TD/Canada Trust, VanCity, to name a couple. As mentioned, you get a rider on your home/apt insurance. Vancity are brokers, so they'll find the cheapest rate. That would probably be ING Direct as the insurer. TD would be just slightly more. Also check out PC Financial (SuperStore).

Isn't there are problem with the rider on the home-owner's policy option in that if the insurer discovers you've been using the equipment for professional or job-related work they can refuse to pay any claims? When I was looking into it I was told that the homeowner's policy would cover, for example, loss of a computer that you bought for personal use but would not cover the same computer if it was used in a home office by somone who was self-employed or a laptop that you took to work with you. You can get away with saying a $1k camcorder is for hobby use but it's a lot harder to claim a $10k Canon H1 and another $10k of sound gear as a "hobby" expense.

I wasn't told that with an ING Direct quote, but I didn't read the fine print. I can't see what the problem is with getting insurance. A number of my friends have insurance on gear and they use the gear for work. One guy I know got his cam replaced twice. He dropped it in the water once and another time it got stolen out of his car.

I finally found a company that offers a home based pro rider. It's $250 extra for up to 10k CDN coverage. I can top it up to cover the replacement cost for the H1 ($15.00 per $1000.00 for extra coverage). They do have some conditions. One being that they won't cover you if you do biz in the US. I'm assuming it's because of the litigious nature of our southern neighbors. Also you have an income cap of 100k per year in revenues (no danger of that quite yet).

The original stand alone package for $1295 gave me worldwide coverage, where as with this rider I have to drop an extra $390.00 to cover me worldwide. I'm taking the camera out of the country for a month, so I will need the coverage. So the $250 plus the $390 = $640 for a year of pro, global coverage. Of course I could be caught in a technicality if sell a DVD to an American.


I'm told ING does not cover pro video. If you want to call it a hobby, they will cover you.

I have a quick question for policy holders of RVNuccio insurance. I recently contacted them about insuring my gear for a few commercials and music videos, etc. for the upcoming year and was informed by a sales rep that they DO NOT cover these activities. They ONLY cover weddings, bat and bar mitzvah, and events. My business card contained items including short films and docos, and they were quick to tell me I would not be covered.

Are you guys that have insurance through RVNuccio covered under any other policy?

Hey Tim,

I just went through this crap in Canada, and one thing I found was that WEVA has a group policy available for members. I called the underwriter directly to find out if they covered Canadian companies (they don't, yet), he said in most states it's $500.00 a year (NY and Cal are $750.00) which gives you both liability coverage and equipment coverage. I'll see if I can find a link to them.

Hmmmm, I know they (Nuccio) will insure weddings and mitzvahs in case something happens but thats a whole different deal. You might want to call them again and talk to someone else only because you are looking to cover the gear and not the event and who ever (whomever?) you talked to might have misunderstood you.

Don

A friend of mine is starting a Grip Truck business. This involves rental of grip and lighting gear, as well as him being hired as a grip or grip/electric along with the equipment.

We are trying to sort out insurance issues.

Does the renter normally provide a certificate of insurance to the company renting the gear?

Does the rental company need insurance to protect his interests (liability and/or equipment damage or loss)?

Does my friend need liability insurance in case he makes a mistake or some accident happens? What type of insurance should he have?

The insurance agent for his other business is having trouble finding insurance that fits his new Grip Truck business.

Where can you get these types of insurance and what are they called?

What companies provide these types of insurance?

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

We're looking for a company that provides insurance for video production works in South California. Please give us some pointers!


Thank you!

http://www.productioninsurance.com/

Thanks, Don! Do you have any experience with them?

Greetings fellow videographers!

As wedding videos slowly start to become an ever greater income for me, and as I grow my equipment list with the latest and greatest gear I can afford- I have become increasingly terrified that something is going to happen to my gear. It could be stolen, a child could knock the tripod over, the church could burn down with my gear trapped inside, a drunk guest could puke into my camera bag... or other things too horrific to imagine.

