Seven years ago Myrthe van Pelt started her agency MVP Management, through which she guides journalists and presenters commercially and strategically. “Luckily for me, 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 a media addict, 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, through which she guides journalists and presenters commercially and strategically. “Luckily for me, 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 genuinely there for them as a sounding board and a 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 the rational one. Together we get the very best out of every talent. That is why our work never really stops.”
‘Kill them with kindness’
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 make sure we are on solid ground. I know the public broadcaster’s collective labour agreement inside out, for example. Then it is a matter of daring to ask, and of 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 the going rate is at every stage of their careers, and that is what we fight for. We are honest negotiators: we do not ask a premium for something that is not worth it. If I price a talent’s services too high, 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 are often after ALL rights
A good contract matters for more than the money. “Media law, copyright and image rights play an important role in the industry,” Myrthe says. “The parties we conclude contracts with are often after ALL rights, worldwide and in perpetuity. 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 and specialises in media and privacy law, among other things. “What I watch for in contracts is that they state exactly what you are agreeing to. There must be no confusion about what has been arranged. If I doubt whether the talent realises what something means, I put a note in the margin asking: ‘Do you really want this?’. People easily skim past something, or accept it because it sounds ‘logical’ and they are enthusiastic about the project. But the moment you sign, you have formally accepted it. That can have unpleasant consequences,” Merel explains.
“This is exactly why I regularly ask Merel to cast a critical eye over a contract,” Myrthe says. “It is good to be able to point to a watertight contract when a party expects something of a talent that was never agreed. Then it is simply not up for discussion, and we take 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 business for himself, and when I started my company I asked him to build my website. As the contracts coming in for MVP Management’s talents grew bigger, 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 sleep soundly.”
From request to signature
Myrthe and Sophie guide journalists and presenters commercially and, with Merel’s help, legally, but they also advise on the work itself. “We think it through with them and say whether a job is the right step if they want to build a career that lasts. If we think they should turn something down, we say so,” Sophie explains. “Even when the talent is enthusiastic about the job. We look after 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 list MVP Management’s contact details on their channels, so requests for bookings and projects come in to the agency first. “We ring the client to ask what the job involves, what they expect and what the budget is,” Myrthe explains. “If we think it is promising, we call the talent in question, and if there is interest we go with them to meet the client or set up a video call.”
“During that first meeting, the talent is mainly focused on the work itself,” Sophie continues. “We ask the critical questions about what has been agreed, the fee, how long the contract runs and what is and is not allowed outside that job. If there is a verbal agreement, a contract follows, and we have Merel look at it. There is of course a big difference between a contract for chairing an event for a day and a television deal for a major programme.”
Myrthe adds that the talents differ widely in how closely they follow the business side. “Some read the contract word for word, others simply trust 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 taking them on at A Million Talks as up-and-coming talent, they get a springboard and the guidance that is enough at that point. It is a good way to spot new talent and offer them a platform.”
Knowledge and advice are worth paying for
An important lesson Myrthe and Sophie have learned from Merel? “Not giving our knowledge away for free,” Myrthe admits. “In the past I would happily meet a friend of a friend for coffee, connect her with contacts in my network and then often even pick up the bill. In short: I was paying to share my knowledge and my contacts. Merel put it simply, you pay for a session with a lawyer too, and since then people understand that we charge for that kind of advisory session.”
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 with a publisher to write a book. If a book is adapted for the screen, how much say does the author have in the script? And in a book deal: what is your advance? We read the paperwork beforehand and prepare the critical questions about the contract. For an hour and a half, whoever engages us has our full attention.”
“We notice that people who book a Media Session mainly want reassurance. They are afraid of being ‘ripped off’ and want our help to agree sensible terms with the other side,” Merel adds. “That is understandable. We once helped someone who had been promised the earth, but a critical read of the contract turned up one catch after another. Her face grew paler and paler during the Media Session, and she was shocked by what she had almost signed up to.”
“Together we take the contract apart and work out the negotiating strategy,” Myrthe continues. “We give practical tips on how to approach it. A Media Session gives people peace of mind about a particular project and means 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.
