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STANDBYESPORTS BROADCAST TALENT, ON DEMAND.

Booking safety checklist for esports broadcast talent

Nine questions to ask before you accept a casting, observer, producer or other broadcast gig. They apply on any platform, or off one.

  1. 1. Get the payment terms in writing

    Before you agree, have the rate, the number of days or matches, who pays, and the date you will be paid written down. A direct message counts, a verbal yes does not. "Paid, DM us" with no number is a reason to ask, not a reason to start.

  2. 2. Is the money set aside, or is it a promise?

    A real budget exists before the work starts. Ask how and when the org pays. If the answer is "after the event" with no date, you are lending the org your time for free until it decides to pay.

  3. 3. Do not start work before payment is funded

    A trial, a test stream or a rehearsal that is really the live event is still unpaid work. Wait until the terms are settled and the payment is arranged.

  4. 4. Be careful with exposure and "future work" offers

    Exposure does not pay rent. Only accept unpaid work if you chose it with your eyes open and you can afford to lose the time. A volunteer post should say so up front.

  5. 5. Keep payment where you can prove it

    Be wary of anyone who wants to move payment or the conversation to another app, send money to a personal account, or pay by a method that cannot be traced. Whatever the platform, a payment you cannot prove is a payment you cannot recover.

  6. 6. Keep records

    Save the offer, the agreed dates, the rate and any changes someone asks for. Screenshots with dates are fine. If a dispute ever happens, the person with the cleaner record usually has the easier case.

  7. 7. Check the org's history

    Look for past events, public posts from staff who worked with them, and whether they have a real website and a named person you can reach. A brand new account with a big budget and a rush is worth a second look.

  8. 8. Protect your personal details

    You rarely need to share your legal name, home address or ID with an org before you are booked. Never send passport or bank details to someone you met in a direct message.

  9. 9. Know who to report to

    If someone pressures you, threatens you or asks for money from you, stop and screenshot it. On any platform, use its report and block tools. For anything illegal or dangerous, contact local authorities first.

What this looks like on Standby today

  • For paid bookings, the org pays when it accepts you, and Standby holds the payment until the event is done. Until you see the booking confirmed, do not start work.
  • Talent must be payout-ready before an org can accept them, so an org never funds a booking you cannot be paid for.
  • Other people see your handle, not your real name, on profiles, bookings and chat.
  • Booking chat and event pages have report buttons, and you can block someone.
  • Once a booking is marked complete, either side has a 7 day window to open a dispute. If nobody does, the payout is released.

What Standby does not do yet

  • We do not check the identity of orgs or talent.
  • Chat is not reviewed by people. We read a conversation only if someone reports it.
  • Off-platform payments are not protected. Escrow only covers paid bookings funded through Standby, not ongoing or volunteer posts.
  • We do not promise a response time on reports.

More on how we handle reports and disputes: Trust & Safety and Dispute Policy.