Different Ways to Finance Your Film and Entertainment Business
The entertainment industry can be an exciting place to experiment with new ideas. Creative minds around the world are continually dreaming up new ways to use old equipment and fantastic entertainment options to capture the world’s attention. Yet many creators are restricted by a lack of working capital to fund improvements and new ideas. If you’re looking for a way to increase the budget of your latest works, check out these four reliable funding options.
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Bank Loans
One of the most well-known, but probably not the most well-loved financing option, is the classic bank loan. Regular loans tend to require collateral and include a complicated approval process which can be a bit off-putting. Yet these loans can be abundantly sufficient for most entertainment industry projects, and most have lower interest rates compared to other available funding.
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SBA Loans
The Small Business Administration, or SBA, has partnered with many financial institutions across the nation to help small businesses get the loans they need. The SBA helps out by providing a guarantee that the loan will be paid off even if the borrower can’t pay it back. This peace of mind allows large loans for entertainment projects, but also includes higher fees than a traditional bank loan.
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Cash Advance
If you find yourself in need of some quick capital, a cash advance can be the solution you’re looking for. With a business cash advance, you are essentially selling off your future bank deposits in exchange for a certain amount of funding. While this tends to be expensive, it’s great in a pinch, especially in the entertainment industry where you don’t expect to make a profit while your entertainment piece is in production but anticipate large returns once you release it.
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Line of Credit
Similar to a credit card, you can open a business line of credit that allows you to credit funds when you need them and pay off the monthly balance over time. In some cases, you’ll need to provide collateral, but you might qualify for an unsecured line of credit in the right circumstances. Since the line of credit only requires you to pay back what you’ve actually borrowed, it can be useful if you’re not sure how much capital you’ll need, or if you don’t want to be stuck in a long-term payment plan.
Working in the entertainment industry can be exciting, but when you have no capital, it’s hard to get a project going. With a little help from banks or other lending institutions, it’s possible to get several thousand to several million dollars to fund your project.