Association of Talent Agents
The Association of Talent Agents is a 1937-founded U.S. trade association that represents 100+ talent agencies in legislative advocacy, licensing compliance, and collective negotiations with SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, and the DGA.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1937
- HeadquartersSanta Monica, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Association of Talent Agents does
The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a U.S. trade association founded in 1937 that serves as the official collective voice for talent agencies in matters of legislative advocacy, agency licensing, and guild negotiations. Its 100+ member agencies represent the vast majority of professional working artists, and ATA holds the institutional counterparty role in agency franchise agreements with SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), and the Directors Guild of America (DGA), currently engaged in 2026-2030 contract cycles across all three guilds alongside monitoring of IATSE and Actors' Equity negotiations.
The organization delivers its value proposition almost entirely through non-technological services: best practices guidance, contract templates and review sessions, educational seminars, networking events, conferences, member-only news bulletins, state-by-state licensing support, and Political Action Committee activity in California and New York. Its primary distribution surface is a members-only web portal (login-gated on agentassociation.com) that hosts union agreements, contract templates, and curated news, supported by direct outreach to prospective member agencies and referrals from existing members. There is no software platform, no API, and no proprietary technology stack.
ATA is structured as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association, governed by a board of directors elected from member agencies to two-year terms (the current 2024-2026 board took office in January 2024) and led day-to-day by Executive Director Karen Stuart. The association employs 11-50 staff based out of a single Santa Monica headquarters at 3019 Ocean Park Blvd, and it is financed exclusively through membership dues with no venture, private equity, or external ownership involvement.
Association of Talent Agents firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Association of Talent Agents
- Legal name
- Association of Talent Agents
- Website
- https://agentassociation.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1937
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Association of Talent Agents is a 1937-founded U.S. trade association that represents 100+ talent agencies in legislative advocacy, licensing compliance, and collective negotiations with SAG-AFTRA, the WGA, and the DGA.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Association of Talent Agents is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Monica
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Association of Talent Agents business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: ATA generates revenue through membership dues paid by talent agencies. Member companies pay fees to join and maintain membership in the association, which provides access to resources, advocacy, negotiation support, and networking services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Agency Membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Association of Talent Agents product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a nonprofit trade association serving 100+ talent agencies across the United States. It provides legislative advocacy, negotiates agency franchise agreements and regulations with major entertainment guilds (SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA), and delivers best practices, education, seminars, networking events, conferences, news bulletins, expert opinions, and day-to-day support to member agencies. The organization was founded in 1937 and represents the vast majority of professional working artists through its member companies.
Product overview
The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a trade association for talent agencies, not a technology product company. It does not offer a software platform or digital product. ATA provides membership-based services including legislative advocacy, negotiation of agency franchise agreements with major entertainment guilds (SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA), best practices guidance, education programs, seminars, networking events, conferences, news bulletins, expert opinions, and day-to-day support for its member companies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Association of Talent Agents
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Association of Talent Agents technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Association of Talent Agents partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- SAG-AFTRAcoreATA negotiates agency franchise agreements and regulations with SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors. The partnership involves ongoing contract negotiations for TV/Film agreements (2026-2030) and commercials contracts. ATA provides excerpted summaries and contract reviews for members.
- Writers Guild of America (WGA)coreATA maintains relationships with WGA for agency franchise agreements. WGA contract negotiations (2026 MBA term May 2, 2026 through May 1, 2030) impact member agencies.
- Directors Guild of America (DGA)coreATA negotiates agency franchise agreements with DGA. DGA contract term is 4 years, July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030. ATA sets meetings with DGA for members to review new terms.
- IATSEmajorATA monitors IATSE contract negotiations and provides updates to members regarding crew and below-the-line worker agreements that affect productions.
- State Labor DepartmentscoreATA provides state-by-state breakdown of talent agency licensing requirements and directs members to contact each State Labor Department directly for detailed information on talent agency laws.
- Actors' Equity AssociationminorATA monitors and reports on Actors' Equity contract negotiations affecting live theater talent represented by member agencies.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Association of Talent Agents competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Customer concentration
Association of Talent Agents financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Association of Talent Agents leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Association of Talent Agents funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Association of Talent Agents M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Association of Talent Agents
What does Association of Talent Agents do?
The Association of Talent Agents (ATA) is a nonprofit trade association serving 100+ talent agencies across the United States. It provides legislative advocacy, negotiates agency franchise agreements and regulations with major entertainment guilds (SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA), and delivers best practices, education, seminars, networking events, conferences, news bulletins, expert opinions, and day-to-day support to member agencies. The organization was founded in 1937 and represents the vast majority of professional working artists through its member companies.
Is Association of Talent Agents a public or private company?
Association of Talent Agents is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Association of Talent Agents founded?
Association of Talent Agents was founded in 1937. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Association of Talent Agents based?
Association of Talent Agents is headquartered in Santa Monica, United States, in the North America region.
How does Association of Talent Agents make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Dues.
Does Association of Talent Agents have an API?
No public API is recorded for Association of Talent Agents.