Sarah Clarity Studios

Explaining Your IP at an Interview? Yeah, okay, we can talk about that.

So, depending on your interview, you will need to come up with different explanations.

If it is for an interview for a different position, and your IP really falls under the category of “hobbies / interests” then keep it short. If it is for any other conversation, also keep it short. Here’s why.

Interviewer: “You put here on your cover letter that you also are working on your IP that is similar in tone to ours? Can you tell me more about that?”

You: “I did. Yes, in fact, I work on my IP almost every night after work. That much won’t change even if you hire me for X position. I plan to learn as much as I can from your team and I will bring any knowledge and secrets I’ve learned from creating my own IP to yours. I’m all in!”

Note that you didn’t go into explaining what your IP was in this case. If the company interviewing you is already acknowledging the fact that your IP is similar in tone to theirs, they don’t need a repeat of what they – and you – already know. You are safe here.

Here’s the scenario continued:

Interviewer: “Well, we are thinking about acquiring your IP under our next unpublished franchise. How much would you be willing to be paid to accept our offer?”

You: “Wow, thanks so much for the offer. Why don’t we take a day to outline what we would like from both sides and come back to discuss it? That way we can make sure everyone is happy.”

So, for your information, your sense of business negotiation will have to be more than sharp if you are dealing with any company or entity bigger than you.

If you are looking at big name companies, just know that everything has to be on paper. You need to know what legal terms mean, because legal jargon throws off anyone who is not in the legal field, and you can’t just sign something without knowing what you are agreeing to.

To be completely honest, if you are being asked about your IP at interviews, you shouldn’t be showing anything unless you have already obtained the copyright to your work. Unfortunately, people lie, and you may be told, “that’s a great idea, can you send us your stuff?” and then you will, and then you may hear crickets, because someone decided to put your IP complete and nice all into cold storage for 20 years.

The same story came from 2 different individuals I talked with in my life. One was a contractor and no one famous. The other one very renowned, from the industry, etc., etc. Same story, different IP ideas, huge profits made by companies with titled movie franchises that shall remain unnamed. Both men told me that it was about 20 years later, they saw the idea that they had pitched when they were young, 19 or in their mid-twenties, on the big screen in America. And they got no credit, no money, no profit, and no gains. Both remain quite bitter about the unfortunate encounter, and even though we feel terrible, what can we reasonably do?

The only thing I can think about is to warn those who are creating their IPs to be public to be prepared before going in.

Even within companies, in internal workings, things can get dicey. Who took the credit for what? Who really drew that last splash piece, when so-and-so from Department C had to come in and redo the entire thing? Was it the original assigned artist? Or so-and-so from Department C? That recognition could be the difference between a promotion to Director or not. Right?

So instead of spending years on your IP that can get stolen very easily from companies, I want to suggest that you keep your entire IP under your name, under copyright.

Be aware of Tiered Interviews or talks, in which you are asked to show more and more of your IP. Remember the end of it could be, as one of the men who informed me said, “Sorry, we decided to go in a different creative direction. Cute idea, though!” And the idea got put in cold storage for 20 years and made a big debut at the end.

20 years! That’s two decades, folks, and you need to think long-term too.

In your desire to get “rich and famous” or to get the popularity of your dreams, just know that there are bigger fish out there with bigger ambitions and bigger pockets, and as a little fish who is aware, I want you to know that being careful will save your IP’s life in more than one way.

So, let’s talk about dodging probing interview questions about your IP, when you know you want to be a junior artist, and no one should be offering you anything about buying your IP from you. Back to our interview scenario.

Interviewer: “Say, your IP looks a lot like ours. It seems like we could collaborate on quite a few things going forward in the future. Can you tell me more about it?”

You: “Sure! Well, you can see that we have female protagonists — a whole team of them! You guys have more a Sailor Moon vibe, I guess, and mine are more like…well, school girls in space school! I like how we both do the mini-skirt deal for the uniforms! Say, would you say that it’s the costume design that makes your IP?”

Interviewer: *Surprised* “It is. You got it right on the head! You’re sharp!”

