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

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

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 w ...

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 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 aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'' and ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American mystery comedy-drama television series created by Marc Cherry, and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a tota ...

''. 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. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

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 commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

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

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American police procedural television series starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department Chief of police#United States, deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, G ...

'', a program on TNT. 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 Awards, Academy Award nominations for her roles as Stands With A Fist in ''Dances With Wolves'' and May-Alice Culhane in ''Pas ...

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'', Kirstie Alley signed a Talent holding deal with

while she tries to lose weight.

References

{{reflist Contract law