Steven Barclay Agency
The Steven Barclay Agency is a privately held, Petaluma-based speakers bureau founded in 1996 that represents roughly 90 literary figures, bestselling authors, and public radio journalists for paid virtual and in-person speaking engagements at colleges, universities, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private events, earning commissions on bookings arranged by its founder-led agent team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersPetaluma, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Steven Barclay Agency does
The Steven Barclay Agency, Inc. is a privately held, boutique speakers bureau founded in 1996 and headquartered at 12 Western Avenue in Petaluma, California. The agency represents a roster of roughly 90 distinguished literary figures, bestselling authors, and public radio journalists — including Pulitzer winners, National Book Award recipients, and personalities such as Amy Tan, Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Pollan, Terry Gross, Ira Glass, and Sarah Koenig — for paid speaking engagements. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is a curated talent roster plus booking coordination services delivered through a nine-person team of agents, tour operations, and client/event services staff.
The business operates on a commission-based revenue model, earning fees on bookings it arranges for both virtual and in-person speaking engagements. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per engagement, with fees varying by speaker prominence, event type, and format. Go-to-market is direct institutional sales: agency agents consult with event organizers at colleges, universities, schools, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private clients to match speakers to event needs. Marketing relies on the agency's website, industry events, referrals from prior institutional clients, and earned media generated by speakers' own publicity — there is no self-service or e-commerce channel.
The firm is founder-led by Steven Barclay (Founding Partner and Director), with Eliza Fischer as Partner and Associate Director. It is incorporated in California, has no parent entity, no disclosed venture backing, no M&A history, and no patents, certifications, or awards on record. Operating status is active, and the firm is positioned as a long-tenured, relationship-driven intermediary in the literary and journalistic speaking engagements market.
Steven Barclay Agency firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Steven Barclay Agency
- Legal name
- The Steven Barclay Agency, Inc.
- Website
- https://barclayagency.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Steven Barclay Agency is a privately held, Petaluma-based speakers bureau founded in 1996 that represents roughly 90 literary figures, bestselling authors, and public radio journalists for paid virtual and in-person speaking engagements at colleges, universities, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private events, earning commissions on bookings arranged by its founder-led agent team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Steven Barclay Agency industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Talent Representation / Speaker Bureau Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Speaker, Entertainment & Talent Booking (Corporate) (HSACADAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
Keywords
Where Steven Barclay Agency is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Petaluma
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Steven Barclay Agency business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Speaking Engagement Fees: The agency earns commissions from representing authors and journalists for speaking engagements. Clients (colleges, universities, corporations, etc.) pay for speaker fees for lectures, readings, conferences, and special events, both virtual and in-person.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Steven Barclay Agency product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Steven Barclay Agency is a speakers bureau that represents a roster of distinguished literary figures and public radio journalists for speaking engagements. The agency arranges lectures, readings, keynote speeches, and special event appearances for colleges, universities, schools, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private events, facilitating both in-person and virtual bookings.
Product overview
Steven Barclay Agency is a speakers bureau that represents literary figures and public radio journalists for speaking engagements. The agency offers access to its roster of authors for lectures, readings, conferences, and special events at colleges, universities, schools, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private events. Services include booking speakers for both in-person and virtual appearances.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Speaker Booking and Representation Services End-to-end booking and representation service that connects institutional clients with a curated roster of 90+ distinguished authors, journalists, and cultural figures for lectures, readings, keynote speeches, and special events, available for both in-person and virtual engagements.
Companies that use Steven Barclay Agency
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Steven Barclay Agency technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Steven Barclay Agency partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Steven Barclay Agency competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Greater Talent Network: Speakers bureau with a diverse roster of authors, journalists, and cultural figures. Represents the same target speaker profile and serves comparable institutional buyers.
- Keppler Speakers: Long-established speakers bureau representing business leaders, authors, and journalists. Comparable model with broader scope but similar institutional client targeting.
- Washington Speakers Bureau: Established speakers bureau with broad roster including authors, journalists, and policy figures. Competes for similar institutional and corporate keynote engagements across the US.
- Premiere Speakers Bureau: Full-service speakers bureau including authors, media personalities, and thought leaders for corporate and association events. Competes for keynote bookings in overlapping verticals.
- Harry Walker Agency: Premier speakers bureau representing authors, journalists, business leaders, and public figures for paid speaking engagements. Directly comparable as a literary/journalist-focused booking agency serving colleges, corporations, and conferences.
- Leigh Bureau: Speakers bureau representing authors, journalists, and thought leaders for college, corporate, and association events. Directly comparable business model and customer mix.
- The Lavin Agency: Boutique speakers bureau representing bestselling authors, thought leaders, and cultural figures for institutional events. Closely overlaps with Steven Barclay Agency's author-and-journalist roster and educational/cultural client base.
- All American Entertainment (AAE Speakers): Speakers bureau with broad roster including bestselling authors and media personalities. Competes directly for college, corporate, and association keynote bookings.
Broad incumbents
- ICM Speakers (ICM Partners): Talent agency division of major Hollywood representation firm ICM Partners, booking high-profile authors, journalists, and media personalities. Comparable roster quality but operating as part of a much larger entertainment conglomerate.
- Penguin Random House Speaker Bureau: Publisher-affiliated speaker bureau representing Penguin Random House authors for institutional events. Direct competitor for literary talent bookings, with publisher-backed distribution advantages.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Steven Barclay Agency social profiles
Digital presenceSteven Barclay Agency financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Steven Barclay Agency leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Steven Barclay Agency funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Steven Barclay Agency 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 Steven Barclay Agency
What does Steven Barclay Agency do?
Steven Barclay Agency is a speakers bureau that represents a roster of distinguished literary figures and public radio journalists for speaking engagements. The agency arranges lectures, readings, keynote speeches, and special event appearances for colleges, universities, schools, performing arts centers, corporations, associations, and private events, facilitating both in-person and virtual bookings.
Is Steven Barclay Agency a public or private company?
Steven Barclay Agency is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Steven Barclay Agency founded?
Steven Barclay Agency was founded in 1996. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Steven Barclay Agency based?
Steven Barclay Agency is headquartered in Petaluma, United States, in the North America region.
How does Steven Barclay Agency make money?
One revenue line is on record: speaking Engagement Fees.
Who are Steven Barclay Agency's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Greater Talent Network, Keppler Speakers, Washington Speakers Bureau, Premiere Speakers Bureau, Harry Walker Agency, Leigh Bureau, The Lavin Agency and All American Entertainment (AAE Speakers). Broad incumbents are ICM Speakers (ICM Partners) and Penguin Random House Speaker Bureau.
Does Steven Barclay Agency have an API?
No public API is recorded for Steven Barclay Agency.
What industry is Steven Barclay Agency in?
Steven Barclay Agency's product category is Talent Representation / Speaker Bureau Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACADAK, Speaker, Entertainment & Talent Booking (Corporate), with a secondary code of MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking).