Entertainment agencies

Entertainment agencies can charge you a fee:

  • for finding you work, for example taking a commission (percentage fee) from your earnings
  • to publish your details online or in a publication

They must tell you in writing if a fee is involved.

If they’re publishing your details

Once you receive the contract, you have a 30-day ‘cooling off’ period when you:

  • can cancel or withdraw from it without getting a penalty
  • do not have to pay

The agency must show you what it plans to publish about you before it’s published.

You then have up to 7 days after the cooling off period to say if you do not want the information to be published. If you’re happy, you must pay after the 7 days.

Example

You’ve paid to be promoted on a casting agency’s website. The agency shows you the photos 29 days after you signed the contract and you’re not happy with them. You have 8 days to demand a refund.

If the agency charged you but did not publish your name, you have the right to a refund for up to 60 days.

Contact the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for advice if you believe you’ve been charged unfairly.