Metropolis Management

What Metropolis Management does

Metropolis Management is a privately held, US-based talent booking agency founded in 1998 and headquartered in Newark, California. The company brokers professional entertainers across eight act categories — keynote speakers, hypnotists, variety acts, comedy, magic & mentalism, music acts, spoken word artists, and game shows — and serves 12 event-type verticals including colleges, corporate events, military functions, nonprofit fundraisers, galas, performing arts centers, camps, and virtual events. Its operating model is a three-step consultative process (consultation, contract and logistics coordination, performance delivery), with revenue generated through commission or booking fees on engagements rather than a published price list.

The core product surface is a curated roster of credentialed performers, several of whom have appeared on mainstream platforms such as Netflix, Comedy Central, America's Got Talent, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. The company does not operate a proprietary software platform; booking is handled through direct inquiry (website, phone/text, conference booths at NACA and APCA) and processed by a lean internal team. Distribution is entirely domestic, anchored in the US higher-education and corporate event planning market, with multi-year contract cadences and quote-based pricing per engagement.

The business is owner-operated by Sailesh (referred to as "Sailesh, The Hypnotist"), who serves as President, supported by a small operations team including Vice President of Operations (since 2006) and Director of Operations (since 2008). The firm is bootstrapped, with no disclosed outside investors, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no subsidiaries. Go-to-market relies on search-optimized website pages for each event and act type, content marketing via an active blog, testimonials from named universities, and industry conference presence. Customer concentration is distributed across many small-to-mid institutional buyers rather than concentrated in a few large accounts.

Name

Metropolis Management

Legal name

Metropolis Management

Website

https://metropolismanagement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Metropolis Management is a US-based talent booking agency that connects colleges, universities, corporate clients, and other organizations with professional entertainers — including keynote speakers, hypnotists, comedians, magicians, and musicians — across 12 event verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Booking Services

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (71141)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Entertainment Booking & Speaker/Talent Management (HSACAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tour & Artist Management Services (HSACAHAN)

Keywords

• Talent booking agency
• Entertainment booking services
• Live performance booking
• Corporate event entertainment
• Campus entertainment booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Talent Booking Agency Fees: Metropolis Management earns revenue as a talent agency by connecting event planners with professional performers including keynote speakers, hypnotists, comedians, magicians, musicians, spoken word artists, and variety acts. The company manages artist bookings, client relationships, marketing, and event coordination. Revenue is generated through commission or fees from talent bookings for events across colleges, corporate settings, military, nonprofit organizations, and private celebrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Metropolis Management is a full-service entertainment talent booking agency that connects event planners at colleges, universities, corporations, military, and nonprofits with professional performers including keynote speakers, hypnotists, comedians, magicians, musicians, spoken word artists, variety acts, and game show hosts. The agency manages the end-to-end booking process—consultation to understand event needs, contract coordination and logistics, and performance delivery—serving clients across the United States from its San Francisco Bay Area base.

