The importance of confirmation agreements

Just recently I was booked as a Makeup Artist for a Satellite Media Tour with Tobey Keith. After I got the call from the production company I sent over a confirmation agreement. The agreement contained information on the number of talent, date, the rate, payment terms, and most importantly, the cancellation policy. I always write in a clause that states, “if they cancel within a 48 hour period, they will be charged for 100% of the rate”. Two days before the date of the job, I got a phone call explaining the SMT was canceled. The first thing I did was remind them that I have a 48 hour cancellation policy written into the confirmation agreement that they signed. They hung up, double checked the agreement, and suddenly the tour is not canceled! As it tuned out, the tour wasn’t canceled. The client just decided to bring their own makeup artist. Unfortunately, this is something that happens frequently. I have been burned too many times before to not get a signed agreement when booking a confirmed job. It’s a good thing I did send it over because earlier that day I turned down two days worth of work for this job. Always protect yourself from last minute cancellations!