Talent holding deal (sometimes spelled ''Talent-holding deal'') is a

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

between an entertainer or artist and a representing agency, valid while the agency is developing a movie, television program, live performance act, album or other entertainment venue for an artist. In this context, the "agency" may actually be a television network, music or movie production company, or an individual agent. It is a type of

retainer agreement A retainer agreement is a work-for-hire contract. It falls between a one-off contract and permanent employment, which may be full-time or part-time. Its distinguishing feature is that the client or customer pays in advance for professional work ...

in that the artist is compensated for work yet to be determined. The deals usually require exclusivity for a fixed period of time, in which the entertainer agrees to not sign or work with any other agencies during the period of the contract.

Uses and examples

There are a variety of reasons for an entertainer and an agency to enter this type of contract. Some examples include: *

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

signed a talent holding deal with ABC after coming off two successful consecutive television programs on the same network, ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which was originally broadcast on ABC. It premiered on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombi ...

'' and '' Desperate Housewives''. The deal allowed ABC to keep an exclusive working relationship with Williams while they created a new show for her, while she was in between starring roles in their productions. *

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...

had maintained a talent holding deal with HBO after a failed pilot for ''Tilda'', for work in future undetermined programs. allowing the network to maintain a relationship after failing previously to get her program broadcast. * A talent holding deal may also be used as a prize for a contest, such as when

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

held its ''Stand Up For Diversity Talent Search'', awarding the contract well in advance of developing a broadcast show or medium for the winner of the contest. * Another use is when a network wants to recruit talent from a different network but doesn't have a specific show or program to offer the entertainer. An example is

Corey Reynolds Corey Reynolds (born July 3, 1974) is an American actor known for originating the role of Seaweed in the Broadway adaptation of ''Hairspray'', and for the TNT crime show ''The Closer''. Early life and career Reynolds was born in Richmond, Virgin ...

, who had spent the past seven seasons portraying Sgt. David Gabriel in the drama ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a c ...

'', a program on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

. He was offered the chance to continue the role in spin-off series '' Major Crimes'' with costar

Mary McDonnell Mary Eileen McDonnell (born April 28, 1952) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in '' Dances with Wolves'' and May-Alice Culhane in ''Passion Fish''. Mc ...

by TNT, but NBC was able to convince him by the offer of a talent holding deal.Corey Reynolds Signs Talent Deal With NBC, Won’t Join ‘The Closer’ Spinoff On TNT
/ref> * In her quasi-reality dramedy, "

Fat Actress ''Fat Actress'' is an American comedy television series starring Kirstie Alley. In the United States, it aired on Showtime from March 7 to April 18, 2005. The series was created and written by Alley and Brenda Hampton. Premise Alley gave a gl ...

", Kirsty Alley signed a Talent holding deal with

while she tries to lose weight.

References

{{reflist Contract law