Company named, DBA filed, some puppets done, waiting on title character.  Going solo, I want to make sure I am covering all my bases.  I have five interviews setup once I receive my character, and will be filming on a Samsung Tablet.  So, generic questions. What do I need to know?  What do I need to make sure I do?  What do I need to avoid?  Business wise, do I need releases for the people I interview?  Do I need releases from places I visit?  Any microphone recommendations that can plug into a phone or tablet? 

I don't think you need any type of release for places you visit as long as they are public places. Now if you where going in with more then just a tablet to film then yes there may be permits you would need but I don't think at this level you need to worry about it.

In regards to getting releases form people you interview I think again that because of the level you are at you don't need to worry about it.  When a news program does an interview with someone they don't get a release.

Really these questions should be answered by a lawyer who has looked at the details of what you are doing and not by me from the little bit of information you've given.  Just thought I should give that disclaimer.

LOL...lawyers cost money   No, you are right, but I know several here who are doing things online so thought I would ask.  Only reason I asked about a release is that I saw it being done in a puppet video fundraiser, otherwise I never would have thought about it.

Just a suggestion, but you could talk to Brian Hogg (http://www.hoggworks.com/) and others like him. Those with successful web series already under their belts. I know many here do web series, and I don't denigrate what they do, but Brian has been pretty good at gaining an audience outside the typical puppetry community. You sound like you're wanting to approach it from more of a business point of view rather than 'just' doing it as a hobby which means I think finding the people out there who are doing it in the same way.

I don't know how it works over in the US, but my local council offers regular free advice sessions for small businesses. It's only every so often and I've never been myself but maybe there's something near you that is the same. We also have a national arts business organisation that offers free advice to people who meet a certain low income level. It's a good idea to look around you because even though it's an unusual business there may be services for small companies that you can take advantage of, even if they don't get the arts part of it, they can often provide basic legal advice anyway.

We did a fairly simple "release" form when we filmed children... Their families were mainly old fans of our puppet theater and people we sort of knew ... but we figured better safe than sorry... it's cheap to print up a few and atleast get a signature from the participant... if your series gets popular and makes money then you never know who will come out of the woodwork demanding this and that... money changes everything.

Thanks for the suggestion Na

You sound like you're wanting to approach it from more of a business point of view rather than 'just' doing it as a hobby

-ish.  Going along with Sassafrass, I am trying to get everything in order just in case.  I don't want to get stuff up, it take off, then try to transition from hobby to business.  So, right now it is a hobby business :D  I have the paperwork, bank account, and everything needed to keep it separate from the beginning.  It will be a tougher road, but I'm betting it will pay off.

I have to agree, you should absolutely get a release if it's possible. Not so much because it's necessary for what you're doing right now, but because it's a best practice and if you have it, you have it. It's a bit like having insurance, you'll probably never need it, but if your house burns down you'll be glad you got it.

For the documentary I'm currently finishing I'm using a few random behind-the-scenes clips I filmed years ago for another project. We had releases from the cast and crew that enable us to use the clip today. Without getting those releases years ago, I would have a really hard time tracking down everyone who appears in the clips today to get the necessary permissions. So you never know.

Thanks for the suggestion Na

-ish.  Going along with Sassafrass, I am trying to get everything in order just in case.  I don't want to get stuff up, it take off, then try to transition from hobby to business.  So, right now it is a hobby business :D  I have the paperwork, bank account, and everything needed to keep it separate from the beginning.  It will be a tougher road, but I'm betting it will pay off.

That makes sense. I recommend also coming up with an exit strategy for business affairs too. Nobody plans for it, which makes it tricky down the road. Not suggesting that you'll have bad luck, but from experience it's good to have something so you know how to untangle everything down the line and helps keep you on track now. As an example: I recently got a notice from the tax office that a company I set up with friends hadn't been submitting taxes. This was despite me cancelling all the tax affairs many years ago due to lack of company activity. It turns out that there were 2 different tax issues that needed to be dealt with and I had only dealt with one. I wasn't the person in charge of the taxes originally and documentation of what to do when was non-existent, and despite me asking the tax office at the time of cancellation if there was anything else I needed to do, this was not told to me. I was lucky that the tax office was understanding about these things and fixed it with no trouble for me or anyone else.

Point being: if you make it a business and have paperwork, then make sure you have plans for any potential problems too. Cause it's quite easy to get yourself muddled   Set good procedures now and it'll save you lots of headaches later.