I have decided that getting insurance to cover my equipment would be a good idea. I'm assuming that others here have some sort of insurance to cover their gear- what do you guys reccomend for equipment coverage and why?

Hi Adam. This has been discussed pretty extensively in our Business forum. Please see the following threads:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=60744
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=59436
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53920
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=10475

I'm starting to look for insurance too. Can any of the uk residents give any good brokers over here.

Robert,
Im in the UK and have just got insurance from www.aaduki.com they specifically deal in multimedia insurance, photography ,videography etc so they understand the in's & out's I gave them a ring and they were really helpful and professional and the price seemed good for the cover I was getting

cheers Russ

i found AXA to be suprisingly knowledgable for video production industry...

they do entire business insurance if that's what you're after. which includes...

Contents (Shooting kit, edit suite, any tape stock...with individual cover on more valuable items like your camera or lens)

Public Liability (Yeah, somebody could spew in your bag, but what if you spew in theirs?!)

and also employers liability....and a lot of other ins and out that i forget right now!

I'm know expert, and the industry specific insurers do a good job, but AXA seemed to know a lot more about video industry than i thought.

Just thought that might help anyway!

I've looked on the site, looked on other sites...I just can't find any company that offers traveler's insurance for camera gear in the US (found several in the UK)...theres easily 40 different sites saying "GET INSURANCE!" but they don't reccommend any companies. The only places I found would only cover up to $250 per item up to $500 total.

Basically I'm going on a trip (personal, not business) out of the country begining of March, and I want to cover my photography gear (not interested in hauling my FX1 around) against theft. I'm only going to be gone for 10 days, but I have like $4000 worth of gear that I'll be carrying around (afterall, I bought the stuff to get good pictures, why would I take a $250 point and shoot on vacation with me? right?)

Has anyone taken their stuff on vacation with them and purchased insurance for their trip?

A huge plus would be a company that I could purchase business insurance for that would also cover me out of the country even when I'm not using the equipment for business, but thats REALLY hoping for a lot.

I'd welcome any ideas. Thanks!

Look a little closer :-) There's been plenty of insurance discussion here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=60744
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=59436
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=53920
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=10475

I have State Farm for my home and car, and my agent was able to get reasonably priced coverage for a trip to South America without a problem. Just explain exactly what you're trying to accomplish to your agent. Personally I think it makes sense to use the same company you already have for your other policies. FWIW, after doing some research the kind of coverage my agent chose was called an "Inland Marine Policy."

Uhmm, still looking for a solution. Don't have the option of doing the homeowners insurance add-on , RVNuccio don't cover anything outside of the US...thats pretty much all that was discussed on the links you gave Boyd. Any other ideas from anyone out there? I found a seemingly great company called E&L which covers EXACTLY what I want, but they only cover UK citizens.

Talk to a State Farm agent. Mine was able to find coverage after doing a little research. As I said, they sold me an "Inland Marine" policy.

Hi:

I know this question has come up a few times, I have read the threads, but I haven't found any links to companies that will do business in my country. I had a gear insurance in Denmark with www.europaeiske.dk - covered worldwide, the whole year for about 7% of the value of the equipment.

But, now I live in Spain and the Spanish sister company offers no such insurance.

Any suggestions on companies that operate in Spain or will sign EU/world wide?

Thanks, Erik

Hello,

I'm finally making a move to get insurance for my Z1 and all accessories.

I'm getting enough business to have it out of the bag more than it's not so I've decided to cover it.

I'm looking for someone to recommend to me a good company in Austrsalia (preferably Victoria) that covers this sort of gear.

Is there anyone out there that can make a suggestion? I'm having a lot of trouble finding a good company.

Thanks,
-- John.

I'm having a difficult time finding an insurance company to write me a standard business policy to cover business assets and give me some level of liability coverage. So far three large companies have said "We do not write business policies for video production". Right now I have an Inland Marine policy for about $1100/yr that just covers my equipment.

