Entertainment lawyer and actress Folu Storms has issued straightforward advice to creatives navigating investor relationships: document every conversation, hire lawyers early, and recognise that creative talent alone doesn’t exempt anyone from understanding business fundamentals.
Speaking at NECLive 2025 while discussing her role in the upcoming film “Aloma,” Folu Storms addressed the critical question of protecting creative vision when investors enter negotiations. “You definitely need lawyers in the room. That’s really the truth,” she stated without equivocation.
Folu Storms identified a dangerous pattern among enthusiastic creators: launching into conversations and action without written agreements, failing to clarify ownership, revenue splits, or payment timelines. “That really exposes you as someone passionate about creating in very dangerous ways,” she warned.
She challenged the perception that legal involvement creates excessive intensity or signals distrust. “I don’t know why creatives think it’s excessive to have a lawyer right from the beginning. There’s this idea that a lawyer makes it so intense. Have a lawyer earlier on,” she insisted.
Beyond formal legal representation, Folu Storms advocated for basic documentation discipline. “Stop having just phone conversations. Stop leaving it as ‘remember when we spoke that time?’ Everyone will forget, yourself included,” she stated. Her recommendation: follow phone discussions with email or WhatsApp messages reiterating what was discussed, creating written records that will be considered in legal proceedings if necessary.
The Red Circle star expanded her message to encompass fundamental business understanding. “The biggest misunderstanding is that creatives need to understand you are an entrepreneur. You are a business,” she declared. “Whether you are naturally talented in certain aspects or not, it’s your responsibility to learn how all aspects work so you know who to hire or who to beg to help you.”
She emphasised that even creatives who simply want to “show up, do whatever I need to do, and leave” must understand accountants’ and lawyers’ roles to hire appropriately and create a proper structure. She encouraged acceptance of failure as part of the learning process. “We have to be comfortable with failing, but fail quickly so you can fail forward,” she advised.
Regarding her experience on “Aloma,” Storms praised Pinpoint Media‘s structured approach and commitment to excellence, noting the production team’s consistent communication and problem-solving throughout the intensive 25-day shoot.
