Let’s talk about commissions.
I’m a theatrical talent agent and I earn a living by taking 10 percent of all the money my clients make working in film and television. That’s the standard amount. There are no exceptions.
For the sake of clarity, I’m talking about movies and scripted TV shows. Nonunion commercials are commissioned at a different rate, and it’s my understanding the rules are different for print. I don’t represent people who make a living posing for the pages of an L.L. Bean catalog, so I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Guys like me get 10 percent, and you should understand how this process works before you start working with an agent. So let’s go over it, one step at a time:
When you sign with my agency, I will ask you to fill out a check authorization. This is a form that I file with production companies when you book a job. It allows their payroll department to send me your earnings, instead of having them go directly to you. That check is then deposited in a Client Trust Account, which we keep at our bank. After that, I deduct my standard commission and forward the balance to you with a copy of the original statement.
Why do agents do this? Is it a trust
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