How to Identify and Secure IP for Adaptation: Producer Chris Goldberg Explains
Chris Goldberg, former studio exec and studio book scout, producer at Winterlight Pictures, discusses a pragmatic approach to turning existing intellectual property into film and television. This includes sourcing promising IP, vetting legal encumbrances, structuring options and purchases, and using attachments and financing to close deals.
Securing adaptation rights begins long before a draft is written. Goldberg outlines how producers evaluate material for adaptability, how to map the rights landscape, and how to translate that map into a contract strategy — option agreements, step deals, and purchase agreements that protect both creative intent and future revenue streams.
He also explains the practical steps a producer uses to make a package attractive to financiers and distributors: attaching a director or star, clearing chain of title early, and negotiating reversion and escalation clauses that align incentives across development and production.
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