🔁 RECAP: What is it really like to run a talent agency?

Welcome to Dealmakers with Alex Segal ✍️, a Substack on the realities of being a talent agent, packed with weekly insights to keep you ahead of the game 🚀.

Having negotiated £40m+ in talent deals 💼 and grown company turnover 5x in 5 years 📈, I am sharing my experiences and knowledge of 17 years representing some of the biggest stars in the UK.

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🔁 RECAP: What is it really like to run a talent agency?

I often get asked when I find the time to focus on Dealmakers. ‘Do you write it during work?’ Absolutely not. There is so much going on in my working day that I am fully focused on InterTalent from start to finish. Leading a company is a non-stop juggling act, and I have to give attention to hundreds of different things every day. Some are planned, and much is unexpected.

I took over the reins of InterTalent in 2020 and became its youngest Managing Director in its 30+ year history.

I’d estimate at 250 clients across all areas. We also have a company I co-founded, Project 30 Studios & Ventures, as well as our investments in other companies. I recently spoke on a panel about how risk-taking is the major reason we have grown into so many different areas.

We now find ourselves as one of the largest privately owned entertainment talent agencies in the UK.

That’s never been the aim, though. Large isn’t a goal. It’s a by-product of executing the real aim, which is to be the most creative, influential and credible talent agency in the country. That’s been my vision ever since I was asked to lead the company.

That doesn’t happen overnight. It’s definitely not a straight line. It’s a constant juggling act every day to ensure that we all can operate to the best of our ability, to have the freedom to be successful and to take as many risks as we can.

My job is to move it all forward every day. I make a million decisions a day, some big and others small, knowing that every single decision we make has a ripple effect that ultimately impacts our macro vision.

You can do a business degree, but there is no course for running a talent agency. It’s not like any other business I know. The talent business is not for the faint-hearted. It takes a lot of different attributes to drive forward, many of which I had no idea I had or needed when I accepted the job.

The industry is constantly evolving, making it harder than ever to run a talent agency. It’s exciting and relentless. Thrilling and scary.

What does it really take to run a talent agency?

👀 Here is the truth.

Let’s go! ↓

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🤔 What is it really like to run a talent agency?

It takes a lot of attributes that might not always come naturally every day: decisiveness, vision, consistency, work ethic beyond any office hours, a thick skin when the punches come, showing up, the desire to learn daily, positivity, charisma, people skills, energy, ambition, fun and a real understanding of what this business is about.

Every day is an exciting mix of entrepreneurship, creativity and performance.

I’m not sure if there is another career like it.

You can’t just be a businessman. You can’t just be creative.

So let’s peek behind the curtain.

🔍 What do I really get up to running a talent agency?

In no particular order, this is what goes on behind the scenes when you run a talent agency like mine…

📌 Business: I am often making macro and micro business decisions every day. Ultimately, the buck stops with me, so I am making decisions based on what I think is best for the company now and in the future. This might be on structures within the company, new staff policies, how we continue to grow and a myriad of all sorts of things that arise in any working day. Often these things can need quick decisions, or come out of nowhere. I have to be ready to pivot. Being a privately owned company means there’s no red tape or waiting time. Sometimes it’s just GO.

📌 Finance: Every day I look at the figures. Our P&L. Overheads. Forecasting. Salaries. I have to focus on how much commission is coming in to the agency and how much we are spending, and where to spend it. Where is it important to go big, and where can we reassign? We are a privately owned company, so we can only spend what we have, and I can’t make decisions if I don’t know what’s going in and out. We look at our accounts and forecast with the agents for the year ahead. It’s near impossible to accurately plan income at a talent agency when work can be so up and down for clients, but the more informed we are, the better decisions we can make. I talk to our finance team all day, and I’m often asking for intel on so many aspects of our business.

📌 Staff: The most important part of any company is the people. Every day I am spending a lot of time with the team. Empowering them to be the best versions of themselves, engaging in their work, their lives, and focusing on morale. We have a great group, and I’m always trying to add to it (so I do a lot of interviewing too). If they have a problem, I’m there to help them solve it. Problem-solving is a major part of the job, and I love it. I jump in where I’m needed but give them full freedom and refuse to micro-manage. It’s not my style. I let them get on with it, and I’m at my desk when they need me. I make a point to go around the whole company a few times a day and check in with everyone. See what’s going on. We have individual KPI’s to assess progress quarterly, which allows us to determine their next steps, where they need help and how they can get to the next rung on the ladder. - and take a huge role in their progress, appraisals and happiness at the company.