Product overview

Metropolis Management is a talent booking agency, not a software technology company. The company operates as a unified platform offering talent booking and event entertainment services. The product portfolio consists of eight core talent categories (Keynote Speakers, Hypnotists, Variety Acts, Comedy Acts, Magic & Mentalism, Music Acts, Spoken Word Artists, and Game Shows) that serve 12 event type verticals (After Prom, Performing Arts Centers, Camp Entertainment, Coffeehouse, College, Corporate, Fairs & Festivals, Galas, Halftime, Military, Nonprofit, and Virtual Events). The company provides a 3-step process: consultation, coordination (handling contracts and logistics), and performance delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keynote Speakers Professional speakers who deliver motivational, educational, and empowerment presentations for corporate events, conferences, and campus programs.
• Hypnotists Comedy hypnotists, R-rated hypnotic experiences, and health and wellness hypnotists for interactive entertainment at corporate events, parties, and wellness seminars.
• Variety Acts Diverse entertainment including drag queen performances, drummers, specialty acts such as murder mysteries, DJ performances, violinists, and circus performers.
• Comedy Acts Stand-up comedians and comedy performers offering broad appeal, mature audience, and corporate comedy programming for various events.
• Magic & Mentalism Corporate magicians, close-up magicians, comedy magicians, and mentalists providing enchanting performances for corporate gatherings, college events, and intimate settings.
• Music Acts Cover bands, solo artists, and musical performers offering classic hits revival, contemporary chart-toppers, and global rhythms entertainment.
• Spoken Word Artists Poets and spoken word performers offering poetry shows, featured performances, and interactive workshops for cultural and campus events.
• Game Shows Interactive trivia challenges, live-streamed events, and competitions for engaging audiences at campus and corporate events.
• Talent Booking Services Full-service talent agency managing artist bookings, client relationships, marketing, and event coordination for colleges, universities, conferences, and corporate event planners across the United States.
• After Prom Entertainment Post-prom entertainment featuring magicians, hypnotists, and comedians for high school after-prom events.
• Performing Arts Center Entertainment Variety artists, musicians, and comedians for performing arts center venues.
• Camp Entertainment Variety acts, comedy hypnotists, and game shows for summer camps and recreation programs.
• Coffeehouse Entertainment Musicians, spoken word artists, and game shows for campus coffeehouse venues.
• Campus Entertainment College entertainers including comedians, musicians, and variety acts for university events.
• Corporate Entertainment Corporate magicians, comedians, and musicians for business events, conferences, and corporate functions.
• Gala & Fundraiser Entertainment Magic acts, comedians, and musicians for galas and fundraising events.
• Halftime Entertainment Illusionists, jugglers, and variety artists for sports halftime shows.
• Armed Forces Entertainment Keynote speakers, comedians, and variety acts for military events honoring armed forces.
• Nonprofit Entertainment Emcees, variety artists, and comedy hypnotists for nonprofit events.
• Virtual Events Entertainment Virtual magic, keynote speakers, and team building activities for online and hybrid events.

Named customers3 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greater Talent Network: Speakers bureau representing business, motivational, and entertainment talent for corporate and association audiences. Comparable boutique-scale booking agency with overlapping speaker and entertainment categories.
• Premiere Speakers Bureau: Full-service speakers bureau booking keynote speakers and entertainers for corporate, association, and higher-education events. Overlaps directly with Metropolis's college and corporate segment focus.
• BigSpeak Speakers Bureau: Speakers and entertainers booking agency serving corporate, association, and college clients with a comparable roster of keynote speakers, comedians, magicians, and entertainers. Direct peer given similar business model, target market, and service offering.
• Harry Walker Agency: One of the longest-standing speaker bureaus in the US, booking celebrities, athletes, and speakers for corporate and association events. Direct peer operating the same booking-agent model with comparable institutional client base.
• The Keynote Agency: Agency booking keynote speakers and entertainers primarily for corporate audiences. Overlaps in business model and selected act categories (speakers, comedians, magicians).
• All American Speakers Bureau: Speakers bureau offering keynote speakers, business leaders, athletes, and entertainers to corporate, association, and campus clients. Comparable intermediary model with shared booking-as-a-service approach.
• National Speakers Bureau: Bureau booking keynote speakers, entertainers, and business thought leaders for corporate and association events. Comparable as a fee-based intermediary connecting event planners with named talent, overlapping in the keynote/speaker category.
• Executive Speakers Bureau: Speakers bureau booking motivational, business, and celebrity speakers for corporate, association, and higher-education clients. Directly comparable intermediary model with shared higher-education vertical.
• Gotham Artists: Boutique talent agency booking musicians, comedians, and entertainers for corporate events, private parties, and campus programming. Closely comparable in size, act categories, and target buyer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Campus Activities Magazine / NACA-affiliated booking platforms: Industry association and marketplace serving as a channel for campus entertainment booking across hundreds of agencies and performers. Comparable as a venue where Metropolis competes for institutional buyers' attention and bookings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/metropolismgmt
• Facebookfacebook.com/metropolismanagement

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metropolis Management