Will Hanisch and partner Joe Craciun launched GreenRoom Legal in 2019 after discovering digital creators were signing contracts where multi-channel networks claimed 30-40% of their revenue while offering minimal services in return.
The multi-jurisdictional firm now employs attorneys in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, and California, specifically targeting the legal needs of YouTubers, streamers, and content creators who previously lacked affordable representation.
“Whether it was multi-channel networks or oppressive management companies or family members taking advantage, creators didn’t have a lot of advocates in that way,” explains Will, whose firm now represents some of the highest-profile talent in digital entertainment, including handling licensing deals for viral properties like “Skibidi Toilet.”
Creator-First Representation
Rather than the traditional retainer model, GreenRoom has built its practice around accessibility and specific creator needs.
“I don’t think you should ever have to have a lawyer on a cash advanced retainer,” Will explains. “We’re here as a support when you need us. And so it’s more of an à la carte. So we’re here, we’re advisors for you when you need us. We’re not supposed to be involved in everything.”
This client-centered approach stems from Will’s early legal career working in public service as a public defender before moving to contract disputes at an insurance defense company. These experiences shaped his goal of providing legal services that are both high-quality and financially accessible.
“One of the missions is providing quality, top-quality legal services at a rate that can make it accessible to folks experiencing it. That has been a mission of mine for as long as I’ve practiced,” Will emphasizes.
Beyond technical legal expertise, GreenRoom provides more support for creators dealing with complex business situations. “Doing any of that (being a creator) is an extremely lonely experience most of the time. And so we’re here not only as legal counsel but also to give you that gut check of, ‘Look, this is normal. These are experiences that everyone’s going through. Let’s walk through this and kind of humanize this process a little bit more.'”
The Work-Made-for-Hire Battle
When it comes to the industry norm he would most like to change, Will doesn’t hesitate: work-made-for-hire provisions that give brands ownership of creator content.
“I would change the presumption that brands need to own the works that creators are making,” Will states. “Work-made-for-hire content is one of my big things that I go on the mountaintop to try to stop.”
This practice not only affects creators’ independence but also potentially violates platform terms of service and restricts long-term opportunities. “We’re not saying that creators need to own anything related to the brand’s IP, but just in the same way you wouldn’t grant, you wouldn’t let somebody own part of Goofy from Disney, they shouldn’t own a video on a creator’s channel.”
Full-Service Support for Creator Challenges
GreenRoom Legal offers a range of services tailored to the specific needs of digital media, from basic contract reviews to handling specialized legal situations. Their work covers employment contracts, corporate transactions, trademarks, copyrights, licensing deals, and crisis management.
Kids’ content and live streaming present particular challenges, which Will identifies as the most legally difficult creator categories. “Kids content and live streaming, those would be the two that I would say are on equal footing.”
For children’s content, the firm addresses the balance between child exploitation concerns, family business rights, COPPA compliance, and financial protection through mechanisms like Coogan accounts.
Live streaming creates different issues: “Everything’s live. You’ve got people walking through your stream with copyrighted music. You have core decision-making that lands people in jail. You have the ability to chat and make comments on your live stream that you don’t control.”
The firm’s multi-jurisdictional setup helps creators access legal support in various locations. “We have a lot of attorneys across the country,” Will explains. “We have folks in your local jurisdiction to help you with more of your local issues.”
Protecting Creator IP in the AI Age
Intellectual property protection has become more pressing with the rise of artificial intelligence. Will describes AI as “an absolute double-edged sword” that enables faster content creation while simultaneously making it easier for others to misuse creators’ work.
GreenRoom Legal helps creators determine what is copyrightable in AI-assisted work, understand recent U.S. rulings about AI-generated content, and address deepfakes and unauthorized content generation. “We’ve spent a lot of time with clients trying to stop those sharing platforms from generating that content,” Will says, noting that female clients have been particularly targeted with non-consensual explicit AI-generated content.
The firm also teaches clients about the differences between types of IP and their long-term value. “The difference between a personality and a brand is what I would say,” Will explains. “When we’re looking at a game or a format or original characters and stories that are not a person’s face. That IP is very valuable for potentially decades to come.” By contrast, personality-focused content has “a much shorter tail,” financially speaking.
Preparing Creator Businesses for Tomorrow
GreenRoom Legal highlights data privacy regulations as a key area requiring immediate creator attention. Many creator merchandise operations and community platforms aren’t meeting requirements for regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA.
“We have a lot of creators that are either unaware or choosing to be unaware of those obligations,” Will warns. “It’s a place that has huge risk and also has the chance to be a really big black eye for a creator who kind of falls into that.”
The firm also notes that child labor laws affecting digital content creation could reshape family channels and young creator opportunities. These insights help GreenRoom clients prepare for regulatory changes before they arrive.
A Partner in Creators’ Corners
As Will emphasizes, what defines GreenRoom Legal’s approach is their commitment to serving as impartial advocates for creators’ best interests. “We’re here to be that person for you that doesn’t have a financial interest in what happens. We just want you to win,” he says.
This advocacy goes beyond legal details to include career strategy and business growth. The firm has developed alongside the creator economy, seeing the post-COVID increase that has made creators more aware of their legal needs.
“The 1% [of creators making over $100,000] is becoming so much more business savvy, so much more aware that they’re aware of some of their own shortcomings as a professional,” Will observes. “You’re becoming a business; you need to have a legal team.”
For creators facing industry Goliaths with vastly more resources and power, having a dedicated David in their corner can make all the difference. As Will puts it clearly, “We’re in your corner. We’re not in it for anything other than to really help you get to where you want to be.”
