FAQ’s

Our commission is normally included within the overall budget established for the Talent, not in addition to it. However we do sometimes quote fees for our service or for giving advice where a project may not require a fee to be paid to the Talent. We may also charge a cancellation fee where we have spent a considerable amount of time working on a project and where we have confirmed the involvement of the Talent, when the client then arbitrarily cancels the project at the last minute. We sometimes require a client to sign a Conditional Fee Agreement to cover our costs if we judge that the amount of work involved in a project will involve so much of our time and expense for a very speculative project.

No. Most Talent will have different agents for different aspects of their work. There are Movie Agents, Theatrical Agents, Literary Agents, Voice Over Agents, TV Agents, Speaker Agents. Even PR/Lifestyle Agents who specialise in placing Talent in lifestyle publications and getting them seen in the media by attending movie premiers and high profile events. Depending on your needs you should contact the appropriate agent. Useful Talent are Commercial Agents specialising exclusively in advertising, endorsements, product launches and corporate entertainment. Many celebrities have completed our special questionnaire and registered with us for advertising and commercial work giving us their personal contact details and personal preferences which enables us to match the right celebrity to the right campaign at the right price. However, we are NOT their exclusive agent and it is not our responsibility to seek and secure work for individual Talent. Because we are independent we have an outstanding reputation for skill and integrity in matching the aspirations and strategic marketing plans of major international advertisers with precisely the correct celebrity spokesperson.

Our directors and staff are an enthusiastic group of young professionals qualified in advertising and public relations. We speak the same language as our agency clients as well as being highly skilled in negotiating the best deals with managements when buying Talent. We consult with our clients in the Advertising, Marketing and PR industry to identify the celebrity or personality with the strongest appeal to the target market who will deliver the best possible results at the most economical cost for any proposed celebrity led advertising or endorsement campaign. We give our clients unlimited ideas and suggestions completely free of charge. We will contact the appropriate celebrity, personality, sports star, musician, comedian, or Hollywood star by the method THEY have requested to negotiate the best terms on behalf of our client. We prepare, issue and negotiate water-tight contracts to bind and protect both the client and the Talent. We deal with the payment of deposits and arrange for the collection and payment of subsequent contractual monies. If necessary we will arrange for payments to be made in ways designed to reduce the tax burden of the Talent concerned. Sometimes it is only through thoughtful accounting in conjunction with our experienced lawyers and taxation experts that will encourage a particular Talent to agree to undertake a contract. We can make financial arrangements a big client may not. We make all the necessary arrangements for the travel and attendance of the selected Talent at the studio or other venue and personally supervise whatever activity is called for under the contract. We are one of the most experienced and reliable agencies in the world for any commercial activity concerning any type of celebrity.

The Useful Talent Group, with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and now, Abu Dhabi has been responsible for generating and innumerable celebrity led endorsement and advertising contracts ranging from the very modest to multi-million dollar campaigns. Our directors and staff are an enthusiastic group of young professionals qualified in advertising and public relations who speak the same language as our clients as well as being highly skilled in negotiating the best deals when buying talent.

Useful Talent  has long established contacts directly with many celebrities, personalities, and sports stars as well as with their representatives, agents, managers, publicists, attorneys, and personal assistants. Many celebrities have completed our special questionnaire listing their personal product preferences and preferred method of contact. That is why we are able to access major British, European and Hollywood talent with the minimum delay and have an outstanding reputation for skill and integrity in matching the aspirations and strategic marketing plans of major international advertisers with precisely the correct celebrity spokesperson.

Usually. Because we are quoting for projects and campaigns on a daily basis we can often advise a client on the level of fee to allow in the budget for a celebrity before they even have a particular personality in mind. We will only ever propose Talent for a job who we consider to be suitable for the project and within the specified budget, whether we represent them or not.

Yes. We’re always pleased to speak to new potential clients. Because our advice is completely impartial we can tell you if we feel one personality is more suitable than another and whether their fee is good value for money. Because we maintain current data on thousands of celebrities we can advise on which celebrities will consider which type of work and what fee they are likely to quote. This free advice will save dozens of calls to numerous agents who would only supply information on the celebrities they represent. We will supply information on any Talent in which you might be interested.

Yes. Our contracts have been drawn up by specialist lawyers to protect our client and have been successfully tested in the Courts. We also offer a guarantee that in the event of illness preventing a celebrity from attending and event, we will provide an alternative celebrity of equal or superior status at no extra cost. No ordinary agent could, or would, offer this guarantee.

Most often. Because we have providing celebrities with commercial work for more than 30 years we can often persuade Talent to consider a project, or a fee below that which might be quoted elsewhere. Our long experience and keen negotiating skills can often save our clients substantial sums of money. We know the going rate for most projects because we are buying and selling Talent services every day of the week. A Talent agent will often ask for the maximum budget available, whether this is a fair fee or not.

Because we specialise ONLY in advertising, endorsements, product launches, PR events, corporate entertainment and personal appearances and know precisely which questions to ask to enable us to quote an approximate figure for most Talent within minutes of receiving a brief. Our specialist division Dead Famous even co-represents hundreds of deceased celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Albert Einstein. No ordinary agent can offer this service.

Because hundreds of popular celebrities register with us for advertising work. They will also have their traditional agents for other types of work. If you need a celebrity for a TV programme, contact their agent. If you are from the media and wish to interview a celebrity, please contact their publicist. But if you need Talent for anything commercial, contact Useful Talent first.