📌 Delegation: This wasn’t something that came naturally to me. I thought I could do it all. I can’t. I have a strong group of key people around me that I rely on every day to lead various things without me getting involved whatsoever. I work with our Head of Divisions, who oversee their divisions. My Board of Directors, who help make the major company decisions, and our Talent Directors, who are responsible for our talent signing strategy and team meetings. My Chairman is on hand as my business partner every day. I speak to him more than I speak to anyone. First text is usually 6am, last can be midnight. And then there are the people whom I rely on more than anyone: my assistant and our office manager. They are the quarterbacks, and without them, nothing happens. They keep me on track and where I need to be at all times. Delegation is super important, and it also lets the team have key responsibilities and lets them shine.

📌 Talent: The fun part of the job. Working with our clients. Not just mine, but the whole company. To work with talented people and help create major opportunities for them. I spend most of my day on this. The admin and other things I can do at other times. Talking to producers, channels, platforms, and our clients is where I come alive. Strategising, planning, negotiating and meeting. I also love talent spotting. It’s one of my strongest skills, and I love meeting potential new clients. Working with talented people and elevating them is what we’re about. Our motto is transforming careers for exceptional talent, so I spend a lot of my day focusing on that.

📌 Trends & Industry News: If we want to stay ahead of the curve, I have to keep up to date with what is going on. Taking your eye off the ball can set you back quicker than you realise. I read a lot every day from websites to Substacks, and keep up to date with what is going on, where, and with whom. It’s important to stay in the know and clued up.

📌 Mentorship: I love helping the team learn and grow. Using my 17 years of experience, I feel like I’ve seen pretty much everything. After so long in the game, I’m able to see around corners before something happens. I take a lot of pride and have a lot of love for sharing experience, knowledge and wisdom with the team.

📌 Creativity: I’m always looking at new business ideas. I spend a lot of time working with the team on new projects and taking speculative meetings to see where they lead. I used to only take a meeting if I had a set agenda, but now I get more fun out of speculative ones that sometimes lead to the unexpected.

📌 Culture: This is very important. I work closely with our HR and other key people to ensure we are doing the best by our staff and that they’re enjoying being part of our company. With a team of 51, from all walks of life, it’s always a juggling act to ensure everyone is feeling good about being with each other. Our duty of care is really important, it’s not just fun activities and team trips (they’re important too).

📌 Data: As I’ve written about previously, data plays a very important part in how we strategise as a company. We still follow our gut and make bold choices, but having the data to hand can back those choices up. It allows us to get a proper picture of the market, the buyers, where we’re getting the most traction and what we should aim (and not aim) for. Data will beat gut more often than not, so I get sent a fair bit of it. It really does help us plan. Check out this post for a detailed take on why I am very happy that we are now using data to push our creativity.

📌 Communication: I know people say ‘your network is your net worth’, but it’s FACT. A huge part of what I’m about is relationships. Always go is a motto in our company. We turn up everywhere. I attend a lot both in the day and evenings, I meet people and stay connected to those I know. I want to meet everyone. Emails, WhatsApps, Calls, you name it, I’m on top of it all day every day. Communicating with the industry around me is a non-negotiable in running a top talent agency. A lot of my success comes down to who I know.

📌 Marketing: I care a lot about how we are internally, but equally as much about how we look externally to the outside world. I push everyone to have a personal brand if they wish, and spend time focusing on our marketing: our website, social media, and any other ways we can promote what we do. When we’re in a room with someone, I have full belief in getting the result we want but our marketing has to do the work when we’re not around, so it’s important to get it right.

📌 Leading by example: This is an undervaled one. My staff don’t see the majority of what I do day-to-day. They have no idea what I do to keep a major talent agency moving forward. All they see is me, my energy and vibe. So it’s really important that even when I’m dealing with something problematic or stuck in a difficult moment, I don’t project it on them. We’re in an open plan office so it’s even more important. I’m a positive person naturally, and like to have a lot of fun, so even in a tricky moment, it’s important to show up, never moan, go again, and keep that consistency no matter what else is going on. I’d like to hope the team respond to how hard I work, my energy and openness.

You currently receive The Dealmakers Playbook 🚀 & Weekly Industry News 🗞️.

A paid subscription gets you:

✓ LOTS more talent agent insight with Ask The Agent 🧠
✓ My Q&A with VIPs 💡 series with industry stars
✓ 50% off all of the Dealmakers Deal Sheets ✨
✓ PLUS the actual Secret Toolkits 🔥 I use daily to stay one step ahead

📥 Get in touch with me alex@intertalentgroup.com