Can someone point me to an insurance company that can help me?

By business assets are you referring to gear or???

If you ARE refering to gear RVNucciodotcom will cover gear and set up a liability policy for you for a fairly reasonable yearly premium.
They are not set up to handle say a film or video production but offer good solid protection on gear and liability.
BTW, search thru this forum and I think you'll find number of other threads relating to this subject with a number of other suggestions as well.
HTHs

Don

By business assets are you referring to gear or???

If you ARE refering to gear RVNucciodotcom will cover gear and set up a liability policy for you for a fairly reasonable yearly premium.
They are not set up to handle say a film or video production but offer good solid protection on gear and liability.
BTW, search thru this forum and I think you'll find number of other threads relating to this subject with a number of other suggestions as well.
HTHs

Don


I went to rvnuccio.com and tried to apply on-line. For some reason I got pop-ups saying that I didn't meet the requirements, it did not give details. I'll call them today.

Hmmmm, it sounds like perhaps not all the needed info was input on the forms.
It can be a bit tricky-i would go back and make sure everything was filled out.
Also when you call, you might wind up leaving a message but they're fairly responsive when returning calls.

Good luck,

Don

I just submitted my app to them again and this time got these errors:

This application is not eligible for submission because of the answer(s) to the following question(s):
Commercials = TRUE
Free Lance Photography and/or Videography = TRUE
Infomercials = TRUE
Sports Photography and/or Videography = TRUE
Video Productions = TRUE


Seems to me that they will only cover "event videographers".

You are correct Larry. I called them late last year about coverage but was told that because I shoot commercials, they could not cover me. Only event videographers need apply. I can't recall the name of the representative that I spoke with, but she was adamant about only covering event professionals.

I ended up going the route of a local provider and talking to them about my specific needs and I was more than happy with the results and coverage they were able to provide.

Tim

I went with nuccio for event coverage last year. I recieved quotes from three different companies, and they all underwrote the same insurance carrier. There were marginal differences in the price.

My local rep would handle the event stuff but I think they will handle it as a business. Sell your self as a commercial company or a wedding video company, maybe a marketing/ad company.

Stay away from "film production" company etc.

And even the event insurance is limited in their coverage. No stunts, no pyrotechnics, no rap videos...

contact your regular insurance company about a policy. I am with
State Farm, and have a great policy with them that covers my gear in
and out of the house, along with a 1mil liability policy. Costs about $500 per
year.

contact your regular insurance company about a policy. I am with
State Farm, and have a great policy with them that covers my gear in
and out of the house, along with a 1mil liability policy. Costs about $500 per
year.


Mmmm, but does it cover you if you're engaged in a business activity? Regular homeowners may cover losses of equipment etc for hobby activities but as soon as it becomes a business, even a home based business, it's no longer covered. Theft of your $1000 camcorder from your car while on vacation is one thing, but theft of $25000 worth of audio and video gear from a van with "Joes Wedding Video's" painted on the side is going to present you with a problem convincing them it's only an unpaid hobby <grin>.

Yes, Steve, this is strictly a business policy. It covers 20K worth of gear
with a $250 deductible. I also have an additional 10K in computer equipment coverage on my homeowners as well. I had a personal articles policy
with them a while back, and once I reached a certain level of "equipment or income value" I had to change it.

Yes, Steve, this is strictly a business policy. It covers 20K worth of gear
with a $250 deductible. I also have an additional 10K in computer equipment coverage on my homeowners as well. I had a personal articles policy
with them a while back, and once I reached a certain level of "equipment or income value" I had to change it.

That's good to know. And does that include liability coverage as well, so if a lightstand falls over on someone on location you're covered?

1 Million in Liability coverage. If your not with State Farm now,
give them a call, cuz they will give you multicoverage discount
with your house, cars, business, etc...

