Media, Art, & Money - Protecting Your Livelihood In The Creative Industries

Choosing a career in the creative industries is a defiant undertaking-and protecting your livelihood requires more than just talent.

This whole industry is fueled by dreams that will statistically never come true. Yet, on the hopeful side, the barriers to entry have never been lower, and the tools are entirely accessible to tell stories, take risks, and build a whole new ecosystem of dreams. But navigating this landscape requires more than just passion. You need to know how the business actually works.

The modern creative economy doesn't run on good intentions; it runs on contracts, copyrights, and code. Whether you are an independent artist, a commercial designer, or a veteran storyteller, raw talent won't insulate you from a predatory deal, an outdated policy, or an algorithm trained on your portfolio. If you don't know the rules of the game, you're letting someone else write them for you.

Media, Art, & Money is a practical guide to the business reality of the creative sector. Think of this book as your personal mixtape to play while navigating the creative jungle-a survival manual stripped of dry legal jargon and built for real-world application.

Divided into two distinct halves, you can flip directly to the track you need:

• The A-Side (Contracts, Unions, & Policy): This is the machinery. Learn how to break down a contract, where collective bargaining fits into your career, and how shifting industry policies dictate how, or if you get paid.
• The B-Side (Copyright, Publicity Rights, & AI): This is the asset defense. Navigate the current realities of intellectual property, protect your digital identity, and learn how to draw a hard line against AI exploitation.

You work hard to build a career and hone your craft in an industry that rarely guarantees success. You shouldn't need a law degree just to protect what you make. Media, Art, & Money bridges the gap between raw creativity and commercial reality, giving you the clarity to negotiate with confidence, defend your assets, and sustain your place in the new creative ecosystem.

Author: Mericia Palma Elmore
Publisher: Sunrise Orca
Published: 08/04/2026
Pages: 146
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.52lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9798996694105

About the Author
Palma Elmore, Mericia: - Mericia Palma Elmore is an advocate for performers and creativeindustry workers, a recovering attorney, a trained librarian whonever quite made it into the stacks, and a professor. A longtimeHawai'i resident with a Texas soul, she is passionate about demystify-ing intellectual property for the next generation of creators.When she isn't in a meeting, teaching, or serving the creative com-munity, you'll likely find her scouting out a hidden independentbookstore or planning a family adventure that is strictly high-scen-ery, culture-rich, and foodie-driven. She firmly believes in the powerof a good mixtape, the efficiency of a city ferry, and the absolutenecessity of taking all your PTO days.