This is how it should work: paying talent and agencies the day after a shoot.

We live by the Golden Rule around here and there’s no better test of our commitment to it than sending money out the door as fast as we can. As a policy, we push to get talent fees advanced prior to a shoot so we can pay our talent (and our affiliate talent agencies) as fast as possible.

Why should anyone in this business wait 60-120 days to get paid? Sometimes is just big companies squeezing their “vendors” tolerance (or weakness because they can’t afford to fight the delay or risk alienating the client by asking for penalties) to make interest on the float. Sometimes it’s just bad management and payable processes. Regardless, if you are the vendor, big or small, it’s a terrible feeling to be helplessly waiting by the mailbox. It feels bad because you are not in control and that fact is exploited.

So we push hard to get money on the front end so we can dole it out when the project is done. Selling this idea, of advancing the fees, to clients is fairly easy even though it’s highly unusual in our industry. We simply explain to the client that they’ll get more motivated, prompt, happy talent knowing they get paid quickly.

One of our jobs is protecting the rights of talent and clients alike. In this case, paying talent quickly serves everyone’s best interest.

The Golden Rule commands us to treat others the way we want to be treated. Paying our talent and agents early definitely meets that command!