Working in a talent agency should mean negotiating big deals and building careers, not chasing down unpaid invoices like a collections agency.
Yet, that’s exactly what it’s become. Brands drag their feet on payments, agencies juggle cash flow, and creators are left wondering if their invoices will ever be more than a polite request. The result? A system where financial uncertainty is the norm, and stability feels like a distant dream.
This isn’t just a handful of bad apples, it’s a widespread industry issue.
Major agency networks, global brands, and household names are all guilty of stretching payment terms beyond reason, forcing both talent and agencies into financial limbo.
The Scale of the Problem
To understand the extent of the issue, we spoke with senior leaders in the talent industry including Georgette Olaiya (Dundas Management), Benjamin Leslie (Connect Management), Emilio Arciniega (OTG), Adam Bowdery (SHFT), Ashley Philips (Diving Bell), Georgia Farquharson (FARQ), Ben Malka (Mode TwentyOne). Also weighing in was fintech founder Liam Parkinson, whose company Inflverse is working to cut through the chaos by ensuring creators get paid on time.
Here’s the reality: creators are expected to deliver high-quality content on strict deadlines, but brands? They often take their time paying up.
“It’s really frustrating because if we think about other industries people can work in, it’s only been this area where you have to do all of the work and then just hope that the payment actually comes in,” says Georgette Olaiya.
Imagine ordering a five-star meal, eating it, and then telling the waiter, ‘I’ll pay you in 90 days, maybe.’ That’s the creator economy in a nutshell.
For creators, these delays aren’t just frustrating, they can be financially devastating. For many, this isn’t just an inconvenience, it’s the difference between making rent or not, paying their bills, or having to put everything on a credit card.
Life doesn’t pause while payments are pending. Some brands deliberately stretch out timelines to maintain their own cash flow. “These agencies will sit on money to make interest or even use creators money to grow their businesses” says Benjamin Leslie.
The Impact on Talent Agencies
Talent agencies are caught in the same storm. Unlike creators, agencies often receive the brand’s full payment before distributing the creator’s share.
But when brands delay, agencies are left scrambling “Talent agencies earn a fixed margin of the revenue but receive 100% of the payment upfront. Late payments force agencies into situations where they need to juggle funds,” explains Georgia Farquharson.
That means agencies end up floating money they don’t have, just to keep things running smoothly.
The problem isn’t just waiting, it’s the unpredictability. Even contracts with clear payment terms are often ignored. When agencies and brands claim they ‘support creators’ but fail to pay them on time, it quickly erodes trust.
“Brands build rapport with talent, saying they want to partner with those who really champion their brand, but once the content is created, they fail to pay them on time. Talent are then reminded that this is just transactional,” says Georgette Olaiya.
Everyone we spoke to confirmed that delayed payments cause hesitancy to work with certain agencies and brands, as the risk of financial uncertainty makes future collaborations less appealing.
“We make it very clear to our creators which brands and agencies are overdue so that they can make informed decisions as to whether to work with those brands and agencies again,” says Emilio Arciniega.
No Recourse, No Consequences
The biggest issue? There’s no explanation, let alone recourse, when agencies and brands delay payments. No consequence, no real enforcement, just endless chasing.
60-day payment terms have become standard, particularly among big agency networks, and some push it even further. “The frustration often comes when agencies fail to communicate their payment terms with the brands to the creators,” says Arciniega.
Creators and talent agencies are left with little power to demand timely payments, and in an industry that thrives on relationships, few want to burn bridges by making legal threats, or impose late payment fees.
This creates a vicious cycle, making creators and talent agencies feel like this is an ongoing, ever-recurring issue.
So, What Can Be Done?
One way talent agencies and creators can protect themselves is by doing their homework before signing deals. Platforms like FYPM, a crowdsourced database for creators and talent managers, offer insights, reviews, and payment histories of agencies and brands.
By using this kind of data, agencies can gauge the financial risk of a deal before committing, potentially dodging months of stress and uncertainty.
