Lynn Nottage, Doug Wright, Emily Mann & More to Join DG Copyright Management Estate Planning Week

DG Copyright Management has announced special panels featuring Pulitzer Prize winners Lynn Nottage and Doug Wright as part of their week-long programming in honor of National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Additional panelists will include award-winning playwright and former artistic director of The McCarter Theatre, Emily Mann, the Ransom Center's Eric Colleary, estate planning attorney Max Elliott, the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust's Joi Gresham, Minerva Financial Arts' Elaine Grogan Luttrell, DG©M Executive Director Deborah Murad, tax lawyer and accountant Ronald Finkelstein, and entertainment attorney Lloyd Jassin.

This year's National Estate and Legacy Planning Week runs from October 18-October 22. For those five days, the DG©M will offer special panels and share resources, including articles and videos, on the importance of Estate and Legacy Planning.

"Estate planning is for everyone," explained Deborah Murad, Executive Director of the DG©M. "It doesn't matter how old you are or what the value of your assets might be. Estate planning is especially important for dramatists, who own their own copyrights. Those copyrights will last for life, plus an additional 70 years. Many dramatists have yet to consider what will happen to their work when they are no longer there to protect it. The DG©M is here to help dramatists explore the process of estate and legacy planning."

The complete schedule of events* is as follows:

Estate Planning for All

Monday, October 18 at 3pm ET

We kick-off National Estate and Legacy Planning Awareness week with a special presentation by Max Elliott, an Illinois estate and business planning and estate administration attorney. Ms. Elliott will take us through some estate planning basics with a particular emphasis on the unique considerations faced by the LGBTQ+ communities. What issues do LGBTQ+ families face despite the progress that has been made? How can families craft estate plans that withstand political shifts? What sort of estate planning tools and provisions should you be aware of so that your wishes are upheld?

In Conversation:

The Legacy in Our Writing and The Legacy We Leave Behind with Doug Wright and Emily Mann

Monday, October 18 at 6pm ET

Join playwright/artistic director Emily Mann and Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright/librettist Doug Wright for an in-depth conversation exploring the impact of legacy on the work of dramatists. This panel will address why dramatists write about legacy, what it means to present a version of a historical figure in one's writing, and how writers curate their own creative legacy in the process.

Documenting your Legacy

Tuesday, October 19 at 3pm ET
Have you ever considered curating your own archive? What documents should be saved? What can be thrown away?How do you find a home for your papers? Join Deborah Murad of DG Copyright Management for a Q&A with Dr. Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theatre and Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, the internationally renowned humanities research center at The University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Colleary will offer expert advice on how to preserve your legacy, and reflect on his work with the American Theatre Archive Project.

Retirement Secrets for Creative Entrepreneurs

Wednesday, October 20 at 3pm ET

Did you know, as a creative individual, there are special things you can do to prepare for retirement (even if you never plan to stop making work)? Join DG Copyright Management on October 20 at 3pm for a webinar led by Minerva Financial Arts' Elaine Grogan Luttrell on how to prepare your finances for retirement and beyond. Topics will include retirement plans available to self-employed creatives, minimizing your taxable estate, the benefits of creating a living trust, and more.

DG Copyright Management: Where You Fit In

Thursday, October 21 at 3pm ET

For a dramatist, estate planning means selecting someone to administer and manage your work, protect it, uphold your authorial intent, and celebrate your legacy. What if we told you that the Dramatists Guild established a company to do just that while also ensuring that your heirs benefit financially and that your work would directly support future dramatists? Join Executive Director of DG Copyright Management, Deborah Murad, for an informational session on how DG Copyright Management may fit in your estate plan.

In Conversation: Lynn Nottage with Joi Gresham of the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust

Thursday, October 21 at 6pm ET

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (and newly appointed DG Copyright Management Board member) Lynn Nottage sits down with Joi Gresham, the Successor Executor to the Literary Estate of Lorraine Hansberry. Learn what it means to be the executor and literary trustee of an author, and about Joi's specific approach to issues regarding Hansberry's authorial intent and legacy!

A Two In One:

Celebrity Lessons in Estate Planning / What Every Copyright Owner Needs to Know

Friday, October 22 at 3pm ET

Join us for a very special double feature with trusts and estates attorney and accountant Ronald Finkelstein of Marcum LLP and copyright attorney Lloyd Jassin of the Law Offices of Lloyd Jassin. This session will explore the need for a proper estate plan as illustrated by celebrity mishaps and cover the unique attributes of copyright law that might intersect or upset your estate plan.We will cover reversion, copyright valuation, literary executorships, taxes, and more! A not to be missed session for every copyright owner.

DG Copyright Management: Where You Fit In

Friday, October 22 at 6pm ET

For a dramatist, estate planning means selecting someone to administer and manage your work, protect it, uphold your authorial intent, and celebrate your legacy. What if we told you that the Dramatists Guild established a company to do just that while also ensuring that your heirs benefit financially and that your work would directly support future dramatists? Join Executive Director of DG Copyright Management, Deborah Murad, for an informational session on how DG Copyright Management may fit in your estate plan.

*Please note that all panels and panelists are subject to change.

To reserve a spot for these National Estate and Legacy Planning Week events, which are being offered to the public at no cost, please visit www.thedgcm.org.