Entertainment Insurance Solutions for Productions, Events, and Performers

Entertainment insurance is a specialized package of policies that helps protect your production, event, or entertainment business from financial losses. You need it because the entertainment world involves many risks — injuries, property damage, equipment theft, event cancellations, lawsuits, and other unexpected problems that could derail an entire project or business.

Contracts in the entertainment field typically spell out insurance requirements. For example, venues, film permit offices, equipment rental houses, filming locations, and sponsors usually request proof of insurance before they agree to work with you.

Carefully read all contracts from venues, performers, and vendors. They will list their specific insurance requirements, including minimum coverage limits (like a $1M general liability policy) and any special instructions, like naming them as an "additional insured" on your policy. Share these requirements directly with your insurance broker, who will review the contracts and help align your coverages accordingly.

Important note: Before signing contracts, it’s worth getting two reviews by entertainment industry specialists — one by an attorney and one by an insurance broker. The attorney will look at the contract through a legal lens. The broker will evaluate insurance and risk management requirements. Both reviewers can help flag areas of concern, so you can negotiate terms that make sense for your project or business.

Talk with your attorney and insurance broker about whether you need liquor liability coverage. The answer depends on many factors, such as whether you are in the business of selling alcohol. Lawsuits are common if an intoxicated guest causes property damage or injures someone. So, it’s important to consider the topic in your insurance and risk management planning.

Rain insurance pays you a set amount if a specific amount of rain falls during a specific time, whether your event is canceled or not. Event cancellation insurance offers broader protection. It reimburses you for lost deposits and expenses if you must cancel, postpone or interrupt your event for a covered reason, which can include severe weather, power outages or a key performer's non-appearance.

Short-term production insurance covers a single project, like one music video or a specific live event. You set the policy to cover the exact length of that project, including preparation and wrap-up days. Annual production insurance, often called a DICE policy, covers multiple smaller projects a company produces throughout a year. It is a better fit for businesses that constantly create content, like a commercial production house or a documentary filmmaker with several projects planned.

Without adequate insurance, you expose yourself and/or your company to financial and legal risks. If an accident happens, for example, you could become responsible for covering medical bills, legal fees, and settlement costs. This can lead to bankruptcy. Additionally, you will find it nearly impossible to secure locations, rent equipment, or get required permits, which can stop your production before it even starts.

Vendors, venues, permit offices, and others may request a certificate of insurance (COI), and you want to respond quickly. We understand the need for rapid turnaround and work closely with you to meet your timetable.

When an incident occurs, contact your Brown & Brown insurance broker to report it. They will guide you through the next steps. Generally, you will complete a claim form that details what happened. You will also need to provide supporting documentation. This can include police reports, photos of damage, witness statements, medical bills, and any contracts related to the loss. Keeping organized records helps speed up the process.

This is a technical term you will see in contracts. "Primary" means your insurance policy must pay for a claim first, before any other policy (like the venue's) gets involved. "Noncontributory" means your policy cannot seek financial contribution from the other party's insurance to help pay for the claim. Venues and rental houses require this language to ensure your policy takes full responsibility for incidents arising from your event.

These terms define how much your policy will pay. The occurrence limit is the maximum amount your insurer will pay for a single incident or claim. The aggregate limit is the total maximum amount your insurer will pay for all claims combined during your policy period. For example, if your occurrence limit is $1M and your aggregate is $2M, your policy would cover up to $1M for one accident. If you had three separate accidents that year, the policy would pay no more than $2M for all of them combined.