into some of the hottest topics facing agencies today. Ever worried about protecting your creative work from copycats? Gabe shares essential strategies and legal insights to safeguard your intellectual property. We also tackle the crucial task of reviewing and updating contracts to ensure they’re airtight and up-to-date with the latest legal standards.

Gabe unpacks the complexities of GDPR and privacy regulations, breaking down what they mean for your agency and how to stay compliant. He also emphasizes the importance of perspective and leverage in negotiations, providing practical tips to help you navigate these often challenging discussions.

Whether you're an agency owner, creative professional, or just interested in the legal side of the creative world, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable advice. Don't miss out on this engaging conversation with one of the leading legal minds in the industry!

Key Takeaways

• Having a relationship with an attorney as an agency owner is important for protecting creative work and navigating legal issues.

• Registering trademarks and copyrights can help protect creative work from copycats.

• Contracts should be reviewed and updated regularly to ensure they align with the agency's current practices and protect their interests.

• GDPR and privacy regulations are important considerations for agencies, and compliance can be complex.

• Having perspective and creating leverage are key in negotiations, but sometimes compromises need to be made to secure work.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

05:28 Protecting Creative Work from Copycats

11:38 Reviewing and Updating Contracts

Gabe is an attorney specializing in representing creative and technical businesses in commercial transactions. He's a shareholder in and president of Matchstick Legal, Inc. Gabe lives in Marin County, California with his wife Holly, daughter Kate and dog Scully. He's a very average gravel cyclist but enjoys it quite a bit.

Connect with Gabe:

matchstick.legal

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellevine/

In this episode, I got to speak with Dan Antonelli, President and Chief Creative Officer of KickCharge Creative. Dan’s agency is by far one of the most deeply niched teams I know of, literally owning the home service branding space and having written the book on it. Dan and I dug into the difference his agency saw once they declared ownership over that space, stopped chasing service-based work that they didn’t find profitable, and rebranded themselves to drink their own cool-aid. Dan experienced a near-death event a few years ago and he spoke about how that was a driving force for him to realign some of his priorities and team structure so they can have more impact and help more people. He also shared how that led to selling some equity in the agency by bringing on a partner this summer and the benefits that will have for KickCharge. Lastly, Dan’s team faces regular copyright infringement, mostly from freelancers stealing their designs and using them as their own. Dan shares how they deal with that, as well as what not to do in instances like that.