Under the power of attorney clause on a contract does a manager really have the right to sign a bad record deal or make a child do a really terrible movie if the child does not want to do it.

power of attorney. be very careful. they can empty your life savings with a power of attorney.

A manager does not have the right to ask for power of attorney. Don't even think about granting him this right.

Even if the manager is reputable and is saying that they need power of attorney so we dont have to constantly come down to sign everything.

Is it specific to signing contracts with your approval or is a blanket POA?

I don't know anyone who has ever had a problem with it here in NY, but you need to do what makes you comfortable.

it gives them complete control over everything financial and contract negotiating and signings.
they wont make any changes in the poa we asked if it could read that artist has some sort of over ride if they didnt want to do something but they said no.

Sounds like your manager is manipulating you into believing this is in the best interest of your child. This is your CHILD we are talking about. Personally, I would never allow this to happen. They are taking away your rights as a parent and your child's right to be a child, which usually leads to very unhappy endings. I would seriously consider consulting with a reputable Entertainment Attorney.

can you scan and post the conract for us to see ?

Guys, let me make this perfectly clear:

NO MANAGER HAS THE RIGHT TO ASK FOR POWER OF ATTORNEY!

I've never heard of such a thing. There is absolutely no reason to do this. I just spoke to a top entertainment lawyer here in L.A. and his response was - what kind of idiot would agree to that?

So enough said.

Manager says its so we wont have to come in every time something has to be signed. I did every google search and every yahoo search on manager and do not see any negative problems legally or professionally. So now I am really not sure what to do our lawyer has tried to put a clause in it saying we have to at least agree verbally to any deals they might make for our daughter but they wont budge. So we have to think this over.

What are you talking about? Sign what? The only time a client has to sign anything is when they book a job.

I've been an agent for over twelve years now. I have forgotten more than you will ever know about the business of acting. So I'm going to say it one last time - this is a bad move!

I'm done with this post. Good bye and good luck.

quote:

I've been an agent for over twelve years now. I have forgotten more than you will ever know about the business of acting. So I'm going to say it one last time - this is a bad move!

BRAVO AGENT MAN ! you tell her !

and I too smell a barrel of fish ! and I have been in the business of acting for over 10 years full time professionally ! and I have forgotten so much that I think I might need to have my head scanned for tumors and such..

I understand the debate you're going through. . . you want someone who can help your child succeed and accomplish her dreams. But a manager already takes 15% of her paycheck, while an agent (who's the only one of the two who's even allowed to schedule auditions), only makes 10%. That's 25% -- a quarter of your kid's income that goes to her rep. Which is fine and fair, IF they really push for your kid. You're already giving this manager fair compensation. . . why do they need any more from you?
Do you already have an agent? If not, why are they asking you to sign over power of attorney at this stage, when there's no job offers to review? They can't (or aren't supposed to) directly book auditions for your daughter. Their biggest role at this point is helping her find an agent, and figuring out her type, business plan, etc. Besides, even if there were contracts coming in, an agent would typically handle fielding offers and reviewing legalities. Not a manager.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't let your fear of passing up representation coerce you into signing something that's awful and permanent for the next 3 years. Trust in your daughter's talent. If this offer isn't right, another one will come around. I don't think you want some stranger exercising so much control over your child's life. If you really want to work with this management company and feel good about their reputation, then tell them you don't mind coming to sign things in person, and prefer it that way, so that your daughter feels involved with her career at a young age, develops business/leadership skills early, etc., etc.
Anyway, best of luck to you and your dd!

P.S. Kudos to you for seeing an attorney and really questioning the legalities before just signing on the dotted line.