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Collaborations that shouldn't be - Protect your show, protect your sanity

Published on: 4th December, 2025

Most creators treat “collaboration” as a casual, friendly word.

But legally?

A collaboration is a partnership — with all the risk, responsibility, and liability that partnerships carry.

In this episode, Gordon Firemark — The Podcast Lawyer™ — unpacks the biggest myths about collaborations and explains why so many creator relationships blow up when the paperwork doesn’t match the actual relationship.

In this episode, you’ll learn:


• Why most projects creators call “collabs” are actually producer–talent relationships

• A real cautionary tale of a show that collapsed because the parties used the wrong agreement

• How collaborations legally function like partnerships, including:

– joint and several liability

– tax obligations

– operational complexity

– difficulty terminating cleanly

• The difference between collaborations, partnerships, joint ventures, and co-productions

• Why “no partnership or joint venture” clauses in collaborations create contradictions

• The risk of relying on AI-generated contracts

• When collaboration does make sense, and how to structure it safely


Join the free Legit Podcast Pro community:

https://legitpodcastpro.com


Join the waitlist for the next Legal Protection Workshop for Podcasters:

http://podcastlaw.net


More creator resources:

• Legal forms & templates: https://podcastlawforms.com


• Training library: https://easylegalforpodcasters.com

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About the Podcast

Legit Podcast Pro
Exploring Podcasting through the legal and business lens from The Podcast Lawyer™, Gordon Firemark
Take your podcast to new levels of professionalism and profit. Join The Podcast Lawyer™ Gordon Firemark for tips, strategies, advice and Q&A with top podcasters. Learn how to grow and profit from your podcast like a pro.
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About your host

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Gordon Firemark

Gordon Firemark (gordonfiremark.com) has practiced media and entertainment law in Los Angeles since 1992. Widely known as The Podcast Lawyer™ (ThePodcastLawyer.com), he has spent his career helping creative industry professionals make deals that make sense, and that get their productions developed, financed, produced and distributed. His practice also covers copyrights, trademarks, business transactions, and corporate matters for clients in media and entertainment.