Media and Communications
Fragomen is the largest immigration firm serving the media and communications industry. We represent every type of client in the space—news organizations and outlets, entertainment conglomerates, public relations firms, advertising agencies and concert producers and promoters, to name a few.
These clients face unique challenges, grappling with intense regulation, stringent local restrictions and a baffling variety of travel arrangements worldwide—all while executing an often-unpredictable series of employee moves, set at a lightning-fast pace by news cycles and production schedules.
Because of this complexity, the temptation to cling to legacy immigration programs or offload difficult issues to local providers who promise quick solutions is real—as real as the monetary, legal and reputational damage that can be caused by compliance failures.
As a trusted advisor to the media and communications sector for more than two decades, Fragomen offers an alternative. We leverage our global reach and experience in the sector to offer comprehensive yet nuanced services to the industry—with solutions that fit the idiosyncratic demands of each individual move.
Clients value us for:
Being there when it counts
International immigration was becoming more challenging long before COVID-19 swept the globe. Armed conflict, political unrest, climate change, and cultural and ethnic tensions have been on the rise for decades, bubbling up swiftly—and sometimes unexpectedly—in discrete locations around the world.
In addition to the traditional risks faced by journalists and other high-profile media workers, local conflicts can affect what used to be considered innocuous business travel—the shortest-term business trip can be interpreted by local authorities as a potential political act.
Fragomen is equipped to help media and communications companies, who are often drawn to regions in conflict because of their mission, manage the complications and risks inherent in immigration to and from countries undergoing seismic changes. We rely on decades of experience and extensive local contacts to help our clients manage extraordinary difficulties—increased security checks, last-minute refusals to entry, safety arrangements for threatened staff and travel to alternative destinations, among other challenges.
Unmatched global reach
Because the media and communications sectors are among the most heavily regulated industries in the world, the sheer variety of visas and other travel arrangements for journalists, entertainers, advertising and public relations personnel and related staff is stunning.
The specialized concerns, standards and timetables mandated by different countries can swamp immigration providers who lack Fragomen’s global experience. With a presence in more than 170 jurisdictions, we are familiar with every kind of immigration regulation produced by governments worldwide. When clients work with us, they benefit from a global perspective that opens up possibilities for immigration without exposing them to unanticipated risk.
Short-term thinking
In addition to more readily defined work assignments, short-term travel is a mainstay of the sector, from limited, news-event-related travel by reporters, to a musician’s concert tour involving short engagements in multiple countries.
Because employees and clients are often traveling to jurisdictions where their sponsor has not opened a local office, compliance risks in the industry are multiplied when compared to traditional business travel. Fragomen’s professionals thrive on guiding clients through these complex, short-term assignments in multiple regions. We help clients automate short-term business travel decisions, quickly identifying the most advantageous visa or travel regime that meets business needs and maintains compliance. Bottom line: we make the entire process more efficient and less risky.
Obsession with celebrity
Companies in the sector—especially, but not solely, entertainment companies—require extra planning and diligence due to the celebrity of many of their employees and clientele. Depending on the nature of their visa, a celebrity’s side activities, even if they seem purely personal, may qualify as unwarranted business. And their personal histories—and proclivities—may provide even further difficulty during the approval process.
We create programs that analyze, define and proscribe risky activities for celebrity clients, who may otherwise unintentionally trigger negative reactions from local authorities—avoiding missed work, financial penalties and unnecessary scandal.
Prescience
Swift political and cultural change can sometimes foster complacency or even nonchalance within immigration programs. Fragomen’s worldwide reach means that we are typically aware of immigration events and trends before the rest of the market—and we are able to build this awareness into our clients’ processes.
We are able to audit your immigration program based on the particular needs of the media and communications space—and we understand that the content produced by a company is as much an object of scrutiny as an employee’s documentation. Fragomen’s thorough, regular auditing analyzes client immigration programs at every level, providing protection against infractions, fines, or worse.
Optimism
Our media and communications clients boast a young, dynamic workforce, willing to relocate at a moment’s notice. But what happens when they want to stay?
Fragomen is well-acquainted with the pathways toward permanent residence in every jurisdiction where we work. We can help clients and employees create a game plan for achieving permanent residence that optimizes the chance for success.
Insight on Transactions
Sell-offs, acquisitions and mergers—often between companies with divergent mandates and workforce profiles—are now commonplace in the media and communications sectors. Fragomen is constantly working with companies in a state of corporate flux, so we know what you need to do when facing the raft of business transactions that take place in the industry—and, importantly, when you need to do it.
