Legit Podcast ProWhat Contracts Does a Podcast Production Company Need Before Hiring Its First Freelancer or Employee?
If you have a podcast production business, hiring your first freelancer or employee changes what your contracts need to do. Gordon walks through seven places where a solo editor's paperwork falls behind as the business grows into a company.
In this episode:
1. The client agreement: contract with the company (not you personally), allow subcontractors, stay responsible for their work
2. The freelancer agreement: written assignment of rights, confidentiality, file and AI-tool rules, and client protection
3. Freelancer or employee? How worker classification is judged, what misclassification can cost, and how to move freelancers onto the payroll
4. Scope, revisions, and acceptance terms that protect margins as you add people
5. Liability: caps, excluded damages, client indemnity for supplied material, and insurance
6. Client data and account access: whose name the accounts are in, credentials, offboarding
7. Moving long-time handshake clients to new terms
Seven-question checklist from the episode:
- Does your client agreement name the company, not you personally?
- Does it permit subcontractors and say you remain responsible for them?
- Has every freelancer signed an assignment and a confidentiality agreement?
- Is each person really a freelancer or really an employee?
- Are your scope, revision, and acceptance terms specific?
- Do you cap your liability and carry insurance?
- Do you know who has access to which client accounts today?
Related episodes:
- Episode 216: Who Owns the Show When a Production Company Makes It?
Work with me:
Reach out to schedule a consultation with me about your client, freelancer, and employee agreements: https://gordonfiremark.com
Templates: https://podcastlawforms.com
Easy Legal For Podcasters: https://easylegalforpodcasters.com
Read the full article, Q&A, and sources: https://gordonfiremark.com/post/beforethefirsthire
This episode is general information, not legal advice, and laws vary by state. Last reviewed: November 10, 2026.
Contains Attorney Advertising