Distinkt Launches Talent Agency That Pairs AI Tools With Human Agents
A new talent agency, Distinkt, has launched with offices in Los Angeles and London. Variety reports that it began with nearly 2,000 clients in 43 countries.
The company was founded by Robert Herman, Chris Gibbin and Chris Day. Herman is chief executive and Day is the chief spokesperson. Distinkt is licensed in California and is privately held, which means its shares are not sold on a public stock market.
The agency uses AI workflows alongside human agents to connect actors, directors, producers, editors, photographers and digital creatives with work. Every client gets four AI teammates on a proprietary platform, meaning software built in-house, that helps analyse job opportunities. Separate AI specialists handle legal compliance and contract analysis, trained in the rules set by industry guilds, the unions that represent workers in film and television. They cover the U.S., U.K., EU, EMEA, LATAM and Asia-Pacific markets.
Human agents make all the final decisions and broker the deals. The agency is free for talent clients. Clients do not have to sign exclusively, so they can also work with other firms.
Before the launch, Distinkt had already been booking clients since May. Those bookings covered advertising spots, which are short commercials, as well as scripted series and films. Scripted means the programme follows a written script, as opposed to unscripted formats such as reality shows.
For performers and crew, the practical question is how work gets found and how contracts are checked. Distinkt says both steps now run through a mix of software and people, with the human agents signing off on every deal.
