The Talent Managers Association

The association I decided to research for my specific industry niche is the Talent Managers Association. The Talent Managers Association is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation with a purpose to promote and encourage the highest standards of professional ethics and behavior in the practice of talent management. The TMA seeks to enhance the entertainment industry by its presence and involvement within it. This association is a self-regulating corporation and holds ethics and integrity to the highest standard. On their website they have a link to the Code of Ethics they follow. They also have a page, which contains links to Guilds, Unions and Support Organizations for the industry.

TMA provides activities for its members that provide excellent networking opportunities. They host expert panel discussions and speeches for its members and host special networking events each year. Their mission statement is to provide the opportunity for students to gain experience, make contacts, and learn about the entertainment industry through tour, speakers, and special events.

Being a member of the TMA has several benefits that go beyond networking and informational events. Your business will have a stamp of credibility, discounts on services that are critical to your clients, use of tested TMA contracts for talent representation. As well as free listings with information from your business directly transferred to trade publications.  Among the other benefits you also receive research support and backup from group of professional talent managers to cover legislation and political issues as needed.

I feel that associations like TMA are necessary to keep people in the entertainment industry connected. Often times in the entertainment industry it becomes a battle between companies instead of a friendly prosperous environment. Before I found out about the TMA I already had incorporated ethics as a top priority in my management company. Being a small company in a large market it is difficult to obtain clients and offer what some of the competitors are offering. This is where I feel ethics plays a big role. If more companies join associations the entertainment management industry can be better regulated and weed out the malpractices that are no longer necessary. TMA offers the “Seymour Heller Award” to its members each year. This award is given for excellence in management and to distinguish individuals who respect the field of talent management. I feel that awards like these are needed to show people in the entertainment management industry that there are other ways to do business without being unethical.