02. Deal Management

Captures and maintains all deal attributes related to what is coming from the buyer or customer, focusing on the revenue side of transactions. This function manages all amounts due from buyers and the associated terms including guaranteed amounts with payment dates, estimated service/performance dates, milestone-based payments, and variable compensation such as profit participations, ticket sales bonuses, and other contingent payments.

02. Deal Management Productboard component link

02.01. Deal Structure Definition and Management

Captures and defines the structure of deals including all compensation components, payment timing, and contractual terms that establish buyer financial obligations.

• 02.01.01. Guaranteed compensation structure capture — Captures all guaranteed payment amounts, timing, and conditions from buyer contracts, establishing the baseline financial commitments for each deal.

• 02.01.02. Milestone payment definition and tracking — Defines milestone-based payment terms including specific events, delivery requirements, and associated payment amounts that trigger buyer payment obligations.

• 02.01.03. Variable compensation terms management — Manages complex variable compensation arrangements including profit participation percentages, bonus thresholds, ticket sales formulas, and other contingent payment structures.

• 02.01.04. Cancelled with payment option capture — Captures terms where payment is due to client if the deal is cancelled.

• 02.01.05. Payment schedule establishment — Establishes payment schedules showing when different components of deal compensation become due based on contract terms and milestone achievement.

• 02.01.06. Document service and performance dates — Records dates over which services will be rendered or actions performed.

• 02.01.07. Service Location Documentation — Records locations where services will be performed for tax purposes.

02.02. Buyer Financial Obligation Tracking

Monitors and tracks buyer payment obligations throughout the deal lifecycle, ensuring visibility into invoice and payment status and timing for all compensation components.

• 02.02.01. Guaranteed payment tracking — Tracks the status of all guaranteed payments from buyers, monitoring when amounts become due and when payments are received.

• 02.02.02. Milestone completion monitoring — Monitors and records completion of contractual milestones that trigger buyer payment obligations, maintaining evidence of milestone achievement. May use third-party services such as IMDBPro, Studio System, or Box Office Mojo to identify relevant milestones (air dates, theatrical releases, etc.).

• 02.02.03. Variable compensation performance tracking — Tracks performance against variable compensation criteria including profit thresholds, sales targets, and other metrics that determine contingent payments.

• 02.02.04. Buyer payment obligation calculation — Calculates total amounts due from buyers based on guaranteed payments, completed milestones, and achieved variable compensation thresholds.

• 02.02.05. Payment timing and alerts — Manages payment timing requirements and deadlines for all types of buyer obligations, providing alerts for upcoming or overdue payments.

02.03. Deal Performance and Achievement Recording

Records actual performance results and milestone achievements that trigger variable compensation and additional buyer payment obligations.

• 02.03.01. Milestone achievement verification — Records achievement of contractual milestones including performances, deliveries, and other events that trigger payments or variable compensation.

• 02.03.02. Performance metrics capture — Captures actual performance data including box office results, ratings, sales figures, and other metrics that determine variable compensation amounts.

• 02.03.03. Variable compensation calculation and recording — Calculates actual variable compensation amounts based on achieved performance and records these amounts as additional buyer obligations.

• 02.03.04. Deal completion status tracking — Tracks deal completion status including fulfilled obligations, pending requirements, and final deal closure. Flags expected future bookings to facilitate booking links and support protected projects.

• 02.03.05. Performance documentation capture — Manages documentation by using user and time stamps supporting milestone achievement and performance results for audit and verification purposes.

02.04. Deal Approval, Modification, and Amendment Processing

Manages changes to existing deals including contract modifications, amendments, and their impact on payment schedules and compensation arrangements.

• 02.04.01. Deal Approval — Records agent approval of deal terms and conditions prior releasing to Booking Management when commissionable/material terms are final or services start.

• 02.04.02. Contract modification — Captures and processes modifications to existing deals including changes to compensation, timing, milestones, or other contractual terms from both agents and client accounting.

• 02.04.03. Amendment impact analysis — Analyzes the impact of deal amendments on existing payment schedules, milestone requirements, and variable compensation arrangements.

• 02.04.04. Historical deal version maintenance — Maintains historical versions of deal terms to support audit requirements and track evolution of deal structures over time.

• 02.04.05. Modification approval workflow — Implements approval workflows for deal modifications based on materiality and impact, ensuring appropriate authorization for changes.

• 02.04.06. Amendment documentation and alerts — Documents all deal modifications and communicates changes to relevant stakeholders including accounting, agents, and settlement processes.