Contract drafting tips for celebrities and talent management agencies?

[Gioiabwear Yong]

Hi! I’ve just joined a contract drafting competition.

The context is: There is a talent management company called Vortex. They will be acting as Singer X’s exclusive talent manager. They are now going to execute a Talent Management Agreement.

So it contains terms like: Definitions and Interpretation, Appointment and Exclusivity, Term and Renewal, Revenue, Commission and Payment Structure etc.

Does anyone have any idea how to draft this? Am I supposed to look up a standard doc on Westlaw for this? If yes, what are my next steps for this?

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

Hi! I’ve just joined a contract drafting competition.

The context is: There is a talent management company called Vortex. They will be acting as Singer X’s exclusive talent manager. They are now going to execute a Talent Management Agreement.

So it contains terms like: Definitions and Interpretation, Appointment and Exclusivity, Term and Renewal, Revenue, Commission and Payment Structure etc.

Does anyone have any idea how to draft this? Am I supposed to look up a standard doc on Westlaw for this? If yes, what are my next steps for this?

Hey!

I personally wouldn't jump straight into drafting from scratch! I've found a few precedents from a quick search on Practical Law, which would be a good starting point if you have access. I'd search for things like "artist management agreement", "talent agency agreement" or "exclusive management agreement", as it might come under a different name but achieve the same goal.

However, I wouldn't treat the precedent as the overall answer, and instead I'd use it to understand the structure and typical market practice. You could work clause by clause and ask:

• What commercial problem is this clause solving?
• Which party does it favour/protect?
• Does the drafting actually reflect the facts?

For example, for Appointment and Exclusivity I would think about the scope and any restrictions, for Revenue/Commission I would think about what income is included/excluded and the timing of payment, and for Term/Renewal I would think about exit rights and what happens after termination.

From my experience with commercial competitions, it is often less about producing a perfect industry document and more about showing you are commercially aware, can identify issues, and draft deliberately to protect your client, rather than copying from a template.

I hope that helps as a starting point, and best of luck with the competition!