Case Study: Media Liability for a One-Person Creative Business

Client Profile

A freelance ghostwriter produces autobiographies and memoirs for public figures, executives, and other private individuals. While the operation is small—just a single person generating under $100K annually—the work produced is deeply personal, widely distributed, and legally sensitive.

Ghostwriting may sound simple, but the liability exposures are anything but.

The Challenge

When the ghostwriter approached us, they had no coverage in place, despite working on projects that could result in claims arising out of 

• Defamation, Libel, Slander, and other forms of reputational harm 
• Writing in a false light, disclosure, and failure to keep confidentiality (Invasion of Privacy) 
• Unintentional theft of Intellectual property and plagiarism
• Misrepresentation and misstatements
• Network security breaches 

Given the low potential for commissions and the complexity of such a risk, a traditional broker may prematurely hit the pass button. Another broker may misclassify the business in a portal, opening up exposure for not only poor coverage, but also E&O for their brokerage and their customer’s agency. At Flow, our technology frees up capacity for our highly knowledgeable brokers to do what they do best - find the best solutions and provide value-add proposals that are ready to be delivered directly to the insured.

Flow’s Approach

At Flow, we don’t size our service based on a business’s revenue. We scoped out what this client needed by thinking like a publisher’s legal team:

1. We scoured the marketplace for top-notch carriers with matching appetites.
   
2. Analyzed coverage using our cutting-edge AI, paired with human broker expertise to ensure relevant coverages such as...
   
   
   • Intellectual property disputes and legal fallout from sharing private facts without full consent
   • Claims of plagiarism or ghostwritten content being too similar to others
   • Personal injury and privacy violations - including allegations of defamation or misrepresentation in a published memoir
   • Subcontractor vicarious liability (in case of any incidental freelance work)
   • Breach of contract—a critical but often excluded coverage
   • First and Third Party Cyber with suitable limits for events like manuscript leaks or phishing attacks

The Outcome

A fair-priced, comprehensive media-led coverage form to address their largest exposures. The client now has coverage for the full scope of their creative and digital risks all under one streamlined policy designed for media professionals.

Why It Matters

Media creators—especially freelancers—often fly under the radar when it comes to proper liability coverage. Yet their work is public-facing and legally exposed. Many traditional brokers overlook these needs due to small premiums or assume general liability is enough.

At Flow, we use our tech-enabled quoting engine to pull competitive options and identify nuanced coverage differences to help clients like this one get real protection without breaking the bank.

Takeaway for Agents

If you're working with creatives—writers, publishers, podcast producers, or digital consultants—don't stop at general liability. Flow makes it simple to access specialized media E&O and cyber policies designed for small operations with big exposure.

One-person business. One comprehensive policy. Zero shortcuts.

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