I didn't choose the agent life,
the agent life chose me
Amy Gray, Founder, NEW LEAF
A Confession
I am an accidental agent. I stumbled into this work in 2001 at the request of someone who spent a few years on the FBI’s Most Wanted List: Kevin Mitnick. I was a conference producer, securing high-fee keynote speakers for events around the world. I hired Kevin to keynote my conference on cyber-security and was blown away by his professionalism.
I did not enjoy working with his agent who worked at an elite talent agency.
The agent said “I only make $X when I book Kevin for a keynote. I make 100 times more from (another client) or (yet another client).”
I paid the full quoted speaking fee and STILL felt like an irritation instead of a source of income. The agent made it clear that Kevin was not one of his ‘big deals.’ In addition, my needs, as the event host, were completely unimportant.
I had dealt with speaking agents at many big bureaus and talent agencies. Sadly, it was often a challenge. When hiring keynotes, I looked at the business best-seller lists and those featured in the magazines my audiences read: Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fortune, and Inc. When I reached out for fees and availability, I prayed they did not have a speaking agent.
Why? When a speaker had an agent it often resulted in communication delays, lack of knowledge about the speaker’s content, high pressure negotiation tactics, scary contracts, and a nagging feeling that my need for detailed info annoyed the heck out of them. I wanted to work with someone kind, fair, speedy, and thorough – but that did not fit my experience with agents representing the most well-known speakers. I wondered if any famous people cared about the experience prospective buyers had when dealing with their exclusive representation or if they knew it was often negative and intimidating.
After Kevin’s impressive keynote at my event, I told him about my experience with his agent. To give the agent the benefit of the doubt, I added ‘Perhaps my experience was an anomaly.’
A few days later, Kevin called back with a shocking update.
Amy Gray and Kevin Mitnick
No one says no to Kevin
Kev: “Amy, my agent treats ALL my speaking inquiries this way. I fired him. Want to be my speaker’s agent?”
Me: “Oh my GOD, Kevin! You FIRED HIM?! I don’t know how to be an agent. I’m a conference producer. I HIRE speakers. It’s all I’ve done for nearly a decade.”
Kev: “Aim, I trust you. The fact you aren’t an agent and have never worked for a bureau is a good thing. You’ll do what makes sense vs. what has always been done. You are detail oriented and honest. You are kind, but tough when needed. You understand event hosts because you’ve walked in their shoes. Whaddya say?”
Me: (gulping nervously) “Ok. Let’s try it.”
Narrator: (voice of Morgan Freeman)
Amy tried it. She thought it would last a year or two, tops, until Kevin figured out he made a mistake. She was wrong. Kevin’s speaking took off. Amy learned how to be a personal speaker’s agent by doing the work.
Yes, she made some rookie errors – like when she and Kevin didn’t realize he needed a visa to enter Russia for a speaking appearance and had to scramble to get one in time for his keynote a week later. Or when she reached out to an event host, directly, on a brokered booking, and the agent from the bureau called, furious, telling her NEVER to do that again because the event host was their client. Or another time, when she didn’t require full advance payment before Kevin delivered an international keynote, she spent nearly 6 months trying to get him fully paid.
Finally, Kevin said,”Tell the host if they don’t pay within 2 business days, you’ll contact all the speakers for their next event and tell them how we were treated.” The money was in her account 48 hours later.
Kevin was an excellent client. Smart, hilarious, entertaining, and committed to making hosts happy. He was demanding but fair, a great negotiator, and didn’t give a hoot about how things had ‘always been done.’ He rewarded Amy’s initiative and referred additional clients to help grow her business. More than two decades later, she is still a personal speaker’s agent.
=============
Tragically, my dear friend passed away in 2023 at just 59. We had been friends for 23 years. Kevin’s widow, Kimberley, asked me to write the majority of his obituary. It was my profound honor. His legacy lives on everyone touched by his incredibly generous and brilliant spirit. Truly one in a billion. I miss you, Kev – and THANK YOU.
