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About

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About

The Booking Agency is a discovery platform for freelancers and the clients who hire them. We make professionals findable in every city they work, across 160+ countries.

Why we exist

Talent is global. Hiring is still local. Most platforms force freelancers to start over in every new city, and force clients to settle for whoever happens to rank that week. We index real professionals against real cities so the right match shows up first, wherever the project lives.

What you can do here

  • Talent: build a free profile, add portfolio links, set your rates, and get discovered by clients in every city you work in.
  • Clients: search 339,000+ cities. You book and pay directly with the freelancer. No platform fee on the work itself.

Who is behind this

The Booking Agency is a talent discovery platform operated by Tara Trade International LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company founded by Monique van Bokkum. The platform is bootstrapped and self-funded - no outside investors, no debt, no kill-switch. We build with the time and revenue we have.

What is not here

There is no transaction fee on the work itself. There is no closed messaging system. We do not hold escrow. The platform earns from optional subscriptions for talent who want more visibility, and from clients who want featured placement. The default is free.

Roadmap

We launch publicly on June 1, 2026. After launch the focus is on three things: faster city discovery, better category coverage, and polishing the talent dashboard so portfolios look great for clients. See the roadmap.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Booking Agency?

The Booking Agency is a discovery platform that helps clients find freelancers and creative professionals in every city across 160+ countries. Talent list themselves and pay a subscription to be discoverable; clients browse, post jobs, and reach out at no cost. You book and pay each other directly without us in the middle of the transaction.

Who runs The Booking Agency?

The Booking Agency is operated by Tara Trade International LLC, founded by Monique van Bokkum. The team focuses on giving freelancers a way to be findable in the cities they work, and giving event teams, agencies, and businesses a faster path to the right person. We are independent and self-funded.

How is The Booking Agency different from Upwork or Fiverr?

We are a discovery platform, not a transaction marketplace. Our model is subscription-based: talent pay to be listed; clients pay nothing. You agree on terms with the talent and pay them directly, so the platform never sits between you and the booking. Use it to find people, then keep the relationship simple.

Is it free to use?

Yes. Browsing talent, posting jobs, and contacting any talent are all free for clients. The Free tier for talent is permanent and requires no credit card. Premium upgrades start at $9.99 per month and unlock featured placement, advanced search, saved shortlists, and direct messaging. You can stay on Free indefinitely.

What kinds of freelancers are on the platform?

Photographers, videographers, musicians, DJs, MCs, makeup artists, hair stylists, models, presenters, dancers, event planners, sound engineers, lighting techs, graphic designers, web developers, copywriters, illustrators, voice-over artists, and more across 34 broader industries. The directory leans toward event-day talent and creative production but covers business, tech, and lifestyle services as well.

Which countries do you cover?

The Booking Agency lists professionals in 160+ countries and 339K+ cities, with the strongest density in Western Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and major capital cities globally. Coverage scales with talent sign-ups, so smaller cities fill in over time. Use the search to see who is active in a given city today.

How do I get started?

Clients can browse and post jobs without an account, or sign up to save shortlists and message talent. Talent sign up at /signup, build a profile in five to ten minutes with photos, services, rates, and availability, then appear in city and category searches. There is no application or approval queue.

Do you take a cut of bookings?

No. The Booking Agency is a discovery platform on a subscription model. You agree on terms with the talent and pay them directly. The platform is not involved in the transaction, which keeps the relationship simple: client and talent set the price together and there are no platform fees or booking fees on top.