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
Will Hanisch and partner Joe Craciun launched GreenRoom Legal in 2019 after discovering digital creators were signing contracts where multi-channel networks claimed 30-40% of their revenue while offering minimal services in return.
The multi-jurisdictional firm now employs attorneys in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, and California, specifically targeting the legal needs of YouTubers, streamers, and content creators who previously lacked affordable representation.
“Whether it was multi-channel networks or oppressive management companies or family members taking advantage, creators didn’t have a lot of advocates in that way,” explains Will, whose firm now represents some of the highest-profile talent in digital entertainment, including handling licensing deals for viral properties like “Skibidi Toilet.”
Creator-First Representation
Rather than the traditional retainer model, GreenRoom has built its practice around accessibility and specific creator needs.
“I don’t think you should ever have to have a lawyer on a cash advanced retainer,” Will explains. “We’re here as a support when you need us. And so it’s more of an à la carte. So we’re here, we’re advisors for you when you need us. We’re not supposed to be involved in everything.”
This client-centered approach stems from Will’s early legal career working in public service as a public defender before moving to contract disputes at an insurance defense company. These experiences shaped his goal of providing legal services that are both high-quality and financially accessible.
“One of the missions is providing quality, top-quality legal services at a rate that can make it accessible to folks experiencing it. That has been a mission of mine for as long as I’ve practiced,” Will emphasizes.
Beyond technical legal expertise, GreenRoom provides more support for creators dealing with complex business situations. “Doing any of that (being a creator) is an extremely lonely experience most of the time. And so we’re here not only as legal counsel but also to give you that gut check of, ‘Look, this is normal. These are experiences that everyone’s going through. Let’s walk through this and kind of humanize this process a little bit more.'”
The Work-Made-for-Hire Battle
When it comes to the industry norm he would most like to change, Will doesn’t hesitate: work-made-for-hire provisions that give brands ownership of creator content.
“I would change the presumption that brands need to own the works that creators are making,” Will states. “Work-made-for-hire content is one of my big things that I go on the mountaintop to try to stop.”
This practice not only affects creators’ independence but also potentially violates platform terms of service and restricts long-term opportunities. “We’re not saying that creators need to own anything related to the brand’s IP, but just in the same way you wouldn’t grant, you wouldn’t let somebody own part of Goofy from Disney, they shouldn’t own a video on a creator’s channel.”
Full-Service Support for Creator Challenges
GreenRoom Legal offers a range of services tailored to the specific needs of digital media, from basic contract reviews to handling specialized legal situations. Their work covers employment contracts, corporate transactions, trademarks, copyrights, licensing deals, and crisis management.
Kids’ content and live streaming present particular challenges, which Will identifies as the most legally difficult creator categories. “Kids content and live streaming, those would be the two that I would say are on equal footing.”
For children’s content, the firm addresses the balance between child exploitation concerns, family business rights, COPPA compliance, and financial protection through mechanisms like Coogan accounts.
Live streaming creates different issues: “Everything’s live. You’ve got people walking through your stream with copyrighted music. You have core decision-making that lands people in jail. You have the ability to chat and make comments on your live stream that you don’t control.”
The firm’s multi-jurisdictional setup helps creators access legal support in various locations. “We have a lot of attorneys across the country,” Will explains. “We have folks in your local jurisdiction to help you with more of your local issues.”
Protecting Creator IP in the AI Age
Intellectual property protection has become more pressing with the rise of artificial intelligence. Will describes AI as “an absolute double-edged sword” that enables faster content creation while simultaneously making it easier for others to misuse creators’ work.
GreenRoom Legal helps creators determine what is copyrightable in AI-assisted work, understand recent U.S. rulings about AI-generated content, and address deepfakes and unauthorized content generation. “We’ve spent a lot of time with clients trying to stop those sharing platforms from generating that content,” Will says, noting that female clients have been particularly targeted with non-consensual explicit AI-generated content.
The firm also teaches clients about the differences between types of IP and their long-term value. “The difference between a personality and a brand is what I would say,” Will explains. “When we’re looking at a game or a format or original characters and stories that are not a person’s face. That IP is very valuable for potentially decades to come.” By contrast, personality-focused content has “a much shorter tail,” financially speaking.
Preparing Creator Businesses for Tomorrow
GreenRoom Legal highlights data privacy regulations as a key area requiring immediate creator attention. Many creator merchandise operations and community platforms aren’t meeting requirements for regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA.
“We have a lot of creators that are either unaware or choosing to be unaware of those obligations,” Will warns. “It’s a place that has huge risk and also has the chance to be a really big black eye for a creator who kind of falls into that.”
The firm also notes that child labor laws affecting digital content creation could reshape family channels and young creator opportunities. These insights help GreenRoom clients prepare for regulatory changes before they arrive.
A Partner in Creators’ Corners
As Will emphasizes, what defines GreenRoom Legal’s approach is their commitment to serving as impartial advocates for creators’ best interests. “We’re here to be that person for you that doesn’t have a financial interest in what happens. We just want you to win,” he says.
This advocacy goes beyond legal details to include career strategy and business growth. The firm has developed alongside the creator economy, seeing the post-COVID increase that has made creators more aware of their legal needs.
“The 1% [of creators making over $100,000] is becoming so much more business savvy, so much more aware that they’re aware of some of their own shortcomings as a professional,” Will observes. “You’re becoming a business; you need to have a legal team.”
For creators facing industry Goliaths with vastly more resources and power, having a dedicated David in their corner can make all the difference. As Will puts it clearly, “We’re in your corner. We’re not in it for anything other than to really help you get to where you want to be.”