1 Million in Liability coverage. If your not with State Farm now,
give them a call, cuz they will give you multicoverage discount
with your house, cars, business, etc...

I've talked with my State Farm agent several times (they do my auto & home owners now) and they state that they will *not* cover video production businesses.

Do you have some sort of policy name/type that I could send to my agent?

http://www.productioninsurance.com/

Ditto on Larry's last comment. I have two policies with State Farm and I've asked them twice about a policy for my business - equipment coverage and liability - they said "no". Of course, they've been known to not have all the answers in the past, especially when I've talked with one of the assistants. Scott - please let us know what type of policy you have - what it's called exactly. Maybe if I can say the right word to my agent it will jog his memory :)

Thanks all!

I ended-up getting a policy with these guys:

http://www.videoinsurance.com/packages.htm#film

$500/yr for $40K in equipment and $1mil liability. It's under-written by OneBeacon.

This is 1/2 the cost of my current Inland Marine policy through State Farm that only covered the equipment!

Hill & Usher specializes in production insurance.

www.hillusher.com

Guys, is it me or has insurance gone through the roof in the UK video industry since Gordon Brown stopped people rinsing their reddies through film productions?

I need insurance for a shoot next week that will cover loss and damage to our equipment and hire equipment (about £15,000 worth of gear). At the same time I would ideally like to take out some public liability.

At the minute I can not even get anyone to give me a quote for public liability which is obviously a major legal issue. The Government are very eager to enforce business to take out this insurance, but they are pretty remiss when it comes to actually ensure anyone offers it. It almost amounts to a restriction of tradE!

Anyway, if anyone can plug me into a insurance company or broker who can turn this around for me swiftly, even if the cover is just for the day of the shoot, I would be very grateful to be pointed in the right direction.

Rob,

I was told I need to find insurance for filming in a state park. What kind do I need? What is the cheapest company out there? We aren`t doing anything that would cause damage or harm so is it really needed? The funding is all out of my pocket and I want to save as much as I can.

Hi Nathan,

I would check with your home owners agent or if you don't own a home your renter insurance agent. I have mine through my business and if you add it to a package it is not that expensive.

How was your trip you purchased the back pack for earlier in the summer?

I don`t have insurance of any kind, not even through work. I live with my parents still. I am seeing about this clause
" Waiver of Insurance. The Superintendent has authority to waive the insurance requirement if there is no perceived risk of injury or damage to persons or property resulting from the activity. If no permit is required, no evidence of liability insurance is required."

Since we won`t do anything dangerous or damaging I will make a bid to have it waived.

The trip was postponed to next month...eagerly waiting but need this film done first heh. SO much to do.

Ya i had this same issue, usually you can find places that will insure small gatherings, ie parties, weddings...etc and you can usually squeeze a film set in as one of the things they cover, but this is still 200$ usually at least.

I ended up picking a different location, because if you search around, you can find somewhere that won't require insurance.

Sounds like you should be able to get it waived. Good luck.

Ah well enjoy the trip when you go.

http://www.filmemporium.com/newweb/insurance/

http://www.filmemporium.com/newweb/insurance/

None of the links will open on the site. Do you know what they charge for one day filming shoots? about 15 people?

The usual demand is for public liability insurance. This covers you if, for example, someone trips over a cable and gets injured. Unlikely, but yes, this does happen and they do make claims.

So whats the difference of Public Liability Insurance vs. General Business Liability. I don't have a business yet doing film, its just me...

So whats the difference of Public Liability Insurance vs. General Business Liability. I don't have a business yet doing film, its just me...

Basically Public Liability covers any third party claims caused by your filming.

Business Liability can be a broader range of insurance cover required by businesses. There can be cross over between the two.

People can sue you for damages if they're injured by your actions whilst filming regardless if you're a business or not. These days, organisations often insist that you have cover before giving permission to film on their property.

None of the links will open on the site. Do you know what they charge for one day filming shoots? about 15 people?

no, just found the link...sorry.