Senior Talent Manager

A WorkInProgress Senior Talent Manager is responsible for all financial and business affairs aspects of talent management for TV, radio, social and other integrated productions. A Senior Talent Manager serves as an expert and main point of contact for all talent matters including talent estimates, negotiations, residuals, music rights, SAG/AFTRA/AFM and other union rules/regulations.

• Estimate talent session and talent reuse/residual costs, holding fees on both a project and forecasted annual basis; communicate regular updates and reporting to our director of Video Production and Account & Strategy team.
• Personally conduct outreach and contract negotiation with creators in the social space, both for content licensing and new content creation.
• Determine accurate classification of all talent fees (i.e., industrial versus commercial, internet versus TV, allowable lifts, principal versus background extra, etc.) including upgrading/downgrading/outgrading as necessary.
• Lead contact/interfacing with TEAM talent payment platform and staff including hands- on knowledge of TEAM’s TOCS system.
• Vet celeb and influencer backgrounds during concepting phases to bring relevant brand risks to light.
• Prepare talent completion reports with producers, review talent invoices/billings and resolve union and/or state labor claims.
• Build and maintain relationships with talent agents, effectively negotiating costs and terms including overscale agreements that serve the best interests of common ground and our clients.
• Work with media/traffic to obtain flight schedules and GRP unit counts in order to estimate talent residual payments and ensure holding fees are authorized and paid on time; ensure that "MPUs" are known and anticipated.
• Lead contact/interfacing with relevant third party celebrity talent houses to identify/ballpark/negotiate/book celebrities and complete short and long form contracts.
• Maintain records of all aired content including year of production, expiration dates, periods of first fixed cycles, holding fees and use.
• Create and track all talent/music renewal estimates and usage extensions.
• Remain up to date on SAG rules and regulations and other relevant talent/artist unions and associations (i.e., AFTRA, AFM).
• Work directly with SAG to negotiate and process requested exceptions and waivers.
• Handle SAG, AFM and AFTRA claims and disputes by working directly with the union and handles all talent audits.
• Strong working knowledge and experience reviewing contracts, deal memos and other legal documents.
• Experience with offshore talent agreements and negotiations preferred but not mandatory.
• Proactively work to streamline and innovate talent processes, educate others and advance the overall functioning of the Talent Management discipline.

• 7+ years of agency or industry experience relevant to talent management.
• Comfortable working in a team environment and collaborating with cross-department leadership. 
• Consistently deliver a positive, constructive work attitude that includes respecting/supporting other WIP employees, clients and external partners.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including ability to present talent management details effectively to clients where necessary, and keep internal and external teams fully informed on all elements of your projects.
• Proven ability to be a part of a production team creating great work, via a portfolio of past work.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

WIP Perks and Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, short-term disability (STD), voluntary long-term disability (LTD), and voluntary life/AD&D.

• 3% 401k contribution.

• “Unlimited” paid time off (PTO) for vacation days.

• 27 paid days off, which includes 16 holidays, a 1-week agency closure in July, and a 2-week agency closure in December.

• 2 weeks fully remote per year.

• Discretionary annual bonus.

• Each employee receives a $1,500 personal training credit annually, known as the WIP Fund, to allow for personal or professional growth in specific interest or passion areas.

About Us

We believe every brand, and person, should be a work in progress.

It’s why the founding partners opened the agency in 2016, and why WorkInProgress helps brands boldly take action, innovate, and create to prove why they exist. Then we use those actions to create the most memorable advertising.

As an independent agency, we strive to prove that an agency can care as much about a client’s business as they do. And that advertising can play a fundamental role in building and growing a company.

We’re always looking for smart, creative, and passionate people that care more about changing a company than winning awards.

Inventors more than ad people. Problem solvers more than portfolio puffery pushers. No assholes. No egos. No hiding because you can’t do the job. No selfishness. No disrespecting people or their time. Insanely talented, yet incredibly humble. In other words, one in a million. Lucky for us, we want to stay small and independent.

Our office is located in Boulder, CO, and we require employees to work from the office Tuesdays and Thursdays.