This was a great article written by the head of our commercial department Noel Palm. It is worth a read.
I head the Commercial Department at Venture I.A.B Talent Agency in Los Angeles and our office in San Francisco. A question that I am frequently asked by clients that work for scale is “can you get me endorsements”. I want to take a minute to discuss the reason for corporate America to get involved with talent and why particular talent is able to endorse product. Having a platform is the key. Top athletes use their sport, hosts use TV shows(and recently content generated specifically for the web), and actors use Film and TV. This is essential for brands to get behind, because these pop culture celebrities bring both an established image as well as a built in fan base to the table. In the past year we have negotiated endorsement deals for clients that include exercise equipment, sports products, green living apparel, automotive, lip balm, sports apparel, spokesmen for web portals, wireless products,and others. In each case the client had a defined niche and a built in following, which is why hosting is a lucrative business if you possess the skill set. Hosting gives you a platform in a specific world that is not necessarily the NBA or an Oscar winning film, and generates interest from companies if talent can become a brand leader in a specific arena. Despite the current state of TV commercial production, the opportunity to extract ad dollars from companies is actually growing, due to the expanding formats to distribute content and advertising. We have seen brands partner up with both pop culture celebrities and specialists to create sponsor supplied “webisodes”, and rev share deals with non celebrities on platforms such as YouTube. In a time when major corporations are scrambling to find out where they can maximize their ad spending, the best bet is to carve out your own niche.
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