Me and Woz at MIT in 2007
Kevin introduced me to Woz
Kevin was friends with Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, and made a personal introduction. Woz dabbled in speaking but didn’t charge a fee. He had a memoir, iWoz, coming out and wanted to speak in support of the book. I offered to work with him on just one condition: Once he accepted an appearance, he had to honor it. No withdrawing from a confirmed commitment. He agreed. I launched Woz’s paid speaking career and we worked together from 2006-2020. I built his paid speaking business from $0 annually to mega successful by the time the pandemic struck. After the book was published and Steve Jobs died, a tsunami of interest descended upon Woz. We rode the wave together for nearly 14 years.
My services scaled to meet the needs of a beloved public figure who annually received nearly 2,000 inquiries, and selectively accepted just 30-60 firm offers from those opportunities. We became experts at humble and polite declines. Saying ‘No’ in such a way that recipients still felt positive about the experience. I wanted to be the kind of agent event hosts didn’t dread working with and bureau agents could count on for professionalism and fairness. It worked. Speaking fees grew from $20,000 to $130,000 per appearance in the US and $200,000 – $300,000 USD overseas. What a ride!
I added Martha Beck, best-selling author and life coach from the Oprah Show, who was my client from 2006-2019. I was introduced to 5-time TED speaker / actor / model / Paralympian / design muse: Aimée Mullins through the founder of TEDMED, who was friends with Woz. Aim came aboard in 2010. Blake Mycoskie, Founder of TOMS, in 2018. Slowly, I built my list of clients to a curated roster of 7-10 (maximum) at any one time. Each one is extraordinary. Right-sized success for each of my clients is always the goal.
I feel lucky to do this work. I love talking about my clients and supporting their speaking dreams.
- Each one has an independent streak that is visible from space. So do I.
- As a Founder myself, I love working with Founders.
- As someone who inhales business non-fiction and is obsessed with writing, I adore representing the authors who write the books people keep dog eared on their desk for years to come.
- I am a business woman to the core. I had my heart set on attending Harvard B-School, Wharton, or Stanford, and had the dubious distinction of being waitlisted at all three. I live vicariously through my work for top business school professors.
I work with extraordinary people who are both incredibly powerful and deeply good. They generously offer content the world is deeply interested in. It is a joy and an intellectual puzzle to understand them as individuals and ensure their speaking supports their priorities.
I didn’t set out to be a private speaker’s agent, but since 2001, that is exactly what I’ve been.
Amy Gray, Founder of New Leaf
Interested in my services as a private speaker's agent?
I’m deeply honored…. AND this is where things get tricky. Click here to learn more about my work as a private speaker’s agent.
Click here to read about the Milestones that indicate readiness for professional representation
Fully independent speaker's agent for fully independent speakers.
I make it easy and risk-free to be an in-demand, fully independent speaker — a speaker who can directly consider opportunities from all bureaus, agencies, event hosts, meeting planners and more.
Lower commissions, no overhead, no complexity. No brainer. Modern self-representation has arrived – delivered at the level of professionalism your visibility requires.
Some of those who have trusted my work
Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple
Steve was introduced to me by famed (late) hacker and cyber-security expert, Kevin Mitnick.
We worked together from 2006 to March 2020. I’m grateful for the 13.5 year run we had together.
Image by Fritz Schumman, 2019, used with permission
Aimée Mullins, TED All-Star, Actor, Producer, Paralympian, Model & Inductee in the National Women’s Hall of Fame
“Amy is attentive, does exquisite work, and is an excellent negotiator. I adore the personalized, boutique feel of the roster and the incredible service, especially the transparency of how they structure deals and contracts. My interests are served while ensuring the client’s needs are met. Amenable, responsive, world-class, and effective.”
Blake Mycoskie, Founder, TOMS and Conscious Capitalism Pioneer
“New Leaf offers transparency, kindness, openness, and honesty in every interaction – and the way you say ‘No’ is an art form. Personal, graceful, respectful. You protect my time and make everyone feel GREAT. Highly recommend New Leaf.”