You: “Thanks! Yeah, you know, I would love to learn more in this junior artist position, you know? I have so much to learn! When I learn more, after working with your team, I will definitely tell you how things are going with my IP!”

Note that you didn’t say, “I’ll tell you more!” In your efforts to redirect a conversation, just know that a) you will receive compliments that are meant to loosen up your speech so you overshare, and b) you may find yourself trying to please your person when really you should be ending the conversation.

Always say, “I’ll tell you how it goes!” so later, you can say, “Oh yeah, it’s going great!” or “You know, I haven’t been able to work on it in a while,” etc.

If you say, “I’ll tell you more,” even by accident, you know what that person will say later? “Well, it’s been 5 months since you’ve become junior artist. What do you think? How is that IP of yours going? I saw you working on it at lunch almost every day here! Tell me more! What have you discovered now?”

What are you going to say? “Sorry, I didn’t mean that in the interview? I wasn’t really working on my IP, you’re mistaken?”

Avoid this trap. Stick with, “I’ll tell you how it goes!”

Don’t think it is any easier once you are in a company to figure things out. Be sure you know what you want before you come in. Politics are everywhere, even in workplaces, and if you’re young, you won’t be aware of what’s going on.

Put everything on paper in writing. Be sure to know what contract you are signing. Ask for legal help if you have a legal department, etc.

It is much easier to negotiate from a contract. And that is the proper way to do business as well. Also, a verbal promise or even an email promise will not hold someone to their word. A legal contract will.

If you are a teen and you sign a contract, you may not be considered an adult officially. Do not let anyone cheat you out of a profit because you are wildly talented at a young age and you just didn’t know.

Even if someone says to you at 16 or 17, “Hey, we can split this profit 50 / 50,” tell them, “Sorry. I’m gonna wait until I’m 18. Thanks for the offer, but I have to say ‘no.’”

It has happened to artists before. They were very talented. They made their own IP from scratch. They were approached by other adults saying “we’ll split the profit with you 50 / 50,” but because he wasn’t a legal adult at the time, they took off with all the profit when it was his work.

If legally speaking, you are not an adult, other adults can take advantage of you, and it sounds horribly unfair, but the truth of the matter is, it’s a legal thing, and once you lose an IP, it’s impossible to get it back, usually.

More than the danger of missing your opportunity to share your IP with the world publicly, you have to look out for having your IP stolen from you under your nose, especially when it seems like the right thing to do to post your IP item by item online on a social media platform. We should talk about this too, later, everyone. Watch what you post online on other platforms that are not your own website. We never know who is looking at our stuff, and we want to make sure things are copyrighted if we are significantly progressed in our IPs that we want to make public one day.

These days, we are so lucky to have things like AI assistance in building things and also self-publishing or Indie options, we have many more opportunities to be a success with our IP than others who came before us. Don’t feel like it has to be a big name company! You can be so successful independently too, with 100% creative freedom. Don’t forget that.

Remember that you can self-publish your entire IP, and later on, a company can come and acquire it, which is a much safer way to go.

You have already published or released your IP in whole.

A company saw it, liked its potential for the market now, and decided to ask you if it could acquire your work. You say yes. You do it legally with a contract that is fair to you as well, and you are okay. Perfect. Well done!

So in an interview! Keep it modest. Showcase your knowledge of the industry or IP of that company, keep things general, and remember, always steer people towards contracts. Real writing on real paper. So you have a paper trail and an email that outlines exactly what the offer is, so you can check with other industry professionals to see if things are okay. And remember, the email is no good until you have it in an official contract.

Just like we tell people about scams and how scammers create a sense of urgency (“you have to help me now – I’m stuck in Hawaii! Can you send me $4,000?”), if you feel you are being pressed to talk about your IP more than you are ready, opt out. Sometimes it is just an interviewer who is insistent on knowing. Many times, it is someone who has a mind to steal your own.

If you ever feel rushed, the safe thing to do is to decline, say “thank you, but not at this time,” etc. And even if you by accident or unknowingly promised to send the next portion of your IP, if you get a sense that something is wrong, just don’t send the next agreed upon segment. Keep it safe with you instead.

Your IP is worth the wait, and it’s worth the caution it takes to protect it too.