Paul Dainty, Bohm Presents & More Back New Talent Booking Platform acta
TEG Dainty president Paul Dainty, and Bohm Presents co-founders Seb and Adrian Bohm, are among the industry heavyweights throwing their clout behind acta — a new booking platform that promises to distribute the entire fee to the talent and their team.
Unveiled today, Aug. 27, acta launches with upwards of 2,500 entertainers ready for action, including singers, actors, comedians, athletes and more, representatives say.
“acta is a central marketplace, guaranteeing talent bookers direct access to talent and their true representatives,” reads the blurb on its homepage. “Free of charge to talent, the platform streamlines the booking process and provides a source of truth for all parties.”
A slew of recording artists have cast their support for the startup by contributing recordings for the “Find me on acta” campaign, including Peking Duk, Casey Donovan, Kate Ceberano, Touch Sensitive, Megan Washington, Vanessa Amarosi, and Timomatic.
The new service is a one-stop-shop with a point of difference: 100% of the fee is shared with the talent and their own management reps.
Instead, the platform charges talent bookers a fee per booking that is “separate to and above the talent fee,” reads a statement. This fee is said to allow the talent booker access to the marketplace, where they can search artists or engage with the service’s talent curation team for recommendations based on brief or budget.
Currently, a spokesman tells The Music Network, more than 700 talent bookers are using acta.
The platform launched in Beta in mid-2022, and has reportedly facilitated over $4.7 million in direct talent payments from 725 exchanged talent booking contracts.
Also, more than 100 talent agencies and management companies are understood to support the business, including Lonely Lands Agency, Cult Artists, Lucky Ent and others.
“acta represents a paradigm shift in talent booking, ensuring that talent are fairly compensated for their craft. This platform empowers talent and elevates industry standards,” comments Paul Dainty, one of Australia’s leading concert promoters.
Adds Frank Stivala, managing director, Premier Artists, a division of Mushroom Group: “acta is a desperately needed evolution which greatly assists both talent brokers and agents alike.”
Led by founder and CEO Harris Meitanis, the acta ownership team includes Dainty, the Bohms, Shaun Levin (chairman, Profile Talent Management), Brad Drummond (head of comedy & speakers, TEG Dainty), Rob Frank (Verve Creative, Cheeky Food Group) and Calum Anderson (ex-Universal Music Australia/talent manager/TMN 30 Under 30 class of 2021).