Handle Speaking
In-House
You want the in-house capability to manage your speaking invitations at a world-class level. You need REPRESENTATION that preserves your freedom to work with all entities — yet doesn’t burden you or your staff. New Leaf operates publicly, via this site, or under private label. Your choice, your way.
influence &
positive impact
You thrive at the intersection of influence and positive impact. It shows in your personality, the way you treat people, your brand, your writing, and your speaking. You inspire people to learn, grow, and be the best version of themselves. You build businesses, write best-sellers, champion worthy causes, and gather huge audiences. You dream massive dreams and you achieve them.
Independent
Thinker
Most people follow the path of least resistance. You are not like most people. Others follow your lead. You zig when others zag. You eat challenge for breakfast. You pride yourself on your independence, work ethic, creative mind, and results. You are a trailblazer and non-conformist.
In-house AGENT services
- Has the volume of your speaking inquiries increased, outpacing you and your staff’s ability to manage them?
- Have you prioritized additional availability for paid speaking, yet lack the in-house bandwidth or industry knowledge to amplify this priority?
- Do you have a high-profile activity or event coming up in the next 6-12 months that will hold tremendous appeal to a corporate audience? Examples may be a TED main-stage talk, retirement from your full-time role at the successful business you founded, launching an encore business after the sale of your prior business, or the announcement of pre-order availability for your much-anticipated book.
If so, you may benefit from my boutique, in-house speaker’s agent services. I integrate seamlessly as part of your trusted, in-house team. This service is only offered to a small number of high-profile individuals who selectively consider speaking invitations and who already receive inbound speaking inquiries. My client list is never more than ten people at one time, to ensure that I provide highly customized service. I approach my work with kindness, professionalism, and a good sense of humor.
how i work with traditional representation
I’ve been working collaboratively with bureaus and agencies for more than twenty years. I know what delights them and what makes them avoid bringing invitations to you. I have cultivated a list of more than five hundred agents worldwide – so if you want to increase or decrease invitations from this group, I craft the appropriate strategy for you.
Even if you are already inundated with speaking invitations and don’t seek additional offers from the bureau or agency network, I ensure that your positive goodwill is maintained with this important group. New Leaf is a current member of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus because we know that a productive working rapport with bureaus and agencies benefits everyone.
After thousands of bookings since 2001, I know the ‘good eggs’ from the ‘bad actors.’ I defend the integrity of my clients’ gross speaking fees and successfully arbitrated against a major player in the speaking industry that I caught taking significant unauthorized commissions from my clients’ bookings. I take my role of defending my clients’ best interests very seriously.
new leaf offers speakers’ agency
Agency has a few meanings, but what I am referring to here is the sense of competency and control you feel in your work as an independent speaker. Agency refers to your power, your personal ability to affect your future. I offer speakers’ agency – and will be offering tools and services that amplify that agency.
Agency without an agency. Pretty cool, right?
I understand how hard AND rewarding self-representation can be, since I’ve been the in-house speaker’s agent for some extraordinary folks for more than two decades. If you’d like to be part of our community of independent speakers who represent themselves for speaking, join my mailing list, and check out my upcoming school, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook. I’ll announce available tools and services in those communities and invite you to consider joining one. Together, we can share concrete ways to make our collective work less isolated, more profitable, productive, and FUN.
COMING SOON: The School for Independent Speakers
THE School for independent Speakers
This school will offer you my secret sauce: How my team and I make magic for our exclusive in-house clients – while sparing you the 22 year learning curve.
Incorporating the essential lessons learned over the past two decades, the school will be immediately practical and very hands on. Historically, to become good at this work, you would learn on the job – which takes a lot of time, trial and error. I’d rather you jumped in, eyes wide open, knowledgeable, from the start – ready to be immediately useful to your own speaking career or the speaker you support.
We are all overwhelmed these days – so my first order of business will be to create content you can incorporate into your busy schedule. I’ll identify the tips, checklists and tools I wish I’d had when I was getting started in this work and make those tools and services available to you in easy to digest formats. Occasionally, I’ll add some in-person options that will gather like-minded folks who handle this work to offer community building, skill sharing, and in-depth training. Being excellent at this work requires equal parts art, science and core personality traits. Keep an eye on this page as details emerge or join our mailing list.
Amy Gray, Founder and Managing Member, Jessica Riesenbeck, VP of Inquiry Responsiveness, and Alf Wilson, Strategic Advisor and Co-Owner
Graceful Transition to Working Together
My clients have been my top priority for more than two decades. I show up every day for them. I believe in each of them and their work. Speaking is a lasting part of their legacy – whether they accept many invitations or very few. If you work with me, your objectives with speaking become my own. I pay attention. I act in support of your priorities. I offer my expertise and recommendation and then step back, to allow you to make your own decisions. Without pressure.
I have my dream job and am fired up to do meaningful, important work.
If you are currently an exclusive client of a bureau or agency and moving to in-house representation:
I work tactfully in tandem with your prior representation as you honor all of your remaining bookings with grace and professionalism. Transitions can be uncomfortable and our emphasis on kindness, tact and warmth helps ensure a smooth pivot. Many of my clients have previously been represented by top-notch bureaus and agencies and I want to preserve positive working relationships for the benefit of all involved.
Graceful transitions are a specialty of mine. The proof? I continue to receive offers and inquiries for speaking work from the full network of agencies and bureaus – even those that used to directly represent my current clients. I honor the effort that has gone into our clients’ speaking work to date and operate from a place of goodwill, kindness and respect.