When insurers serve media production clients today, they face an environment shaped by fast-moving formats and operational urgency. For Dan Woods, of Media Insurance Brokers (part of Howden), underwriting film and content production now means understanding how risk behaves across platforms, locations and timelines.
Woods entered the sector after roles in general insurance and broking. A post at Aon’s Pinewood Studios office introduced him to the media world, and over two decades he’s built a specialty in production risks spanning advertising, TV, and short-form digital content.
“When clients call saying, ‘Our director wants to put this person on a wire’, or, ‘We’ve had a change of script and now want to do a car stunt,’ we have to react very quickly,” he said. “This isn’t a sector where you place the policy and walk away.”
Unlike general insurance, media coverage demands continuous engagement. Once a policy is bound, brokers stay closely involved - approving risk assessments, managing cast declarations, and responding to sudden schedule changes.
“There is no nine to five, certainly,” Woods said. “Clients expect access whenever they’re filming, wherever they are.”
Delays are costly. “If a lead actor has an accident or becomes ill, production companies can be losing anything up to a quarter of a million pounds per day because they can't shoot,” he said.
Streaming, podcasts and user-generated content haven’t changed the overall risk categories, but they’ve altered which risks matter most. A podcaster can recover from a minor illness; a film crew cannot. YouTube creators may not need stunt insurance but face sharper defamation and copyright risks.
“Errors and omissions, which is libel, slander, defamation, were the primary concerns of content creators,” Woods said. “While these risks are a priority, certain elements don't carry as much of a risk for the new types of content.”
Still, Woods said, “the multitude of risks… hasn’t really changed. It’s more that certain risks are now more prevalent.”
Cyber threats in media often target infrastructure, not content. “Cyber coverage… must be purchased at a corporate level,” Woods said. “It’s more aimed at the actual corporate company itself.”
AI presents emerging uncertainty. Legal frameworks around likeness and copyright are still forming. Insurers respond via E&O policies, but require clear documentation of creative intent.
“If you're inputting something which says, ‘I want this content to look like that’, you are… on a path with a potential issue,” he said. “If you can demonstrate that you haven't purposely set out to create something which is like something else, the insurers will work with you.”
Woods avoids calling missing coverage in policies gaps. “There are terms, conditions, and exclusions,” he said. “It’s for the broker to highlight these and for the client to ask, ‘Is there an insurance solution for it?’”
Weather delays, reputational risk, hazardous stunts, and terrorism all require specific endorsements. COVID and similar threats have prompted blanket exclusions across many policies.
“Some of these covers exist, but they may not be in budget if they’re left too late,” he said.
Carrier choice, he added, depends not just on price, but on response time, sector expertise, and clarity at claims time.
As journalism, entertainment and online content continue to converge, insurance cover must be structured for adaptability. Static policies don’t suit an industry where production models, distribution platforms and legal risks shift mid-shoot.
For brokers, that means staying close to the process, not just at placement, but as scripts evolve, technologies change, and new exposures emerge. “Our job is to keep the client protected, even when they’re not sure what’s coming next,” said Woods.
