“The speaking business has a dirty little secret. Let’s talk about it.”
Amy Gray, and husband, Alf Wilson - Arbitration Day - Boston - 2019
SKIMMING: How Event Hosts & High-Fee Speakers Are Duped Out of Millions
I’ve been an elite private speaker’s agent for more than two decades and had a dramatic, first-person experience with skimming.
Skimming is the covert practice of siphoning earnings on speaking deals without the speaker’s or event host’s knowledge. In the unregulated Wild West of the paid speaking industry, the practice is not illegal and highly lucrative for the intermediary deal-maker.
To succeed, it requires:
- covert tactics
PLUS one or more of these factors: - an event host not practicing due diligence, distracted, lazy or absent representation, or someone handling your speaking who does not have ‘speaking industry insider’ knowledge.
I discovered that a speaking industry Goliath had skimmed significant extra commissions on every deal we had done over a two-year period. Learning that a trusted partner behaved this way, repeatedly, was a shock. More alarming was finding out that the support for skimming came straight from the top. After my shock wore off, anger replaced it. I felt my speaker clients and the event hosts had been damaged and decided to enter arbitration. I went into the process not knowing if I would prevail, invested months in preparation, and spent tens of thousands in filing and arbitrator fees.
I won. I want you to benefit from what I learned through my eye-opening experience.
I write about generosity and success on Substack - click to follow
This session is essential if you are:
- a high-fee speaker and want to avoid leaving significant money on the table in deals that involve a 3rd party intermediary
- an event host determined not to be overcharged on premium keynote fees
You'll learn:
- How skimming works – in a nutshell
- The top 3 scenarios that make you more vulnerable to skimming
- 5 signs you may be dealing with a ‘skimmer’
- Why skimming goes unchecked – even though every bureau and talent agency is aware of it
- How an ‘outsider’ perspective provided the crucial advantage that protected my clients
- 4 easy steps speakers and event hosts can take, in tandem, to thwart skimming and ensure you are dealing with an ethical booking entity
- The exact clause that led to my victory in arbitration – use it to protect your best interests
- Why my case didn’t create major change in my industry – and how I hope you use what I know to make the paid speaking industry more ethical and transparent
Amy Gray became an accidental agent at the request of a man who spent several years on the FBI’s Most Wanted List: The late Kevin Mitnick. Her career as a fully independent, personal speaker’s agent has spanned more than two decades. Her clients prize non-exclusivity and protection – and have included well-known figures like Co-Founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, Founder of TOMS, Blake Mycoskie, Short Form Video Icon, Adley Kinsman, and TED Conference All-Star and Stranger Things Actor, Aimee Mullins. She’s had a ringside seat to tens of millions of dollars in keynote deals for her boutique roster since 2001. She writes on substack about the combination of generosity and success.
If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please reach out: Amy (at) NewLeafSpeakers (dot) com