Seychelles’ first talent booking agency launched |26 July 2021
Local artist and MC Travis Julienne shares his experience with booking agency in the presence of Messrs Rydvin and Telemaque
With a bid to ensure more professionalism within the creative industries, a newly opened business, Talent Booking Seychelles, was officially launched on Friday.
Talent Booking Seychelles (TBS) is the first and only local talent booking agency with an online database connecting and matching clients to all forms of talents in Seychelles, from artists to bands to models to DJs and voice actor, among others. It also markets and promotes the talents registered with the booking agency.
TBS also creates new avenues for these talents that might not have been available before, for instance an international film crew who would wish to hire local actors and extras would be able to go on the platform and book their services.
Co-founded by Marcus Rydin and Eddy Telemaque, TBS was officially presented to members of the press and persons involved in the creative industry including Honorary Cultural Ambassador Patrick Victor and chief executive of the National Arts Council, Jimmy Savy.
Mr Rydin has been involved in events management and film production for over seven years.
“The reason this came about, from my side, is because we did not really have a centralised space here in Seychelles to match our local talents with clients,” said Mr Rydin.
Mr Telemaque is not an unfamiliar name on the local music scene as he is a well-established recording artist, producer, sound engineer, artistic director and manager.
“For me, the idea for such an agency came when I started managing artists. During events, I came to learn about the struggles of talents. Most of the times, their riders are not met hence affecting their performance,” explained Mr Telemaque.
“They were not really getting the respect they deserve so my wish is to see talents being treated with dignity and respect as with any other jobs and careers,” he added.
Travis Julienne, local artist and masters of ceremony (MC), who has registered on the platform and has already had some positive experiences with booking agency, provided a thorough explanation of TBS.
Talents can register on talentbooking.com based on their skills and expertise, providing an overview of their backgrounds and their riders.
A talent’s rider specifies their requirements when undertaking a job for their client or performing at a venue. It may include specific expectation when it comes to hospitality, security and technical equipment.
The talents which TBS currently cater to are singers/performers, models, DJs, masters of ceremony (MCs), bands, extras and hopes to add more categories of talents involved in the creative industry.
TBS books jobs on behalf of the talents, handling all of the contracts, terms and conditions, negotiates the fees and remove the burdens of the hassles of bookings.
Above all else, TBS protects the interest of these talents providing legitimate framework that protects both the clients and the talents, ensuring professionalism from both sides.
The agency, however, does not replace the role of managers nor does it stop talents from booking their own gigs outside of its platform.
Ambassador Victor commended Messrs Rydin and Telemaque on their new venture and was able to vouch for their expertise since he had the opportunity to work with TBS.
“For someone who has been in this industry for so long, it is fantastic to see that we have reached a phase in cultural development that there are brave people who have come forward to provide a service on behalf of their colleagues in the industry,” stated Ambassador Victor.
Mr Savy stated the same, adding that it was about time such a venture came about since the NAC has been working to transform the creative industry from an informal sector to a more recognised and professional sector.
Mr Rydin and Mr Telemaque are presently the only two persons behind the operations of the TBS but will look to bring on additional help as the platform grows.
Elsie Pointe