Talent payroll

Our talent payroll department manages the payment of session fees (when work occurs) and residuals/usage (for the ongoing use of an actor’s performance and likeness) for union and nonunion actors, extras, voiceover artists, singers, and other performers in advertising content of all types in all media. As an administrative Employer of Record (EOR), we handle the details of paying talent classified as W-2 employees including wage calculations, withholding and remittance of employee payroll taxes and remittance of employer’s portion of the payroll tax, union benefit contributions, unemployment claims, coverage for workers’ compensation, and year-end W-2s. We also pay loan-out corporations (talent incorporated as a C-Corp or S-Corp).

Talent business affairs

When working with union performers on any type of marketing content — a traditional broadcast commercial, an online video, a live appearance, or a combination of services —a deep understanding of union contracts, labor laws, rights, and accurate estimating and tracking of all usage is required.

Our Business Affairs division is staffed with experts in managing the nuances of engaging union and nonunion talent across all project types, providing clients with essential support for smooth project execution.

Services include:

• Review of talent releases and agreements
• Preparation of talent contracts
• Script and storyboard reviews to evaluate cast categories
• Estimation of session fees and residuals/use for talent
• Assistance with casting spec development
• Cast clearance management
• Taft-Hartley report preparation and submission
• PSA waiver preparation and submission
• Detailed interpretation of SAG-AFTRA, AFM-CFM, ACTRA, and UDA agreements and guidelines

Signatory

We wholly own third-party signatory entities to help clients not signed to a union agreement work with union actors, voiceover artists, singers, and other performers. Our signatory entities are signed to many of the agreements of the following unions and guilds:

• SAG-AFTRA
• ACTRA
• UDA
• AFM
• CFM 

Celebrity and influencer engagement

For clients engaging celebrities or influencers in their ad campaigns, we provide expert guidance from concept to contract, managing payment schedules and ensuring union benefit contributions are met.

Additional Support & Technology Solutions

Global Talent & Rights Management Process Creation
We collaborate with advertisers to develop a uniform process for how talent and licensed element data is to be recorded, nomenclature to be used, and an overall framework designed for their corporate brand structure. We then help implement that process throughout the marketer’s creative supply chain.

Traffic
Our traffic team brings order and efficiency to the logistics of getting advertising to the appropriate broadcast, cable, radio, and print media outlets on time with clear instructions. We bridge the gap between creative and media agencies and manage the needs of an increasing number of players involved in getting advertising content distributed to multiple media.

Network Clearance
Media buys have become more expensive and media plans are more detailed and strategic in order to connect with niche groups of consumers across multiple platforms. We know the requirements of each network’s standards & practices department and understand the nuances that can impact whether or not an ad is cleared by a network or cable channel. We also We analyze scripts and storyboards prior to submission to networks and highlight elements that might impede a project’s chances of being shown., and provide alternatives to questionable content that align with our client’s creative prior to submission to help expedite the review process.

Music Publishing Administration
Advertisers who commission original music for their commercials can collect royalties when that commercial is broadcast, and revenue on heavily played commercials can be significant. Collecting performance royalties for music in commercials is a specialized process that has rapidly evolved in recent years. Our experts stay apprised of the latest digital monitoring services, fingerprinting and watermarking options, eligibility for payment requirements, and new streaming services and technology.

Vendor Payments
To facilitate the ability of in-house production departments to produce content quickly, our team has designed a system that allows for:

• Expedited payment of production vendors
• Transparent reporting of expenditures per project
• Cost-effective fee structure

Our Talent & Rights Management platform helps you manage:

• Talent usage tracking and expiration dates
• Licensed element tracking for each project
• Entry of essential metadata on usage conditions
• Upload of reference versions of assets
• Storage of key document copies
• Custom report generation

Clearance Platform
Our clearance platform is a modern solution for managing the clearance of commercials. Designed by our industry experts to be efficient for both the user and the approver at the network or station, this intuitive system allows our network clearance specialists to:

• Submit scripts, boards, and video to as many stations as needed for clearance
• Monitor each station’s response and act accordingly, such as submitting additional files for substantiation
• Communicate updated clearance statuses on a per-station level to the client in one unified report