Business for Artists Conference 2025 Archives - Page 2 of 2

Erica Bristol

Erica is an SBDC Business Advisor specializing in legal matters for small businesses and startups. Since 2013, she has provided guidance on a range of topics, including entity formation, intellectual property, contracts, commercial leases, and regulatory compliance. With a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, she also conducts webinars on subjects such as copyrights, trademarks, and business entity structures.

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Presenting: Intellectual Property Basics

Session Description: Intellectual Property (IP) is increasingly becoming one of the most important sources of revenue for businesses. It is also becoming one of the greatest sources of liability and revenue loss. Artists must be aware of how to create, protect, and enforce their IP and related rights, as well as how to help prevent or help reduce the risk of IP infringement claims and litigation. This presentation will educate you on the basics of intellectual property-copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and patents.

Heidi Luerra

Heidi is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of RAW Artists Inc., a global arts organization that grew from a bootstrapped kitchen table startup to an Inc. 5000 company. Through RAW Artists, she created a community for over 200,000 independent artists to showcase their work. Today, she invests in and works with small businesses and founders, helping them start, scale, or streamline their operations. Her mission is to support extraordinary people who make the world more creative, joyous, or efficient.

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Presenting: Building a Creative Business Plan

Session Description: This session will take you through the fundamentals of building a sustainable business plan for your creative business. The session will arm you with real-world tools, best practices and warnings against common pitfalls to ensure your business is not only making a creative impact but is also sustainable in today’s world.

David R. Sears

David is an Educator, Business Executive, Composer/Musician, Producer, Audio Pro. His long, successful career has given him a unique perspective in the entertainment industry and beyond. Davis has worked with artists such as Harry Belafonte, Foo Fighters, Quincy Jones, Danny Kaye, The Temptations, and more. He currently runs an event production company providing sound and other services in Southern California.

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Presenting: Paths to Career Success

Session Description: This compelling interactive presentation explores the attributes that give individuals the best chance at having a successful professional career. It provides the opportunity for attendees to unlock the potential they have to help themselves reach their career goals. Career-inhibiting myths are exposed through the exploration of 7 one-word questions.