Seven years ago Myrthe van Pelt started her agency MVP Management, with which she guides journalists and presenters commercially and strategically. “To my great fortune, my agency attracted a number of interesting names within a year. That happened largely through word of mouth within the industry.”
By her own account she is media-addicted, reads at least one book a week and rates her job satisfaction as very high. Seven years ago Myrthe van Pelt started her agency MVP Management, with which she guides journalists and presenters commercially and strategically. “To my great fortune, my agency attracted a number of interesting names within a year. That happened largely through word of mouth within the industry.”
MVP Management represents, among others, Thomas Erdbrink, Welmoed Sijtsma, Iris de Graaf and Tim de Wit. “For these and many other talents we arrange the contracts with broadcasters, publishers and (media) companies and we play a coaching role in their careers. Because we are completely independent of broadcasters, channels and producers, we are really there for them as a sounding board and confidant.”
A healthy dose of chaos
‘We’, says Myrthe. Because although she is the founder and owner of MVP Management, she forms a dynamic and rock-solid duo with talent agent and producer Sophie Hoozemans – who also works part-time as a flight attendant at KLM. “What binds Myrthe and me is that neither of us likes structure and routine. We thrive on variety and a healthy dose of chaos and stress,” Sophie laughs.
Myrthe nods in agreement. “Never a dull moment with us. And we always fix it. Our personalities complement each other well. Sophie has a feel for people and empathy, I am rational. Together we get the very best out of every talent. That is why our work actually never stops.”
‘Kill them with kindness’
Because negotiating is an art, Myrthe knows. “My motto is ‘kill them with kindness’. During negotiations we are sincere, clear and friendly. But we do not settle for less. To achieve that, good preparation is essential. We do our research and are sure of our case. I know the public broadcaster’s collective labour agreement inside out, for example. Then it is a matter of daring to ask – and not accepting a ‘no’.”
““Never a dull moment with us. And we always fix it.””
In this way Myrthe and Sophie represent their talents’ interests with flair. “We know what is in line with the market at every moment in their careers, and that is what we fight for. We are honest negotiators – we do not sell something worth a quarter for a guilder. If I sell a talent’s services too expensively, that is not good for the talent’s career, nor for my agency,” Myrthe explains.
“We also sometimes play the card that a proposal is fine for now, but that in a year we will want to renegotiate the contract,” Sophie adds. “That way we get the maximum for our talents at the right moments.”
Parties often aim for ALL rights
A good contract is not only important commercially. “Media law, copyright and portrait rights play an important role in the industry,” Myrthe says. “Parties we conclude contracts with often aim for ALL rights – worldwide and until the end of time. That way they could, for example, have mugs made with a talent’s face on them, from which he or she then earns nothing. We want to avoid that, so for big contracts we bring Merel in.”
Merel Teunissen is a partner and lawyer at Liaise Advocaten and specialises in, among other things, media and privacy law. “What I watch for in contracts is that they state exactly what you are agreeing to. There must be no confusion about the arrangements. If I doubt whether the talent realises what something means, I put a note in the margin with the question: ‘Do you really want this?’. People easily skim over something or accept it because it sounds ‘logical’ and they are enthusiastic about the project. But as soon as you sign, you officially accept it. That can sometimes have unpleasant consequences,” Merel explains.
“This is exactly why I regularly ask Merel to read along critically,” Myrthe says. “It is nice to be able to point to a watertight contract when a party expects something from a talent that was not agreed. In that case something like that is non-negotiable – we sweep it off the table without hesitation.”
Myrthe and Merel have known each other for a long time. “Merel’s partner was a colleague of mine at Models at Work. He eventually went into entrepreneurship, and when I started my company I asked him to build my website. When ever bigger contracts started coming in at MVP Management for the talents, I needed legal expertise. It felt good to choose a young woman as my lawyer, so the choice was quickly made. Thanks to Merel’s expertise as a media lawyer, I can sleep soundly.”
From request to signature
Myrthe and Sophie guide journalists and presenters not only commercially and (with Merel’s assistance) legally, but also on substance. “We think along with them and advise whether a job is the right step for them if they want to build a sustainable career. If we think they had better not do it, we are honest about that,” Sophie explains. “Even when the talent themselves is enthusiastic about the job. We safeguard someone’s profile and the way that person is positioned ‘in the market’. As a result, we turn down a great many requests.”
All talents have MVP Management’s contact details on their channels. Requests for bookings and projects therefore come in to the agency first. “We call the client to ask about the substantive details, expectations and the budget,” Myrthe explains. “If we think it is promising, we call the talent in question for consultation and, if there is interest, we go with them to see the client or schedule a video call.”
“During the exploratory meeting, the talent is mainly focused on the substance of the assignment,” Sophie continues. “We ask critical questions about arrangements, fees, how long the contract runs and what is and is not allowed outside that job. If there is a verbal agreement, a contract follows – which we have Merel look at. Of course, within this process there is a big difference between contracts for chairing an event for a day and a television deal for a big programme.”
Myrthe adds that there are also big differences between the talents in terms of involvement in the business side. “Some read the contract letter by letter, others trust blindly that we have arranged it well and sign straight away.”
Speakers’ agency A Million Talks
Myrthe is also co-owner of speakers’ agency A Million Talks. “I do that together with a business partner. At MVP Management we get a lot of requests from people who would like a manager but are still at the start of their careers. By adding them to A Million Talks as up-and-coming talent, they have a springboard and the guidance that is sufficient at that point. It is a good way to spot new talent and offer them a platform.”
Knowledge and advice are worth money
An important lesson Myrthe and Sophie have by now learned from Merel? “Not giving away our knowledge for free,” Myrthe admits. “In the past I would, so to speak, go for coffee and a chat with the daughter of the neighbour’s sister. I happily connected her with contacts in my network and then often even paid the bill at the restaurant. In short: I incurred costs by sharing my knowledge and contacts. Thanks to Merel’s simple explanation – after all, you also pay for a session with a lawyer – people understand that we charge for such an advisory conversation.”
Legal and commercial advice for media talents
For people in the industry who need one-off legal or commercial advice, Myrthe and Merel together offer Media Sessions. “Think of an author who is offered a contract by a streaming service for the film rights. Or someone who is about to sign a contract with a publisher to write a book. If a book is adapted into a film, how much say does the author have in the script? And in the case of a book deal: what is your advance? We read the paperwork beforehand and prepare critical questions about the contract. The person who engages us has our brains at their disposal for 1.5 hours.”
“We notice that people who book a Media Session mainly need reassurance. They are afraid of being ‘ripped off’ and want our help to make good arrangements with the requesting party,” Merel adds. “That is justified, because we have occasionally helped someone who had been promised the earth, but where there was quite a lot of mud on it when we read the contract critically. Her face grew paler and paler during the Media Session and she was shocked by what she had almost signed for.”
“Together we pick the contract apart and brood on the negotiation strategy,” Myrthe continues. “We give practical tips on how they can approach this. The Media Session gives people peace of mind about a specific project and ensures that they sign a contract with confidence.”
Lawyers involved
Merel Teunissen
LawyerMerel advises and litigates in the fields of media law, film law, copyright, privacy law, contract law and intellectual property law. She acts for established and emerging media personalities, producers in film, television and podcasts, victims of unlawful publications and creative entrepreneurs.
